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A last ditch free kick from Drew Watkins gave Folkestone Invicta a dramatic late winner away to Hastings United at the Pilot Field on Saturday afternoon, but the victory came at a price as the visitors had popular striker James Dryden stretchered off and taken away in an ambulance with what turned out to be ankle ligament damage.

It had been feared that Dryden had broken his ankle as he was clearly in pain after losing his footing in a pothole on a poor pitch after he had done very well to beat David Henham down the left flank after 38 minutes.

The 23-year-old striker went into the game as joint top goalscorer in the Eastern Division and his great work rate will also be a big loss to Invicta.

Invicta also had centre half John Guest sent off for dissent in the last minute, having been booked for same offence just five minutes earlier.

The visitors had opened the scoring in the 22^nd minute through Mark MUNDAY, but by the final whistle the visitors will have been mightily relieved to have taken the three points.

Hastings equalised after 61 minutes when Ryan PETERS fired a free kick from the edge of the box which flew past goalkeeper Tony Kessell following a foul on Steve Hafner by Micheal Everitt.

Peters and Hafner both had spells with Invicta in the Premier Division last season and had both only come on minutes earlier as part of a triple substitution by the home side.

The bold move by home manager Steve Lovell paid instant dividends with the equaliser but was also to backfire on Hastings as they then lost right back Henham with injury and had to play the last 20 minutes or so with ten men.

It was a brave second half display from Hastings and looked like being a frustrating afternoon for Invicta until WATKINS’ late winner after 89 minutes.

The Invicta right back attracts banter from opposing supporters with his silver boots and has been dubbed in some quarters as a ‘baby Beckham’ for his appearance.

But the former Cray player was to have the last laugh as there was something Beckham-esque about the free kick he planted into the net from the edge of the box following a foul on James Millar.

The drama did not end there as Guest was sent off for comments made to referee Mark Basten from Sevenoaks as he disputed a corner decision.

Hastings kept the pressure on until the end as substitute Peters chipped at Kessell with virtually the last kick of the game following a Stuart Myall ball.

Invicta gave a debut to new signing Paul Lamb at left back, though Martin Chandler failed a late fitness test on an injured ankle.

The visitors looked the more composed early on, but Chris Honey hit over for Hastings from the left hand edge of the box after 11 minutes.

A long throw in from Dryden on the left was met spectacularly by Millar after 19 minutes, but straight at uncertain home goalkeeper Will Toal.

And the visitors opened the scoring following a foul on Allan Tait when Watkins’ deep free kick was headed back across goal by Guest and hooked in by Munday.

A minute later, Hastings goalkeeper Toal tipped over a Tait header from Watkins’ right wing cross when Dryden played the ball out wide as Invicta forced the game’s first corner.

Toal was in action again on the half hour mark when he got down to make a great save to keep out another Tait header from a Watkins free kick following a foul by Charlie Belcher on Lamb.

At the other end, Kessell came out bravely when the ball was headed into the path of Mitchell Sherwood.

Sherwood became the game’s first booking for a bad challenge on Watkins during first half stoppage time.

Hastings signalled their intent at the start of the second half as Carl Rook shot wide with a good chance after 48 minutes.

There were chances at both ends after 51 minutes when Kessell saved from Myall following a Rook ball and Ayling headed over for Invicta.

A Tait shot was deflected for a corner when Ayling played the ball to him on the right hand side of the box after 54 minutes and two minutes later Millar shot wide across goal from a Tait ball.

Peters’ equaliser was to chance the complexion of the game.

An Adam Flanagan header was touched over for another Invicta corner after 64 minutes, while a minute later Rook was desperately close to putting Hastings ahead in the middle following a dangerous run by Sherwood down the left.

Millar didn’t make the most of his chance when Tait played the ball in to him from the right after 69 minutes and Ayling headed over.

Invicta had former Hastings goalkeeper Kessell to thank when he got down to make a great save to keep out another low Peters piledriver of a free kick when Kessell himself had been pulled up by a linesman for handling outside his penalty area as he cleared the ball after 76 minutes.

Invicta’s Tait and captain Scott Lindsey were both booked after 78 minutes as they protested when referee Basten waved away penalty appeals as Ayling went down under challenge from Russell Eldridge.

Goalscorers Peters and Munday soon joined them in the referee’s notebook.

Invicta were now becoming increasingly desperate as substitute Anthony Hogg shot wide when Lamb’s ball in from the left was headed down by Tait after 84 minutes and Flanagan shot over when another Lamb ball was nodded down to him after 87 minutes.

But it was all to turn out okay thanks to Watkins’ first Dr Martens League goal.

Guest’s dismissal means that he will miss Invicta’s F. A. Trophy tie away to Havant & Waterlooville on November 29^th.

Hastings United: Toal, Henham, Startup, Eldridge, Elford (Peters 58 mins), Belcher (Spiller 58 mins), Myall, Ringwood, Sherwood (Hafner 58 mins), Honey, Rook.  Unused subs; Stickney, Morris.

Folkestone Invicta: Kessell, Watkins, Lamb, Flanagan, Guest, Lindsey, Everitt (Hogg 81 mins), Munday, Dryden (Ayling 39 mins), Tait, Millar.  Unused subs: Winfield, Dyson.