CAFC vs Folkestone Invicta – Match Preview
Carshalton Athletic take on Folkestone Invicta on Saturday afternoon in the Isthmian Premier following a 2-1 Surrey Senior Cup Preliminary Round win Monday over Epsom & Ewell.
Robins Review
The Robins enjoyed a welcomed break last weekend owing to the FA Trophy, Carshalton were knocked out in the first round by Hadley Town. Peter Adeniyi’s side’s last league outing was a trip to Canvey Island where the Reds suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat. Despite controlling proceedings in large parts, our lads found it difficult to break down a defensively resolute Gulls defence. The Robins currently reside in 12th place and level on points with Dartford and Canvey (13 points), however, we boast a game in hand over the latter.
Kwaku Frimpong’s brace sealed progression to the First Round of the Surrey Senior Cup Monday evening in a tightly contested affair with lower-tier opponents Epsom & Ewell.
Carshalton faced off with Folkestone in the Premier Division curtain raiser at the start of August. A quintessential game of two halves, it was a pleasing first 45, but the second left a lot to be desired. Dominic Vose’s well-timed volley in the early stages was cancelled out ten minutes later following the heroics of tricky winger Evans Kouassi. There were no more goals for the remainder of the match, but there was plenty of entertainment – the Reds were superior first half, and the roles reversed in the second. Adeniyi will have hopes of a return to winning ways on Saturday against Folkestone.
Folkestone Invicta
Folkestone Invicta ran out 3-1 winners over Barton Rovers in the FA Trophy First Round Proper Saturday. High in confidence, Invicta are experiencing a four-match unbeaten streak in October, which started with an emphatic 8-1 thumping of Ascot United in the Trophy’s Third Qualifying Round.
Since we last played one another, Invicta would carry forward the momentum with a 3-2 victory against Dover Athletic, secure a hard-fought 3-3 stalemate with Wingate, and edge past Hashtag 2-1 in between defeats to Cray Valley and Ramsgate, before a 3-0 Billericay battering was followed by a 2-0 win over Hendon late September. Meanwhile, a shock Kent Cup First Round exit to Phoenix Sports on penalties ensued as Chichester City emerged victorious to conclude the month.
The Kent-based side languish in 10th place on 15 points, only one win away from reaching seventh position.
Invicta have undergone a period of transition over the last two years, which has seen their league form take a turn for the worse. The resignation of Neil Cugley after a staggering 26 years in charge in November 2022 meant it was an unprecedented time for the fans and the club. In a bid to inject some stability, assistant Roland Edge and player-coach Michael Everitt took the reins and guided the Seasiders to a comfortable 12th-place finish in the 2021–22 season.
That summer, a lot changed off the pitch on the Kent coast. It was announced that a consortium of local businesses would come together to take over the day-to-day operations of the team. As a result, Josh Healey, owner of Addington Leisure, who had joined forces with their new headline sponsor Alcaline, would be the chairman heading a 5–10-year plan for the Invicta’s. The longest-serving English football club manager in history, Cugley, would take on the role of Director of Football.
However, a torrid start to the following campaign saw Edge and Everitt dismissed in November 2023, with the club in 11th place off the back of a disappointing home draw against next-to-bottom Haringey Borough. Player-coach and summer arrival Andy Drury impressed the board with a “compelling presentation” and was therefore given stewardship of Folkestone. Upon arrival, Drury admitted that his focus was to rebuild and avoid a relegation scrap; subsequently, he took a hit for a couple of games.
The Seasiders concluded 2023 on an all-time low for the club. A bitter 5-0 loss to local rivals Hastings provided Drury with his “worst boxing day ever” before capping off the year with a 3-1 defeat to Hashtag United. They headed into the new year on just 19 points, 11 above the relegation zone.
In January and February, their fortunes began to turn around; Drury’s side won three, drew five, and only lost two, which included frontrunners Hornchurch. That said, it was at the backend of the season that the 40-year-old witnessed the fruits of his labour.
Crucial victories over the likes of Kingstonians, Canvey Island, Cray Wanderers, and Lewis, often regarded as their best performance of the campaign, allowed them to put together a run of form, bragging four wins out of five.
Beating play-off hopefuls Horsham 3-1 in early April was a massive result, which demonstrated a togetherness and spirit they lacked at the beginning. Folkestone had dispatched teams in and around the playoffs and showed the rest of the league that they should have been up in contention for promotion if it had not been for such a poor start to proceedings.
Likely line-ups
Carshalton Athletic
Whitter, Sankoh, Atewologun, Hamstead, Read, Saraiva, Frimpong, Bradford, Ifeanyi, Saunders-Henry, Goather-Braithwaite
Folkestone Invicta
Henly, Hoyte, Mascoll, Ekpiteta, Kassarate, Da Costa, Jebb, Derry, Smith, Fanimo, Blackman
Team News
Carshalton Athletic
Goalkeeper Mackenzie Foley and new striker Luke Cook are likely to remain unavailable for selection owing to injury, while centre-back Ollie Hamstead could be vying to reclaim his place at the heart of the Robins backline after featuring on the bench Monday. Expect Fabian Whitter to start between the sticks following his recall from Epsom & Ewell and latest addition Dilan Pauw to be included in first-team proceedings.
Folkestone Invicta
There were three changes for Invicta at the weekend with Ekpiteta, Derry, and Blackman coming into the starting XI. Given rotation is common for cup games, expect the likes of Ian Gayle, Joel Odeniran and Dean Rance to return to the Seasiders team.
Pre-Match Analysis
It is three wins in four games for Folkestone and just one loss in seven. Invicta have managed to keep clean sheets in back-to-back league matches while netting 13 times.
Key Player
Big man Dan Smith, who spearheads the Seasiders frontline, has netted nine times for the Kent side. Smith announced himself in the 2019/20 season after scoring 27 in 43 appearances for Bognor Regis, that form attracted the attention of National League Eastleigh. For the next two years, he would mostly be on loan, firstly at Hereford then Weymouth. In the summer of 2022, the forward made the move to Dulwich Hamlet but hampered by injury he returned to Bognor the following summer. Eight goals in 36 was enough to catch the attention of Folkestone manager Andy Drury.
The Gaffer
Starting his career at Sittingbourne FC, he made 107 appearances before moving to Ebbsfleet United, Lewes, Stevenage, and then Luton, where the winger earned a transfer to Championship side Ipswich Town owing to strong performances. After 64 appearances, Drury signed for Crawley, returning to Luton for a second spell in June 2014 but never reaching the heights of the first. From then on, he remained in non-league with Eastleigh. Brief spells as player-assistant in May 2021 at Cray and playing for Chatham Town in early 2023 ensued; however, Drury focused on his coaching ambitions.
Rewind to March 2022, he was appointed manager of Isthmian South East side Whitstable Town. Given his relative success, the young coach succeeded Jay Saunders at Margate in the Premier Division. Yet, with them 16th he was dismissed until being named player-manager of Folkestone Invicta, where he had previously joined as player-coach in the summer.
Match Details
Date: Saturday, November 2, 2024
Venue: Colston Avenue
Kickoff: 03:00 PM
Admission: Admission: £11, £8, £5 (online prices) on the gate is a pound or two dearer.
Tickets: ETicket App first team
