Folkestone Invicta 0-4 Hendon

Folkestone Invicta's tale of woe continued on Saturday afternoon when they were comprehensively beaten 4-0 by second-placed Hendon at a wet Buzzlines Stadium.

The statistics make sorry reading for an Invicta side which has now lost its last five matches and gone ten matches without a win after a previous unbeaten run of eleven matches.

And Saturday's defeat sees the Folkestone side drop six places to third from bottom in what is a very tight league table and now occupying one of the relegation places.

Invicta's home form has been particularly disappointing so far this season and this was another sorry affair in which Hendon were the more inventive side throughout.

Playing their first game in a fortnight, Invicta gave debuts to new striker Richard Shittu and summer signing Charlie Glyde and welcomed defender Samuel Kola Okikiolu back after a five-match absence through injury. But absent were Leigh Bremner (hamstring), Mark Saunders (injured in training) and James Corbett (migraine).

Hendon are enjoying an excellent centenary season and made the better start as early penalty appeals were waved away when Rakatahr Hudson went down in the box after a good fifth minute run down the left hand side of the penalty area.

Home goalkeeper Charlie Mitten got up to save a ninth minute Casey MacLaren header following a ball into the Invicta box and home centre half Frankie Chappell got across to block from Brian Haule in the penalty area nine minutes later.

Mitten then had to come out to save from Wayne O'Sullivan when the ball went under defender Liam Friend's foot to put him through on goal after 19 minutes.

And MacLAREN opened the scoring in the 22 nd minute with a well-struck shot in off the post following a ball in from the left after Invicta right back Kevin Watson had lost control of the ball.

Invicta had not seriously threatened visiting goalkeeper Richard Wilmot during the first half and Hendon went close again in the 41st minute as Haule fired wide from the edge of the penalty area after making room for himself whewn Sam Page's ball out of defence sent him clear.

O'SULLIVAN doubled Hendon's lead in the 51 st minute when he latched onto a headed ball out of defence and fired past Mitten.

Invicta responded as Micheal Everitt shot wide from just outside the penalty area.

And the home side's luck was well and truly out amid atrocious conditions after 56 minutes when Ellis Remy shot against the inside of the post and the ball somehow stayed out, with James Everitt just unable to force the rebound over the line.

Chappell was then close in the middle following a 59 th minute corner from the left as Invicta enjoyed their best five minutes of the game in the increasingly heavy rain.

But Hendon extended their lead further in the 62 nd minute when former Harrow Borough striker HAULE dinked the ball into the net with a good finish after a pass down the middle had stuck in the water.

Debutant home striker Shittu tried his luck from outside the penalty area in the 76 th minute but Wilmot saved comfortably.

And the visitors compounded Invicta's misery when O'SULLIVAN struck again in the 82 nd minute to finish another very well-worked Hendon move which opened up the home defence once more.

It could have been even worse for Invicta, but Mitten saved right on the final whistle to deny Bulgarian substitute Lubomir Guentchev when the ball was squared across goal from the right hand side in another dangerous Hendon break.

The final whistle was the cue for contrasting emotions as frustrated home supporters made their disappointment known, whilst the visitors celebrated on the pitch in front of their small band of away supporters behind the goal after an emphatic win.

There were bookings for Invicta's Micheal Everitt and Shittu and for Hendon's MacLaren.

FOLKESTONE INVICTA : Mitten, Watson, Edge (Bryant 77 mins), Chappell, Friend, Okikiolu (Abel 53 mins), M. Everitt, Shittu, Remy, J. Everitt (Sly 77 mins), Glyde. Unused subs : Burchell, Hurley.

HENDON : Wilmot, Collins, Page, Leach, Parker, Busby (Dyer 85 mins), Hudson, Shulton, Haule (L. Guentchev 80 mins), MacLaren (Burgess 45 mins), O'Sullivan. Unused subs : Blackmore, I. Guentchev.