Folkestone Invicta 0-4 Cheshunt - We were lacking desire, fight and I'm not thinking about the play-offs after tonight, says apologetic Folkestone Invicta manager Andy Drury

Folkestone Invicta 0 – 4 Cheshunt
Location	Cheriton Road, Folkestone, Kent CT19 5JU
Kickoff	07/01/2025 19:45

FOLKESTONE INVICTA  0-4  CHESHUNT
Isthmian League Premier Division
Tuesday 7 January 2025
Stephen McCartney reports from Cheriton Road

FOLKESTONE INVICTA manager Andy Drury issued an apology to supporters for putting out a team that was lacking a bit of desire and a bit of fight after suffering a humiliating home defeat to relegation-threatened Cheshunt.

A crowd of 601 braved the freezing cold temperatures to witness an awful performance from Folkestone Invicta, as they were humiliated by a clinical Cheshunt side that arrived at Cheriton Road in the bottom five in the Isthmian League Premier Division table.

Mel Gwinnett’s side set the tone by taking the lead after only 68 seconds with an emphatic strike from former Margate man Antonis Vasiliou, 23.

Cheshunt killed the game off with striker Tommy Wood scoring twice in 131 seconds to take his goalscoring tally up to eight for the season, before the impressive Vasiliou notched his 12^th goal of the season to leave the home fans inside Cheriton Road stunned into silence.

It was not surprise when those left within the stadium booed their team at the final whistle. Many home fans headed for the exits 15 minutes early, leaving Drury crestfallen during the post-match press conference, held inside his warm manager’s office.

“Disappointing night, to be honest with you. I didn’t see that coming at all from the previous performances put in over Christmas,” said Drury.

“We never really got going. We didn’t do the basics right. We didn’t stick to the game plan - and we’ve been punished for it.

“I think they (Cheshunt) wanted it more than us. They’ve done the basics better than us – and maybe a little bit of fatigue.”

Folkestone Invicta were playing their fifth game in 12 days, drawing 0-0 at Lewes on Boxing Day, beating Wingate & Finchley here 3-2 just a couple of days later, before Hastings United were beaten here 3-1 on New Years Day and Drury made two changes to his side tonight that came away from Bowers & Pitsea with a 2-2 draw at the weekend.

“Five games in 12 days, whatever it is, is quite a tough ask but ultimately we can’t really be conceding the goals that we’ve been conceding today.  We should be dominating games like this,” added Drury.

“It’s just too many games.  They’ve kind of chucked more games at the teams lower down (the football pyramid) that kind of haven’t got the facilities to recover.  Everyone higher up, National League, they’ve played twice over Christmas. We’re playing four times and then we had to chuck in this postponed game as well because it’s in the allotted time, so it needs to be looked at. Nothing surprises me with this League.”

The Isthmian League usually re-arrange postponed games within a six week window.

Since losing 2-1 at home to league leaders Dover Athletic on 21 December, Cheshunt have remained unbeaten in their four games over the gruelling festive period, winning 1-0 at Wingate & Finchley on Boxing Day before drawing 4-4 at home to Cray Valley and coming away from Lewes with a 2-2 draw at the weekend.

Cheshunt opened the scoring after only 68 seconds with an emphatic strike from left-winger Vasiliou.

He started the move by feeding holding midfielder Jack Munns, who played the ball out to left-back Bradley Roberts, who cut the ball back from within the left-channel for an unmarked Vasiliou, who unleashed a rasping right-footed half-volley into the top left-hand corner from 16-yards.

“Very bad defending. Poor clearance. There was a man free on the edge of the box and I said before the game ‘we can’t make mistakes’. We had to clear our boxes, defend better and within nearly a minute we’re 1-0 down,” said a disappointed Drury.

“He (Vasiliou) done well. I said to the boys before the game ‘on his day, he’s a good player,’ and it was up to us to stop him having his day and first half I thought he done quite well to be fair to him.”

Right-winger Rob Hall switched the play from right-to-left where the impressive Vasiliou easily cut inside Folkestone’s right-back Gavin Hoyte, before slipping a short pass to the overlapping Hall, who curled his left-footed shot across goalkeeper Jonathan Henly towards the top far corner from the corner of the six-yard box, only for the ball to be headed off the line by Folkestone’s left-back Sam Smith.

