Folkestone Invicta consolidated their fourth-place position in the Ryman League Division One South with a 2-0 win over nine-men Whitehawk after a dramatic second half at the Buzzlines Stadium on Wednesday night.

As the rain fell, the second half turned into something of a nightmare for the ambitious visitors as they conceded from a penalty and an own goal and had both captain Paul Armstrong and leading goalscorerr Sam Gargan sent off.

Gargan and Armstrong had scored the goals when Whitehawk became the only club to beat Invicta at the Buzzlines Stadium so far this season in the F. A. Cup back in September (3-0).

Armstrong was the first to be sent off when he received a straight red card for a headbutt on James Eveirtt after Invicta had been awarded a penalty when Josh Burchell went down under challenge after a one-two with Roland Edge down the left hand side.

There had been controversy on Saturday when Invicta were not awarded a late penalty in their goalless draw at home to Faversham after a challenge on Burchell.

But this time the Folkestone side were given the benefit of any doubt and Darren SMITH stepped forward to convert the 68th minute spot kick to put Invicta ahead.

Gargan was then sent off a minute later when he caught central defender Liam Friend in the face and received a second yellow card after having been booked five minutes earlier for a late challenge on Josh Vincent.

Whitehawk responded positively to being reduced to nine men and were still in the game until the 86th minute when substitute Josh JONES turned the ball into his own net after Everitt had gone past substitute Joe Keehan down the right hand side and played the ball across to intended target Simon Austin in a move started by Edge.

It was a lively second half as Whitehawk’s James Fraser became the first player to be booked for a 57th minute foul on Ryan Moreby on the edge of the penalty area after Burchell had run through midfield and played the ball out to Smith on the right.

When Fraser escaped three minutes later for a challenge on Everitt you got the impression that a yellow card would have been produced had it been any other player on the pitch.

But referee Nolan Wilde was soon to run out of patience with Whitehawk’s indiscipline.

Invicta’s Everitt was booked for a slide on goalkeeper Chris Winterton in between Smith’s penalty and Gargan’s dismissal and there were further yellow cards for the home side’s Edge and for Whitehawk’s Ben Godfrey (bad tackle on Burchell) and Sammi El-Abd.

The win leaves Invicta unbeaten in eight matches, during which time they have now kept six clean sheets.

The home side had brought in Moreby and Liam Dickson for injured skipper Micheal Everitt (ankle) and Austin, with Edge taking over the captain’s armband and playing in midfield in a 4-4-2 formation.

And Invicta started in determined fashion after Whitehawk had won so comfortably when the two sides had met in the F. A. Cup.

Whitehawk’s Jerahl Hughes broke dangerously down the right hand side in the eighth minute but Invicta centre half Frankie Chappell won the ball as it came in towards Gargan in the middle and Fraser shot at Invicta goalkeeper Jack Delo from the edge of the penalty area.

Everitt did well to thread the ball through to striking partner Richard Atkins two minutes later but the latter was just unable to touch the ball past Winterton.

Friend blocked a 13th minute Fraser shot after a one-two with Hughes and Chappell put the ball out for the game’s first corner when Gary Bowes broke down the right hand side ten minutes later.

A 27th minute Moreby shot forced a save from Winterton after an exchange of passes with Burchell and Everitt hit a low shot at the Whitehawk goalkeeper eight minutes later.

Bowes shot high and wide when the ball was worked across from left to right in the 38th minute and Chappell blocked a Joe Gatting shot when the ball was played back to the Whitehawk striker six minutes later.

But all the game’s talking points were to follow after the interval.

Hughes got in behind Everitt down the left in the 54th minute and cut in past Smith but should have done better with his shot wide across goal.

Gatting then headed wide in the middle when Fraser played in a 62nd minute free kick after a foul by Vincent on Gargan.

Whitehawk rallied when reduced to nine men and remained a threat as substitute Jones shot wide in the 78th minute after a Hughes ball in from the right and Hughes himself cut in from the right two minutes later but shot over after a touch from substitute Godfrey.

An 81st minute Fraser shot was comfortably saved by Delo after a move involving Godfrey and Gatting.

After Invicta had gone 2-0 ahead, Moreby ran through the middle in the 88th minute and drove a low shot at Winterton.

FOLKESTONE INVICTA: Delo, Vincent, Burchell, Friend, Chappell, Edge (Jackson 90 mins), Smith, Atkins (Austin 81 mins), J. Everitt (Mortimer 90 mins), Moreby, Dickson. Unused subs: Gondongwe, Hayward.

WHITEHAWK: Winterton, Richards, Knee (Godfrey 75 mins), Armstrong, El-Abd, Pullan (Keehan 71 mins), Hughes, Fraser, Gatting, Gargan, Bowes (Jones 54 mins). Unused subs: Saunders, Akehurst.

Attendance: 202.