Margate 4-0 Invicta

Folkestone Invicta suffered their first pre-season defeat of the summer when they went down away to Margate at Hartsdown Park on Tuesday night.

Invicta found themselves 3-0 down at half time as they came up against higher ranked opposition for the first time this summer.

Tommy murphy, Carl Rook, Dan Stubbs and substitute Ryan Dolby scored the goals as Ryman Premier League club Margate came out as comfortable winners.

Invicta went into the game with a 3-5-2 formation as Frankie Chappell moved out to something more akin to a right back role and captain Liam Friend provided the heart of the defence against the club he had represented pre-season last summer.

Cade Mortimer came into the starting line up as part of a five-man midfield.

Margate centre forward Rook had the ball in the net in the seventh minute but an assistant referee’s flag was up.

Invicta then produced arguably their best moment of the night three minutes later that resulted in Mortimer slotting the ball just wide after a neat exchange of passes with Mark Towse who had got forward from midfield.

But Margate opened the scoring in the 16^th minute thanks to a looping header from MURPHY after a Mott Bodkin free kick from the left.

Former Gillingham player Bodkin could not make proper contact ten minutes later from the right hand side of the penalty area after goalscorer Murphy picked him out from the left.

Murphy was involved again in the 30^th minute when he received the ball from Curtis Robinson before exchanging passes with Tyler Christian-Law and playing a low ball in from the left that was tapped in by ROOK from close range in the middle of the penalty area to make it 2-0.

A 36^th minute Paul Jones shot was palmed away for a corner following a Mortimer ball in a move started by former Herne Bay pair Darren Marsden and Stuart King. A Mortimer long shot was then deflected for another corner after Darren Smith’s subsequent set piece.

It was 3-0 in the 37^th minute when Murphy played the ball out to STUBBS on the left and the latter’s shot bounced up in front of Invicta goalkeeper Jack Delo who could not prevent it from going in despite getting something on it.

Robinson found Murphy on the left three minutes later but this time his shot was blocked by Chappell.

Margate made numerous changes at half time but continued to create chances as substitute Tommy Whitnall hooked the ball wide across goal from the right after good work from Mark Corneille.

One-time Invicta player Corneille then had a 56^th minute shot touched over for a corner by Delo after substitutes Ola Alabi and Whitnall had worked the ball across from left to right.

Delo was called into action again a minute later when he got down to hold a Whitnall shot.

Towse curled a 58^th minute shot narrowly over from just outside the penalty area after exchanging passes with both Marsden and Mortimer.

Stretching Margate substitute Alabi could not quite get a decisive touch in the middle to meet Paul Starkey’s 62^nd minute ball in from the right after Corneille had played the ball out wide and Alabi shot just wide from the right hand side after Corneille had played the ball forward.

It was 4-0 in the 67^th minute when DOLBY drilled the ball in from the left hand side across goal and into the far corner of the net after Whitnall had played the ball to Christian-Law.

Delo had to get down to hold a deflected 69^th minute Whitnall shot and Delo did well two minutes later to touch over another well-struck Whitnall shot for a corner after a Dolby ball.

Both goalkeepers were replaced in the 73^rd minute as Roddy Hayward came on for Delo and Josh Mattless for Craig Holloway.

Mattless was soon involved as King found Josh Burchell on the left but the latter could not get sufficient power to lift his shot over the Margate goalkeeper.

A 75^th minute ball was nodded on to Whitnall but the Invicta defence was able to deny him and Whitnall then had the ball in the net a minute later but an assistant referee’s flag was again up.

Invicta rallied in the closing stages as King played a 77^th minute ball across goal from an angle on the left hand side of the penalty area.

An 81^st minute Smith corner from the right was met by a Chappell header, with King’s shot being charged down and the ball cleared from close to the line.

A Chappell shot was blocked a minute later when Smith found substitute Ryan Philpott on the right hand side as Invicta chased a consolation goal and even central defender Friend tried his luck from distance with a shot at Mattless.

But this was Margate’s night and Corneille hit a well-struck shot just over the crossbar after running at the Invicta defence in the 86^th minute.

MARGATE: Holloway, Starkey, Robinson, Corneille, Beales, Femmi, Bodkin, Stubbs, Rook, Christian-Law, Murphy. Subs: Pooley, Avery, Ball, Long, Dolby, Whitnall, Alabi, Mattless.

FOLKESTONE INVICTA: Delo (Hayward 72 mins), Mortimer (Philpott 58 mins), Dickson, Friend, Chappell, Towse, Smith, Marsden, Jones (Lester 75 mins), King, Burchell.

Attendance: 129.