Folkestone Invicta’s returning talisman striker Ade Yusuf was presented with his first chance to score with 09:52 on the clock on his third home debut for the Kent coastal club.

Sam Smith whipped in a quality delivery from within the left-channel close to the touchline for the 30-year-old former Hornchurch striker to guide his free header across the keeper and past the far post from eight-yards.

“I think it was a little bit too high for him that chance. It was a great ball from Smithie,” said Drury.

“I said in the paper the other day that Ade is one of the best strikers at this level. He’s not played a great deal of football, so we have to get him up to speed but he done well when he came on (at Bowers & Pitsea) on Saturday.

“I thought he done ok today, could’ve probably have had one or two goals but it wasn’t to be.”

Hall switched the ball over to Vasiliou on the left and he easily cut inside Hoyte to put over another cross where lone central striker Wood flicked his header towards goal, which was comfortably caught by Henly, with two hands outstretched above his head and Drury felt “that one was quite comfortable,” for his goalie.

Cheshunt continued to play on the front foot as they turned the league table upside down by making Folkestone Invicta look like a poor outfit.

Folkestone Invicta’s holding midfielder Jack Jebb whipped in a quality delivery with a right-footed free-kick into the penalty area where centre-half Joe Tyrie rose at the far post to sent his header across the keeper and sailing past the far post.

Tyrie left the stadium with a protective boot slipped onto his left-foot, as he was withdrawn through injury in the 29^th minute.

“I think it’s his ankle. I think he’s rolled his ankle again, which is kind of a bit disappointing really,” revealed Drury.

Referee Daniel D’Urso walked over to Cheshunt goalkeeper R’avan Constable to warn him about timewasting and his resulting goal-kick saw the 30-year-old slip over and kick the ball straight to Folkestone Invicta’s right-winger Abouhadje Evans Kouassi some 35-yards from goal.

Kouassi played a first time pass to release Yusuff through on goal and after skipping past Cheshunt centre-half Darion Furlong he lacked composure inside the box and his shot trickled past the right-hand post.

The home side were a threat down the right with Hoyte and Kouassi often linking up, as Cheshunt’s left-back Roberts was their weak link in defence.

“After the goal and after the first 10 minutes, I thought we had quite a bit of territory,” said Drury.

“Evans created quite a few crosses. We just lacked that desire to go and really score a goal. 

“Evans has come back from his loan and he’s been really good to be fair to him.”

The game then turned into a cagey affair with both sides cancelling each other out after 25 minutes, with Folkestone’s attacking play deteriorating by the minute.

Sixteen-goal striker Daniel Smith – who was operating behind Yusuff – failed to make an impact.  The same goes for Joe Turner down the left wing.

Constable denied Folkestone Invicta grabbing an equaliser with 44:30 on the clock, as the home side finished the half on the front foot.

A long ball out of defence was hit straight down the middle of the pitch and Kouassi’s left-footed reverse pass put Yusuff through on goal and he drilled his right-footed drive towards the near-corner from 10-yards on the angle and Constable did well to dive to his left and comfortably pluck the ball out of the air and keep hold of it.

Drury added: “He held it as well. Their keeper has had a good game tonight. He’s had four or five good saves from him to be fair.

“Like I say, sometimes you kind of hope some of them just scuffle into the corner of the net but he hit it cleanly but he’s made a good save.

Cheshunt defended resiliently by packing their penalty area as Folkestone Invicta looked likely to equalise just before the break.

Jebb swung in the home side’s second corner from the left, Constable palmed the ball away from within a crowd of players before Hoyte played the ball inside to Sam Smith, who recycled the ball back into the box and Daniel Smith glanced the ball towards the bottom far corner, which was smothered by Constable low to his right as he prevented the ball nestling inside the bottom far (left-hand) corner.

“I wasn’t too happy with the first half performance. We were lacking a bit of desire, a bit of fight and we didn’t get the distances or the shape right,” admitted Drury.

“We kind of just needed to play the pitch a little bit better. It’s not a great pitch and we were over-playing in our half, which we didn’t need to do, which they proved second half on that pitch you just need to get the ball forward and ask questions of the opposition’s defenders.”

Folkestone Invicta failed to turn up for large chunks of the second half.

