Folkestone Invicta 2-0 Leyton

Folkestone Invicta made it three consecutive home victories as they won 2-0 at home to bottom-of-the-table Leyton at a wet Buzzlines Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Liam Friend opened the scoring with his first goal of the season in the 38th minute and Leigh Bremner doubled the lead ten minutes after the interval.

The win was enough to take Invicta out of the bottom four of the table in the Ryman Premier League. Leyton were the only side in the bottom seven at the start of play to lose, with Hastings United (1-1 at Chelmsford) and Carshalton (5-0 at Hendon) upsetting the top two.

In what was something of a must-win game for the home side, Invicta made one change to their starting line up as the fit again James Corbett came in for Mark Saunders.

Leyton have been struggling of late but made a positive start as strikers Billy Bricknell and John Bricknell both hit low shots across goal within the opening ten minutes.

For Invicta, Corbett tried his luck with a speculative 15 th minute chip over the crossbar from 30 yards and Bremner let fly from outside the area four minutes later and won Invicta's first corner of the game as visiting goalkeeper Sam Tanner touched the bal round the post in a move also involving Friend, Richard Shittu and Charlie Glyde.

Tanner then touched a 28 th minute Corbett shot over the crossbar when captain Kevin Watson played the ball in from the right hand side.

Striker Shittu did not get control of the ball after 35 minutes when Friend broke down the left hand side in a move also involving Bremner.

But left back FRIEND opened the scoring from close range with his first home goal for the club two minutes later when a Corbett cross from the left was touched back across the penalty area into his path.

Leyton goalkeeper Tanner got down to save a 44 th minute Shittu shot when Micheal Everitt played the ball into the middle from the right in a move started by Watson.

The visitors started the second half brightly, as they had the opening 45 minutes.

But Invicta increased their lead in the 56 th minute courtesy of a neat header from BREMNER to meet Corbett's inviting ball in from the right in a move also involving Friend and Shittu.

Roderick Osei-Owusu whipped in a dangerous cross from the right a minute later, but nobody was able to capitalise in the middle.

Top goalscorer Billy Bricknell then headed wide when the ball came across from the right after 62 minutes.

But Invicta then got on top, with Bremner's 65 th minute shot deflecting into the hands of goalkeeper Tanner when Watson played the ball in from the right and centre half Tom Bryant sending in a dangerous low cross from the left two minutes later.

Watson thumped a free kick against the crossbar when Corbett was fouled in a central position right on the edge of the penalty area after 67 minutes.

Bremner was then wide with a diving header as he leapt to meet Friend's ball in from the left two minutes later.

Friend got forward again in the 80th minute to drill a low shot towards the near post, but goalkeeper Tanner saved with his feet at the expense of a corner.

Bremner then somehow scooped the ball over the crossbar from close range a minute later after substitute Damian Abel had fired against a post when receiving the ball from Glyde, but an assistant referee's flag was up in any case.

Centre half Frankie Chappell was also unable to find the net from close range in the 86 th minute when Corbett touched the ball across the penalty area.

But this was a case of job done for Invicta.

There were bookings for Invicta's Bremner and for Leyton captain Des Thomas and substitute Olawale Ojelabi.

On the first weekend of January, the 243 crowd was Invita's lowest home attendance so far this season against the least well supported club in the division.

It will all be very different at Invicta's next home game at the Buzzlines Stadium on Saturday January 19 th when AFC Wimbledon roll into town.

FOLKESTONE INVICTA : Stonebridge, Watson, Friend, Chappell, Bryant, Okikiolu, Glyde, Shittu (Abel 71 mins), Bremner, Corbett, M. Everitt (J. Everitt 57 mins). Unused subs : Sly, Saunders, Mitten.

LEYTON : Tanner, Dallender, Ramos-Gonzalez, Gracey, A. Thomas (Imbert 57 mins), D. Thomas, Osei-Owusu, Gradosielski, B. Bricknell, J. Bricknell (Ojelabi 73 mins), Bull. Unused subs : Edwards, Luke, Morgan.