Folkestone Invicta found their goal touch with an 8-2 rout away to bottom-of-the-table Crowborough Athletic on Saturday afternoon in Neil Cugley’s side biggest league win since their Kent League days.

Striker Jacob Arnold-Smith helped himself to a hat-trick, with Josh Vincent adding two and Frankie Chappell, James Dryden and Jimmy Jackson also on the scoresheet as the statistics make happy reading for the Folkestone club.

This was Invicta’s biggest win since an 8-1 home win over Lordswood in February 1998 when Dave Arter scored a club record six goals. It does, though, remain some way short of their senior club record 13-0 win at home to Faversham in May 1995.

It was Invicta’s third successive Ryman League Division One South win against a club which had already been relegated and had lost 8-0 away to Godalming the previous Saturday but more narrowly in a 3-1 midweek home defeat against Kingstonian.

Crowborough’s 2-0 win away to Invicta back in November was one of just three Ryman League wins for the East Sussex club and was one of the strange results in an all-too-strange season for the Folkestone club.

On their first visit to the Crowborough Community Stadium, Invicta made one change as teenage striker Arnold-Smith came in for James Everitt (hamstring).

Everitt had scored the only goal of the game at home to Eastbourne Town the previous Saturday when Arnold-Smith was missing through his Gillingham commitments.

And it was Arnold-Smith who put Invicta in the driving seat with two first half goals.

ARNOLD-SMITH opened the scoring as early as the fifth minute with his first Invicta goal when he volleyed in at the far post when Vincent sent over a good ball from the right in a move also involving Micheal Everitt and Darren Smith.

A 26th minute Arnold-Smith shot was blocked by defender Scott Whibly after another Vincent ball in, while at the other end Ross Campbell shot into the side netting from a tight angle when a Nathan Millroy ball in from the left across the Invicta goal went just beyond him.

Invicta then increased their lead in the 32nd minute when ARNOLD-SMITH struck again when he was there to follow up after home goalkeeper Rob Gordon had initially made an excellent save to deny him following a deep cross from Dryden on the left.

The visitors were now well and truly in control of the game, but Crowborough were to enjoy their best spell of the game in the run up to half time.

MILLROY pulled a goal back from close range in the 36th minute after Drew Crush had met Thom Nowell’s ball over from the left at the far post following the home side’s first corner.

Millroy then shot over in the 39th minute after a cross from the left.

And a Nowell shot was smothered for a corner by Invicta goalkeeper Jack Delo as the Crowborough player raced into the left hand side of the penalty area to try and finish a move which he had started by finding Scott Treleaven before Chappell blocked from Millroy.

At this stage, Crowborough were suddenly right back in the game as Dave Adams headed a Nowell free kick at Delo before half time.

But Invicta were to run riot during a second half which began with a booking for central defender Liam Dickson after a foul on Millroy.

VINCENT had opened his Invicta account in the previous away match at Merstham. And the right wing back struck again to make it 3-1 in the 51st minute when he found the roof of the net after Dryden played a low ball across from the left hand side of the penalty area.

A Jackson free kick then flashed across the Crowborough goal and just in front of Dickson from the right hand side after a foul by Joe Risby on Everitt.

Adams headed over his own crossbar from the goal line after another Crowborough defender had headed the ball over goalkeeper Gordon.

And Invicta scored again in the 63rd minute when a Smith cross from the right was touched in from close range by centre half CHAPPELL.

It was 5-1 two minutes later when captain and top goalscorer DRYDEN headed in a Jackson corner from the left.

A third goal in an eight-minute spell soon followed in the 70th minute when JACKSON added his name to the scoresheet when Dryden played the ball across goal from the right hand side when forced wide after going round goalkeeper Gordon when given on-side to an Arnold-Smith through ball.

Nowell shot at Delo in a rare Crowborough attack.

But ARNOLD-SMITH became the first Invicta player to hit a hat-trick this season when he made it 7-1 in the 76th minute with a good finish in off the far post following an equally good ball from Jackson.

Smith hit a free kick over the crossbar when Everitt was fouled right on the edge of the penalty area, while Crowborough defender Adams got forward and shot at Delo.

Invicta substitute Jon Driscoll then shot wide following a move involving Eveirtt and Jackson.

More goals followed as Dan DUNFORD drilled a low shot into the Invicta net to make it 7-2 in the 87th minute after a pass from fellow substitute Luke Leppard.

And VINCENT completed the scoring with a sweet stoppage time strike in off the upright after a Dryden ball.

There was still time for Crowborough’s Nowell to be booked for a challenge on Jackson.

CROWBOROUGH ATHLETIC: Gordon, Boddy (Bishop 75 mins), Adams, Crush, Whibly, Soutar, Campbell (Leppard 58 mins), Nowell, Treleaven, Millroy, Risby (Dunford 58 mins). Unused subs: Saunders, Ransome.

FOLKESTONE INVICTA: Delo, Vincent, Burchell, Friend (Swallow 74 mins), Chappell, Dickson (Driscoll 79 mins), Smith, M. Everitt, Dryden, Arnold-Smith, Jackson. Unused sub: Dix.

Attendance: 128.