Folkestone Invicta 0-2 Billericay Town

Folkestone Invicta’s F. A. Cup dreams ended when they were beaten 2-0 at home to Billericay Town in Saturday’s Fourth Qualifying Round tie and it was the Essex club which was left celebrating a home tie against Swansea City when Paul Parker and John Hollins carried out the First Round draw live on BBC1.

It was Joe Flack who once again scored the goals for the visitors either side of half time. The striker has now scored twice on all three of Billericay’s visits to the Buzzlines Stadium during 2007 and took his tally to eight goals in this season’s four qualifying rounds of the F. A. Cup.  

Invicta never really got going in front of a season’s best 659 home crowd and visiting goalkeeper Billy McMahon had a relatively quiet afternoon.

FLACK opened the scoring in the 44th minute when he pounced to convert the rebound after Invicta goalkeeper Charlie Mitten did very well to keep out a Paull Abbott volley from the edge of the penalty area.

And FLACK struck again with a fine solo goal in the 52nd minute when her received the ball from a Danny Kerrigan thrown on the left, spun past defender Kevin Watson and cut in from the left hand side of the penalty area before smashing the ball into the roof of the net.

Having a striker like Flack, with an undoubted knack of finding the net, was to prove decisive for Billericay in a match on which so much was resting for both clubs.

With a full outfield squad to choose from, Invicta welcomed Leigh Bremner and Mark Saunders back and Micheal Everitt was the unlucky player to miss out on a place in the starting line up for the first time since the opening day of the season.

It was the visitors who had the game’s first chance as captain Jamie Dormer headed at Mitten when Lee Hodges sent over the game’s first corner from the right hand side.

At the other end, a James Everitt volley from just outside the penalty area was comfortably dealt with by McMahon following good footwork from Bremner after seven minutes.

Chances were limited during a tense and edgy first half, but it was Billericay who were shading things as Flack headed over from close range when centre half Wayne Semanshia played the ball in from the right after 20 minutes.

And Billericay striker Tony Boot shot over with a half chance five minutes later as the stalemate continued.

Invicta’s best moment of the first half came in the 40th minute when Bremner cut in from the left and hit a low shot into the side netting after collecting the ball from James Corbett.

But a break from Billericay strikers Flack and Boot led to a corner which eventually resulted in the goal which saw the visitors put their noses in front just before half time.

And when Flack doubled his side’s lead just after the interval it left Invicta with an awful lot to do.

The home side went four at the back when captain Roland Edge went off with a cut face after 63 minutes, but had to wait until the 67th minute to win their first corner of the game.

Liam Friend had moved across to left back and got forward in the 80th minute when his initial shot was blocked by a defender and the rebound saved by McMahon.

Invicta were desperate for any sort of lifeline but had penalty appeals for handball waved away when the ball bounced up and struck Billericay substitute Ryan Maxwell.

But as Invicta threw players forward, it was the visitors who threatened to increase their lead on the break.

Substitute Rikki Burbridge had the ball in the net within a minute of coming on after 86 minutes but had already been flagged offside when fellow substitute Bradley Woods-Garness squared the ball across after latching onto a ball over the Invicta defence.

And Invicta centre half Frankie Chappell blocked a Woods-Garness shot as Billericay broke again a minute later.

At the other end, McMahon touched a well-struck Watson free kick over the crossbar in the 90th minute.

Home centre forward Ellis Remy was booked for his protests during stoppage time when he was denied a penalty after going down inside the box following substitute Damian Abel’s ball in from the right.

Invicta’s Saunders and Billericay’s Maxwell and Flack had earlier been booked by referee Simon Long.

25 years ago, current Invicta manager Neil Cugley had scored both goals as the old Folkestone club won 2-0 at Barking to set up a F. A. Cup First Round tie away to Oxford United.

But a quarter of a century on, his side were unable to seize the moment on this occasion.

FOLKESTONE INVICTA: Mitten, Watson, Edge (Abel 63 mins), Chappell, Friend, Okikiolu, J. Everitt (Sly 75 mins), Saunders (M. Everitt 82 mins), Remy, Bremner, Corbett.  Unused subs: Briggs, Conyers. 

BILLERICAY TOWN: McMahon, McSweeney, Kerrigan, Semanshia, Heffer, Dormer, Abbott, Hunter, Flack (Burbridge 86 mins), Boot (Woods-Garness 64 mins), Hodges (Maxwell 50 mins).  Unused subs: Lay, Buckfield.