Cheshunt doubled their lead with nine minutes and 32 seconds on the clock, with a well-worked move down the right and within the channel.

Jack Thomas and substitute wide right striker Donell Thomas linked up well down the right before right-back Lordon Akolbire also got in on the act and cut along the by-line (past substitute centre-half Amadou Kassarate) before putting in a low cross towards the near post where Wood got in front of his man to flick his shot into the bottom right-hand corner from three-yards.

“I think it’s quite hard sometimes to see down in that corner from where I am in the dug-out but I think all the goals second half looked quite cheap and poor to be honest with you,” said Drury.

Cheshunt scored their third goal with 11 minutes and 43 seconds on the clock, following Furlong’s fourth long throw into the box.

Wood emerged from a crowd of players, a decent first touch saw him find space and as goalkeeper Henly came off his line, the 26-year-old striker squeezed his shot into the bottom right-hand corner with his right-foot.

Drury added: “I think there was a long throw and I couldn’t really see too much. Until I see it back on the video, it’s hard to see.  I think we need to do better there, poor goals to give away.”

Hoyte and Wood clashed and both fell to the ground in the build-up before the unmarked Vasiliou stroked a right-footed drive bouncing past the left-hand post from 30-yards.

Cheshunt continued to dominate and Vasiliou swung in the away side’s second corner of the night and Furlong’s near-post back-healed flick looped over Henly’s head and dropped just past the far post.

Folkestone Invicta fans started heading for the exits as soon as Cheshunt scored their fourth goal with 29 minutes and 45 seconds on the clock.

It came from Furlong’s tenth and final long throw of the game (nine came in the second half).

The ball was poorly headed away from inside a crowd of players inside the Folkestone box and Munns clipped the ball into the danger area for Vasiliou to flick his shot across Henly to find the far corner.

Drury said: “It shows naivety from us, from experienced players that we’re conceding territory and we’re not trying to kick the ball up the line and get the ball as far away from our goal as possible.  We’re just kicking it off for a throw, just to get it off the pitch.

“You need to use your brain and recognise situations and try to get the ball as far away from your goal as possible with clearances.

“It was poor. I think that’s the one that Jonny should save. Another poor goal. They’re all poor goals tonight, to be honest with you. We haven’t defended well and we haven’t played well, simple as that.”

When asked what was missing from his players’ tonight, Drury replied: “Everything! Fight. Desire. The basics of football. Winning your battle, headers, tackles, second balls. Everything to be honest with you. I thought it was poor!"

Folkestone Invicta showed some pride going into the final 10 minutes with Jebb’s right-footed free-kick from just outside the corner of the Cheshunt penalty area arrowing over the top of the far post.

Folkestone Invicta’s best chance to score arrived with 43:37 on the clock when substitute Conor Kelly put in a cross from the right towards the back post and the ball dropped for fellow sub Matthias Fanimo, who drilled a left-footed drive towards goal from inside the box, which was beaten away by Constable at head height.

“We started to play in the last 10 minutes but it’s easy to play when you’re 4-0 down,” said Drury.

“We had a couple of chances in the last 10 minutes but it was too little, too late to be honest with you.  You turn up and do that in the last 10 minutes, you’ve got to do that when it matters! Not when you’re not 4-0 down!

Fanimo then swept the ball out to substitute left-back Frankie Del Morgan, the former Sheppey United man stroking a left-footed drive which was comfortably saved low down by an untroubled Constable.

Cheshunt manager Gwinnett was sent off in the 88^th minute but insisted post-match that he wasn’t sent off by using foul and abusive language towards referee Daniel D’Urso, confirming that he said “it’s becoming a shambles.”

Drury was asked about his opposite number being given his marching orders.

“He shouldn’t have been sent off! He didn’t swear at the ref. He shouldn’t have been sent off. If that’s a sending off, I think most managers would be sent off most games to be honest.”

Drury was asked what message he had for the Folkestone Invicta fans who watched such an awful performance from their side in freezing cold temperatures tonight.

“Just apologise. It wasn’t good enough! I didn’t see it coming from the previous performances that we’ve put in.

“I think the group know that wasn’t good enough. I know that wasn’t good enough. They probably know that wasn’t good enough.

