Folkestone Invicta 0-1 Boreham Wood

Folkestone Invicta’s poor start to the season continued when they slumped to a third successive home defeat against Boreham Wood at the Buzzlines Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

It was another disappointing and frustrating afternoon for the home club and the only goal of the game went in off goalkeeper Kieron Mann after coming back down off the crossbar following a Chris Watters corner on the left in the 48th minute.

Mann had come in for his home debut and only his fourth senior start for the club after David Hogan had been released following disappointing performances in Invicta’s previous two home defeats.

The 20-year-old goalkeeper did not let anybody down but unfortunately found himself on the scoresheet after defender Ryan Moran had met Watters’ corner just after half time.

But only one goal scored during those three home defeats suggests that all is also not well for Invicta at the other end of the field.

Manager Neil Cugley brought in Mark Saunders and Ellis Remy for their first starts of the season as they looked to bring some cheer to their home supporters.

But it was the visitors who had the better of the early exchanges as the tricky Greg Morgan made space for himself and fired over the crossbar from the edge of the penalty area in the seventh minute.

Morgan then shot against the underside of the crossbar two minutes later, with Simon Thomas putting the rebound into the net, only for the ‘goal’ to be ruled out by an assistant referee’s flag.

Mann then made a great reflex save to deny Boreham Wood captain Mark Smith after a corner on the left in the 13th minute.

But Invicta should have opened the scoring two minutes later when captain Roland Edge somehow put the ball over from virtually on the goal line when centre half Frankie Chappell touched the ball across goal.

Striker Leigh Bremner then shot just wide when the ball was played down the right hand channel of the penalty area for him to race onto in the 17th minute as Invicta continued to have chances of their own.

There was nearly an awkward moment in the 28th minute when Remy struck the crossbar from 35 yards when kicking the ball back to the Boreham Wood goalkeeper following a stoppage for an injury.

Boreham Wood then had a couple of chances on the half hour mark as Mann got down to keep out Luke Gregson’s low shot from the edge of the penalty area when Morgan played the ball in from the right and Moran headed over a Watters corner.

Morgan ran at the Invicta defence again down the right hand side and his shot dipped just over the crossbar in the 37 th minute and a Watters shot thumped against the outside of the post from a wide position on the left hand side of the box after 40 minutes.

Mann then had to get down to touch a Watters shot on the turn round the post for a corner in the 45th minute.

The goal at the start of the second half left Invicta once again chasing the game and a Joe Reynolds shot swerved just wide of the home side’s post when he let fly from outside the penalty area in the 52nd minute.

For Invicta, Saunders got up to meet an Edge cross from the left a minute later but could not quite his header goalwards.

There was more danger at the other end in the 59th minute when the visitors broke but Ryan Lockett did not make the most of his chance as he shot at Mann.

Boreham Wood goalkeeper Noel Imber touched a Remy shot wide for a corner after 67 minutes when a Damian Abel shot fell to the centre forward and Imber saved from virtually on his goal line when Edge headed a James Corbett corner from the right towards the goal, with Bremner doing all he could to force the ball over the line.

The visitors threatened to increase their lead deep into stoppage time when substitute Byron Harrison released Gregson who raced on but was thwarted when under pressure from Chappell right on the final whistle.

Boreham Wood’s Thomas was the game’s only booking for encroachment at a free kick during stoppage time.

FOLKESTONE INVICTA: Mann, Watson, Edge (Sly 86 mins), Chappell, Friend, Saunders (Okikiolu 76 mins), M. Everitt, Abel, Remy, Bremner (Briggs 81 mins), Corbett.  Unused subs: Dickson, Stonebridge.

BOREHAM WOOD: Imber, Cox, Moran, Samuel, Smith, Reynolds (Manuella 73 mins), Morgan, Gregson, Lockett (Harrison 70 mins), Thomas, Watters.  Unused subs: T. Williams, Antoine, O. Williams.