folkvcorb210204

Folkestone draw a blank

Cugley's men wait for first double of season

Folkestone Invicta 0-0 Corby Town
Saturday 21 February 2004
Dr Martens League Eastern Division
by Richard Murrill

Folkestone Invicta endured a frustrating afternoon on Saturday when they were held to a goalless draw at home to Corby Town amidst bitterly cold conditions in a game dominated by the extremely windy conditions.

Invicta dominated from the start but could not produce that all-important breakthrough as Corby repeated the 0-0 stalemate of their previous visit to Cheriton Road in November 1999.

Neil Cugley’s side had chances in the opening minutes as Corby goalkeeper Richard Lavin smothered an Allan Tait shot after just 80 seconds and Tim Hambley was close from yards in front of goal when the ball came in from the left after just two minutes.

But Invicta did not get the early goal which might have made this a far different game and Tait blasted high and wide after 25 minutes when a wayward James Dryden shot found Anthony Hogg on the left hand side and the midfielder was given the benefit of the doubt for his challenge on goalkeeper Lavin and played the ball back across goal.

Dryden could only head at goalkeeper Lavin when a Tait shot fell to him close to goal after 29 minutes.

Lavin produced the save of the match with a one-handed tip after 38 minutes to keep out a Mark Munday header from Martin Chandler’s corner on the left.

Dryden headed over a Paul Lamb corner from the right after 45 minutes, but Invicta’s first half dominance had not produced a goal.

Munday had to clear from close to the Invicta line after 54 minutes, while Corby cleared their lines again after 68 minutes when centre half Adam Flanagan met a Chandler corner from the left.

Dryden raced away down the right after 73 minutes and Invicta appealed In vain for a corner when his cross to Tait in the middle was met and flew out of play.

Flanagan blasted over when a Lamb free kick from the right found him at the far post after 79 minutes and Lavin produced another great one-handed save to turn a Tait shot over the crossbar after 82 minutes when Chandler put the striker through the middle.

Invicta goalkeeper Tony Kessell did not have a save to make all afternoon, though Munday had to clear from close to the line again after 87 minutes following a free kick from the left.

With the final touch of the game, Lavin pushed away a Chandler free kick deep into injury time when centre half Steven Julian fouled Tait on the edge of the penalty area.

But Corby followed in the footsteps of fellow Northamptonshire club Rothwell Town who had also drawn 0-0 at the Westbourne Stadium back in December, with Invicta having scored four times and won comfortably  in the away game on both occasions. This latest stalemate still leaves Invicta waiting to record their first league ‘double’ over a side this season.

The parallels with the Rothwell game do not end there as against the Bones, Invicta had teenager Oliver Waters on the bench for the first time and on Saturday it was the turn of fellow teenage reserve team player Simon Rainbow to win a place on the substitutes’ bench.

There were bookings for Invicta’s Flanagan (foul on Danny Marlow after 77 minutes) and for Corby’s Richard Challinor (foul after 79 minutes) and Lee Vallance (foul on substitute John Ayling after 88 minutes).

FOLKESTONE INVICTA: Kessell, Everitt, Lamb, Flanagan, Guest, Chandler, Hambley (Ayling 74 mins), Munday, Dryden, Tait, Hogg.  Unused subs: Rainbow, Blackman, Dyson, Egan.

CORBY TOWN: Lavin, Marlow, Vallance, Glover (Marshall 90 mins), Julian, White, Forbes, Kennedy, Sturgess, Sneddon (Foley 70 mins), Challinor.  Unused subs: Stanton, Hackett.

Attendance: 318.

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