“It’s probably the only game this year where we’ve been out-fought really all season. Even when we lost (3-0 at home to Billericay Town on 7 September) we didn’t lose the battle. We kind of lost the moments whereas today we’ve lost the fight and we’ve lost the battles today.”

In tonight’s other two League games, Potters Bar Town won 2-1 at Canvey Island, while Kevin Hake’s Chatham Town lost 1-0 at home to Hashtag United.

Dover Athletic remain at the summit of this seventh-tier division with 52 points on the board from their 25 (of 42) league games, following relegation from the National League South last season.

The four play-off places are held by Billericay Town (51 points from 25 games), Dartford (48 points from 25 games), Cray Valley (46 points from 24 games) and Horsham (41 points from 23 games).

Chichester City are in sixth-place (38 points from 25 games), Hashtag United (37 points from 24 games), Chatham Town (35 points from 25 games), Folkestone Invicta drop one spot and are in ninth-place tonight with 35 points (10 wins, five draws and 10 defeats) from 25 games and Potters Bar Town are in tenth-place with 34 points from 24 games.

Cheshunt, meanwhile, have climbed up one place into 17^th with 27 points (seven wins, six draws and 11 defeats).  The Hertfordshire based outfit are now four points clear of the relegation zone that contains Whitehawk, Hastings United, Bowers & Pitsea and Bognor Regis Town.

Dulwich Hamlet terminated the contract of their manager Hakan Hayrettin today after their 4-3 home defeat to bottom-side Bognor Regis Town at the weekend proved to be the final straw, having won just the once in their last 11 league outings and are under-performing in fifteenth-place in the table with 29 points from 25 games.

Drury demands a reaction from his players for their trip to Champion Hill on Saturday.

“Dulwich is always a tough place to go. They’ve got good players, they get a good crowd. It’s how we’re going to react really, whether we’re going to have the character to put tonight behind us and try and go on another unbeaten run, or whether we haven’t got the characters and we go and lose there.

“We’ve just got to pick the players up and they’ve got to stand up and be counted.

“The dressing room was quiet, down, as you’d expect really. They haven’t performed and we haven’t performed and you get told you haven’t performed, simple as that. 

“You’ve got to show character and fight and bounce back.”

Folkestone Invicta were so dominant during their 2-1 home win over Dulwich Hamlet on 19 November but Drury has a job to do to get his big-spending club back on track - but he isn't looking to bring in more fresh blood at present.

“Make no bones about it, the consistency hasn’t really been there as what it should’ve been this year.

“No, I think these boys need to stand up and be counted and show a bit of character now and bounce back.

“It’s a tight league. It’s not thinking about the play-offs tonight to be honest with you. It’s just about trying to pick the boys up and preparing for Dulwich.

“I am disappointed. I’ve got a group of experienced players in there that have been, in my opinion, out-fought and out-battled.

“I brought that group, that kind of group in because if you look at the groups that have got out of this League in Bishop’s Stortford, in Hornchurch and they’re all experienced players and they know how to play games and adapt to games in games.

“It is disappointing when you’ve got a group in there that we have on paper and they go and give me THAT!”

Folkestone Invicta: Jonathan Henly, Gavin Hoyte, Sam Smith (Frankie Del Morgan 58), Jack Jebb, Joe Tyrie (Amadou Kassarate 29), Ian Gayle, Joe Turner (Matthias Fanimo 59), Dean Rance, Ade Yusuff (Conor Kelly 67), Daniel Smith, Abouhadje Evans Kouassi (Tom Derry 74).

Booked: Jack Jebb 31, Ade Yusuff 49

Cheshunt: R’avan Constable, Lordon Akolbire, Bradley Roberts, Jack Munns (Magloire Muyembe 82), Darion Furlong, Raul Da Silva, Antonis Vasiliou, Jack Thomas (Kieran Gauthier 88), Tommy Wood (Tobias Braney 82), Sam Granville, Rob Hall (Donell Thomas 53).
Sub: Uko Oji

Goals: Antonis Vasiliou 2, 75, Tommy Wood 55, 57

Booked: Preston Edwards 41 (assistant manager), Darion Furlong 44

Sent Off:  Mel Gwinnett 88 (manager)

Attendance: 601
Referee: Mr Daniel D’Urso
Assistants: Mr Krystian Kaczala & Mr Ismail Isik