A rampant Folkestone Invicta enjoyed a dream Christmas as Neil Cugley’s side thrashed local rivals Hythe Town 8-0 in Boxing Day’s eagerly anticipated festive derby in front of a bumper 1018 crowd at the Buzzlines Stadium.

Striker Stuart King led the way with four goals, with James Everitt (2), Josh Vincent and Micheal Everitt also on the scoresheet.

King has now scored 14 goals in just 10 starts since joining Invicta during the summer and this was his first hat-trick for the club after a missed penalty against Maidstone cost him that milestone in the club’s previous home game.

A lack of goals had been Invicta’s weakness when they were relegated from the Ryman Premier League last season and even during their promotion-winning season of 2009-10. That has all changed with the arrival of King – a class act whose heroics here will be talked about for years to come.

Striking partner Everitt has also scored four goals in a game this season and has now taken his tally to five goals in the last four games, having scored 11 in a 10-game spell earlier in the season.

When King missed three months of the season after an arm operation it could have derailed Invicta’s season. But Everitt stepped up to the plate and with 18 goals remains his hometown club’s top goalscorer in all competitions so far this season.

Matches such as this matter to the Everitt brothers and both will have enjoyed and deserved their moments of glory.

This first meeting between the two Shepway clubs at Ryman League level threw up all sorts of possibilities and scripts, but nobody could have predicted what happened here.

Hythe had been looking forward to the game since the fixtures were announced during the summer and many of their former Folkestone Invicta players had gone into the game with a point to prove. Some of them will now already be thinking ahead to Easter Monday and the chance for redemption at Reachfields.

Scott Porter made his Invicta debut in the club’s record 13-0 senior win at home to Faversham Town on the last day of the 1994-95 season. This would have been a painful experience for the Hythe manager who now has the task of restoring pride and confidence to his beleaguered side.

Everitt headed just wide from Invicta’s first corner of the game in the opening skirmishes.

And it was KING who opened the scoring in the tenth minute when he flicked stand-in captain Darren Smith’s corner from the right hand side in with his heel.

That was not the trigger for the floodgates to open as Hythe won a succession of corners without troubling Invicta goalkeeper Jack Delo.

But four goals in a 15-minute period at the end of the first half sent home supporters wild.

EVERITT headed in Invicta’s second into the top corner in the 32^nd minute when Josh Bur

chell crossed the ball in after a Smith corner had been partially cleared.

The visitors had penalty appeals waved away when Ronnie Dolan went down under challenge from Liam Dickson.

And the afternoon soon turned into a nightmare for the visitors as KING made it 3-0 in the 35^th minute when he latched onto a Smith through ball and put the ball past goalkeeper Paul Egan.

Invicta’s midfield trio of Burchell, Smith and Darren Marsden were in total ascendancy.

A shot from Hythe’s Dave Cook was blocked and Invicta went up the other end and struck again as the prolific KING completed a first half hat-trick in the 40^th minute.

And the rout continued as it was 5-0 at the interval as VINCENT scored during first half stoppage time when the right back slotted the ball in after centre half Frankie Chappell had exchanged passes with Burchell and played the ball through.

Hythe replaced Tom Parkinson and James Dryden with Taser Hassan and Craig Thompson at half time and moved Pat Kingwell back into defence. But any hopes they had of restoring pride were soon dashed as Invicta scored two more early in the second half.

KING made it 6-0 with a stunning 30-yard strike that dipped into net after Egan could only get fingertips to in the 50^th minute to put the icing on the cake of the goalscorer’s performance after he had taken down a clearance from Delo.

And EVERITT struck again two minutes later when he curled a sweet strike into the net.

Dolan hit a free kick high and wide for Hythe but it was now a case of just how many Invicta might score.

King struck the post when he attempted to lob Egan again after the goalkeeper had headed the ball away.

But it was the elder EVERITT brother who made it 8-0 in the 70^th minute when he back-heeled younger brother James’ cross of the right hand post.

As Invicta had kept the starting line up that had done well to win at Whitehawk in their last match before Christmas, Everitt senior had come on as a half time substitute for Roland Edge, who himself was making his 100^th starting appearance for Invicta.

It was Micheal’s first goal since December 2009 when he scored at Horsham YMCA and only his 17^th goal in 427 starting appearances for the club he has served with distinction. He will have enjoyed this one.

Invicta replaced man of the moment King with Richard Atkins and, later, Vincent with former Hythe player Simon Austin.

The home side were not to add to their incredible tally, though Burchell shot over when he tried his luck.

There were bookings for Hythe’s Nick Reeves, captain Cook and substitute Thompson.

It was Invicta’s fifth successive win in the Ryman League Division One South and their biggest win at this level.

FOLKESTONE INVICTA: Delo, Vincent (Austin 81 mins), Burchell, Friend, Chappell, Dickson, Smith, King (Atkins 73 mins), J. Everitt, Marsden, Edge (M. Everitt 45 mins). Unused subs: Mortimer, Hayward.

HYTHE TOWN: Egan, Lacey, Walker, Parkinson (Hassan 45 mins), Reeves, Dolan, Cook, Barnes (Rice 76 mins), Kingwell, Cass, Dryden (Thompson 45 mins). Unused subs: Sinden, Allen.

Attendance: 1018