Dulwich another tough one for Invicta

POSTPONEMENT of Wednesday’s home game with Walton Casuals has allowed a few extra days for Folkestone’s walking wounded, and unwell, to get back into shape ahead of the visit of third-placed Dulwich Hamlet tomorrow, Saturday.

Speaking this morning, manager Neil Cugley reports that top-scorer Stuart King will need a pre-match fitness test to see if his hamstring will hold up, but defender Liam Dickson is now said to be okay following a knee injury.

Darren Marsden was suffering with a chest infection at Bognor last weekend while King’s strike partner James Everitt was also under the weather but able to get through the 90 minutes – as were one or two others carry the kind of minor knocks not uncommon at this stage of a season.

Those of us who watched Invicta suffer their heaviest defeat of the season when they were beaten 5-2 by Dulwich at Champion Hill at the back end of November will recall that we took the lead with a somewhat fortunate goal from Josh Burchell but were hit by a fierce double strike from winger Sanchez Ming and never really recovered.

Two second half goals by Ishmael Kamara and a stoppage time effort from substitute Sam Costa completed Dulwich’s victory though we had a little more consolation with a penalty from Darren Smith in the final minute of normal time.

Despite his side’s all-round excellence Hamlet’s young defender Michael Chambers – who was being watched by league scouts – failed to impress that night and it was Ming’s explosive shooting from the right flank which really took the eye.

The explosive Ming, a converted wingback – and former team-mate of Folkestone’s Frankie Chappell at Welling – has not figured for the Hamlet since being injured in late January (when they suffered their first home defeat of the season).

Forum gossip suggests he may still be a few weeks away from a return to action, perhaps to Folkestone’s relief!!

Chambers has since moved to Crystal Palace, but with the likes of experienced veterans Junior Kadi and Francis Duku in their line-up Dulwich boast the best defensive record in the league with just 20 goals conceded in 31 games.

Invicta boss Neil Cugley: “We went there to play a good open game – which we did – but they are so good at hitting you on the break and converted majority of their chances on the night.”

Folkestone though are still the only side to have scored more than once in the league against Hamlet on their own ground, and that in the spell when Stuart King was recuperating from surgery on his arm.

And only Bognor, Maidstone and Godalming have scored two goals against the London outfit in the league this season.

The Hamlet were scoring goals for fun back in the autumn, but though that flood of goals seems to have died down just a little, they remain one of the best all-round sides in this division and certainties to at least make the the play-offs.

Damian Abel comes into the Invicta squad for the first time in this spell with the club, but popular squad player Simon Austiin may be missing.

Thanks to the continuing good form of King and Ratty Everitt – who both passed 20 goals for the season in the last home game – Ausso has not been able to get too much football this season.

He is understood to be looking at other options, and depending on the outcome of those negotiations, may be playing elsewhere tomorrow.

Following tomorrow’s game, Folkestone are due to make the short trip to Sittingbourne to take on promotion rivals Maidstone United on Wednesday.