Folkestone Invicta moved up to second place in the Ryman League Division One South after an 89 th minute goal from Josh Burchell gave them victory over ten-men Whitstable Town at the Buzzlines Stadium on Tuesday night.

Neil Cugley's side have now won their last three consecutive matches and have kept three clean sheets from their opening four games after a turbulent summer of financial uncertainty which threatened the club's very existence.

With the clock ticking towards a second successive home goalless draw for Invicta, left back BURCHELL finally broke the deadlock when he got forward to convert a deep cross from the right by substitute Jon Driscoll at the far post.

It was 19-year-old Burchell's second senior goal for the club and his first at the Buzzlines Stadium to maintain the new-found optimism at the club.

Whitstable had been reduced to ten men when Jake Gess received a straight red card in the 53 rd minute for a challenge with his arm on Invicta captain Micheal Everitt. That led to a flare up between both sets of players in front of the dug outs and a lengthy delay as referee Paul Harris consulted both of his assistants.

For Gess, it was a second red card in four days after he had also been dismissed in Whitstable's home win over Merstham at the weekend.

Invicta kept an unchanged starting line up for a fourth successive game from the start of the season as James Dryden (knee) sat it out with a view to being fit for Saturday's F. A. Cup tie and Liam Dickson (knee) returned to the squad.

The home side started well as Whitstable defender Dan Tanner got in before James Everitt to a fourth minute ball from Darren Smith and Smith himself forced a corner from goalkeeper Kevin Fewell four minutes later with a 20-yard shot after making room for himself.

Micheal Everitt then played the ball across from the right hand side of the penalty area in the tenth minute but played the ball beyond striker David Cory, keen to do well against his former club.

Whitstable responded as the ball broke to Gess close to the Invicta goal line in the 12 th minute, but Burchell was there to clear the danger after the ball was slipped past goalkeeper Jack Delo.

There was a narrow escape for Invicta in the 17 th minute when Whitstable striker Dan Wikser broke down the left hand side of the penalty area and crossed the ball just in front of Ian Batten in the middle.

Wisker should have scored in the 34 th minute when he shot over from close range after a good run by Tom Parker down the left hand side who crossed the ball in to Batten.

A 47 th minute Josh Vincent shot from outside the penalty area was comfortably dealt with by goalkeeper Fewell after a Micheal Everitt ball as the stalemate continued.

But Gess' dismissal gave Invicta the chance to step up the pressure in search of another win.

A good 69 th minute ball in from Smith on the right was cleared over his own crossbar for a corner by a visiting defender, whilst at the other end Invicta defender Liam Friend dispossessed striker Stuart Vahid after a dangerous run from Whitstable captain Gary Sayer.

Friend got forward and had a 74 th minute shot from outside the penalty area deflected for a corner after he had collected the ball from Vincent and Micheal Everitt headed wide after a Frankie Chappell ball in a minute later.

A set piece from Jimmy Jackson had settled this corresponding fixture with the only goal of the game last season and the midfield maestro almost struck again in the 79 th minute when his free kick just wide of the post after a handball decision against Dan Dolton on the edge of the penalty area.

Friend broke out of defence again in the 84 th minute when he combined with Burchell and saw his shot blocked for another corner.

Invicta won the corner count 11-1 but really wanted a goal.

And they were granted their wish thanks to Burchell's late strike.

As well as Gess' dismissal, there were bookings for Whitstable's Wisker and Alex Hossick.

FOLKESTONE INVICTA : Delo, Vincent, Burchell, Friend, Chappell, M. Everitt, Smith (Sommerville 84 mins), Yianni (Driscoll 74 mins), J. Everitt, Cory, Jackson. Unused subs : Dickson, Swallow, Egan.

WHITSTABLE TOWN : Fewell, Cornhill, Parker, Tanner, Hossick (Smith 63 mins), Sayer, Batten (Elmes 90 mins), Gess, Vahid, Wisker (Gooding 56 mins), Dolton. Unused subs : Lloyd, Morrison.

Attendance : 338.