Folkestone Invicta 0-0 Windsor & Eton

Folkestone Invicta drew at home for a third consecutive Saturday as their F. A. Cup Second Qualifying Round tie against Windsor and Eton finished in a goalless stalemate.

Windsor came to the Buzzlines Stadium unbeaten away from home so far this season and the visitors had the better of the first half before Invicta showed far more purpose after the interval.

The Royalists started well as Jon Case shot against the underside of the crossbar when Martin Williams’ cross from the left fell to him at the far post in the fifth minute.

There was another scare in the Invicta box five minutes later when Case couldn’t quite turn the ball in after a headed back pass had gone past goalkeeper Kieron Mann.

A 25-yard Mark Burgess shot then dipped just over the Invicta crossbar after ten minutes.

Centre half Mark Cooper headed a 19th minute Ryan Parsons cross just wide and Invicta captain Roland Edge blocked a Jermaine Roche shot from the right hand side of the penalty area three minutes later following a Williams ball.

For Invicta, James Everitt headed just wide at the far post on his 100th starting appearance for the club when Kevin Watson played the ball in from the right after 22 minutes.

But Mann had to get down to get his fingertips to a Roche shot across goal at the expense of a corner a minute later.

Mann saved at point blank range from Case when Matt Seedel met Parsons’ subsequent corner from the right and Mann was called into action again when he saved from Windsor captain Steve Butler as Invicta held on again after 25 minutes.

Windsor goalkeeper Sam Mazurek got down to touch a low 20-yard Micheal Everitt strike round the post after 37 minutes and James Everitt got to the bye line down the left hand side when he went past Burgess following an Edge ball after 42 minutes but his cross was just too high for Watson at the far post.

Invicta might have been relieved to have gone in still level at half time but went 4-4-2 for the second half as Damian Abel replaced defender Frankie Chappell and then took the game to their visitors.

The home side were to create more chances during the opening five minutes of the second half as they had throughout the opening 45 minutes.

Centre forward Ellis Remy shot wastefully over at the far post within a minute of the re-start from an Abel ball in following a pass out wide from James Everitt and Corbett shot at goalkeeper Mazurek from the edge of the penalty area after 47 minutes.

Perhaps the home side’s best chance of the afternoon came in the 50th minute when Mazurek made a point blank save to keep out a close range header from the in-form Mark Saunders following Corbett’s ball in when Micheal Everitt found younger brother James on the right.

Remy then headed Abel’s ball in from the right hand side over the crossbar after 50 minutes.

Invicta continued to create chances as Terry O’Connor headed away when Corbett played the ball in from the right on the hour when Abel played the ball out wide and Remy got up to head wide when Corbett played another great ball in from the right hand side four minutes later.

At the other end, Mann got down to save from Roche when substitute Michael Chennels played the ball into the penalty area after 73 minutes.

And the visitors had a late chance to snatch victory when centre half Butler was close from near the goal line after an 85th minute free kick into the box and Seedel’s rebound was blocked. 

Invicta’s Abel was booked following a melee after an 80th minute Remy challenge and Windsor left back Parsons also talked his way into referee Wade Norcott’s notebook for comments made to an assistant referee two minutes later.

FOLKESTONE INVICTA: Mann, Watson, Edge, Chappell (Abel 45 mins), Friend, Okikiolu, M. Everitt, Saunders (Sly 90 mins), Remy, J. Everitt, Corbett.  Unused subs: Bremner, Briggs, Mitten.  

WINDSOR and ETON: Mazurek, O’Connor, Parsons, Cooper, Butler, Williams, Ngongu (Chennels 60 mins), Case (Dunlop 87 mins), Roche (Chandiram 76 mins), Seedel, Burgess.  Unused subs: Taylor-Ives, Richards.