Striker boost for Folkestone Invicta boss Neil Cugley

Friday 30th September 2011

STRIKERS Richard Atkins and Stuart King handed Folkestone Invicta boss Neil Cugley a boost when they both joined in light training last night.

Atkins has been out with a broken collarbone while top-scorer King has now had his delayed wrist operation and both are expected to be fully fit and available in around 10 days’ time.

Cugley, who was speaking to www.folkestoneinvicta.co.uk said: “It was pleasing to see those two back training and Paul Jones is also about a week away, though I seem to have been saying that for quite some time now.”

But before his strike force is back up to something like full strength Folkestone face home games against first Burgess Hill Town tomorrow and Eastbourne Town next Wednesday.

Burgess Hill – with a much-change side from when Invicta last played them a couple of years back – have had a difficult start to the season, and currently lie one place off the foot of the table.

So far they have only won one of four away games – that at Hythe (3-2) last Saturday – before going down (2-3) to Maidstone in midweek.

“I’ve had a word with Ports (Hythe boss Scott Porter) and also spoke to Maidstone about them” said boss Cugley who seemed surprised to be told that his own side have a 100 per cent home record in the league.

“That sounds great, but we have only played three home games” he readily admitted.

But if his side can recapture the form of the last of those – arguably their best result of the season so far (the 3-1 win over yet another Sussex side, Worthing) – they have a great chance of ending the current three game losing run.

“Yes, we had the FA Cup defeat” said the manager, “then that awful game on that awful pitch at Sittingbourne – but we played much better at Godalming on Tuesday.”

There a late strike from Josh Vincent was Folkestone’s first goal in those three games, as Cugley went back to his old formation of three central defenders and wingbacks.

It looks unlikely that there will be too many changes tomorrow, but ‘Saturday Boy’ Liam Dickson is back in the squad after missing another midweek match through work commitments while Ryan Moreby is expected to start in place of James Rogers, who is back on FA Cup duty with parent club Dartford (at home to Harrow Borough).

Skipper Micheal Everitt picked up a nasty ankle injury and looks the one serious doubt and Cugley admitted: “He did well to get through the game on Tuesday and we’ll have to look closely at that situation between now and kick-off on Saturday.”

Cade Mortimer, a young wide player/striker from the reserves impressed at training and is handed a place in the first team squad for the first time.

That will help offset the departure of ex-Tonbridge pair Luke Blewden and Matt Hollyoak who have both moved to John Maggs’ Crawley Down – who have also snapped up former Tonbridge Angels winger, Fraser Logan, from Whitehawk.

Neither Blewden or Hollyoak have quite managed to hold down a regular first team spot at Cheriton Road, though the manager admitted he might have liked to have kept ex-England schoolboy international Hollyoak had the budget allowed it.

Cugley said: “I had to decide between JV and him and of course JV (Vincent) is local and on contract so he got the nod.
“And with Ausso (Simon Austin) back we don’t need Luke to fill in up front as he has been doing in recent weeks.”

After tomorrow’s game, Folkestone can look ahead to facing Eastbourne Town next Wednesday with the Saffrons’ outfit currently 10^th in the table (three places below Invicta), but have played a game more than most of the rest of the sides in the division.
Invicta have a vacant Saturday next weekend and return to action in the Kent Senior Cup at Faversham the following midweek when their strike force could be back up to full strength with the return of King, Atkins, and possibly also Jones.

Article courtesy of www.folkestoneinvicta.co.uk

Folkestone Invicta v Burgess Hill Town
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 1^st October 2011
Kick Off 3:00pm
At Cheriton Road, Folkestone, Kent CT19 5JU