Kentish Football 
hendon051205
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Invicta left languishing in bottom four |
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Monday 5th |
Ryman Premier League |
Richard Murrill reports from Buzzlines Stadium |
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Folkestone Invicta |
1 |
O'Brien 32 |
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Hendon |
2 |
Dryden 90 |
Neil Cugley’s side went into the game
looking to recover from Saturday’s 1-0 loss at Windsor, but trailed to
goals from Blaise O’Brien and Ricci Crace before James Dryden pulled a
goal back during stoppage time. To make matters worse for the home side,
Scott Lindsey was sent off with seconds to go for a raised hand into the
face of Hendon substitute John Frendo having only replaced the injured
Micheal Everitt during stoppage time. O’Brien opened the scoring for the
visitors after 32 minutes when he slotted the ball into the net at the
second attempt from goalkeeper Dave King’s kick to the right hand side
of the box after not making proper contact with his initial effort. Crace made it 2-0 after 64 minutes when he
headed in Ben Huddell’s free kick from the left following a foul by Adam
Flanagan. Dryden provided some consolation for
Invicta with a late header when centre half John Guest did well to get up
at the far post and head Kevin Watson’s free kick from the left back
across goal. But Lindsey was to receive his second home
straight red of the season as he tried to get in front of Frendo who was
looking to run the clock down after Dryden’s goal. Invicta had made the early running as a 25
yard strike from Martin Chandler warmed goalkeeper King’s hands when
Watson sent over the game’s first corner from the left after six
minutes. The home side were close again from
another corner after 19 minutes when Paul Lamb’s ball in from the right
was cleared from close to the line. At the other end, an O’Brien header was
saved comfortably by Tony Kessell when Huddell played the ball in from the
left after 26 minutes. A Paul Jones shot was blocked after 31
minutes when Guest headed a King clearance back towards the Hendon goal. Kessell then had to come out and take the
ball off O’Brien’s feet when the Hendon goalscorer was put through the
middle after 37 minutes. Guest headed into the side netting at the
start of the second half for Invicta following a corner from the left. Invicta had their chances as Dryden shot
at King from the left hand side of the box following a ball from Stuart
Myall after 59 minutes. And right back Watson saw his point blank
shot blocked at the far post a minute later following a cross from the
left and a Chandler shot from the edge of the penalty area was touched
over by King as the ball came back out. Invicta were made to pay as Crace’s goal
put Hendon firmly in control.
Guest had to clear
for a corner at the far post in the 72nd minute when the ball
pinged around the Invicta penalty area after a free kick from the edge of
the area was charged down. And there were further problems after 75
minutes when O’Brien broke through the middle. Former Millwall, