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Folkestone getting closer to safety

A FOURTH minute goal from man of the moment James Dryden was enough to give Folkestone Invicta a third consecutive win as they took another huge step towards Ryman Premier League survival with a narrow win over fourth-from-bottom Harrow Borough on Saturday afternoon.

Dryden had broken the club’s goalscoring record with the winner at local rivals Dover Athletic on Easter Monday and struck again to take Invicta eight points above Harrow and the drop zone with five games to play.

25-year-old DRYDEN had been a major fitness doubt with a nasty toe injury but was there to sidefoot home the only goal of the game after Simon Glover had played a low ball in from the left hand side.

Dryden was close again in the 39^th minute following the game’s first corner when he headed against the top of the crossbar after centre half Adam Flanagan had met Paul Lamb’s ball in from the right.

At the other end, home goalkeeper Tony Kessell saved with his feet to deny striker Brian Haule in the 45^th minute when the ball was played over defender Steve Norman.

And Harrow came out strongly at the start of the second half as they tried to turn things around in their own desperate bid for survival as Elliot Onochie got put through after 51 minutes and forced a corner from Kessell.

Invicta goalscorer Dryden succumbed to his injury after 53 minutes and was replaced by Mark Munday. Paul Sykes then headed at goalkeeper Keita Karamoko when Micheal Everitt nodded the ball on two minutes later.

Harrow missed their best chance of the match after 64 minutes when substitute Howard Newton scooped the ball over at the far post when Onochie played the ball across to him from the left hand side.

For Invicta, Stuart Myall shot into the side netting when Norman played the ball forward after 73 minutes.

Substitute Joe Neilson replaced Sykes after 85 minutes and set up a couple of late chances for Invicta as he couldn’t quite force the ball home in the 90^th minute when he took the ball off Steve Dogbe and combined with Glover.

And Glover volleyed tamely at goalkeeper Karamoko when set up by Neilson six minutes into stoppage time.

Both sides suffered early injuries as Harrow defender Richard Covey left the field after just nine minutes and Invicta lost right back Kevin Watson with a recurrence of the knee injury which kept him out for over three months from December.

FOLKESTONE INVICTA: Kessell, Watson (J. Everitt 15), Lamb, Flanagan, Norman, Lindsey, M. Everitt, Myall, Dryden (Munday 53), Sykes (Neilson 85), Glover.  Unused subs: Coleman, Tanner.

HARROW BOROUGH:  Karamoko, Katyal (Mouri 77), Covey (Dyer 9), Walters, Norman (Newton 45), Marney, Fitzsimon, Dogbe, Haule, Onochie, Lamb. Unused subs: Asombang, Haniff.

 Attendance: 392.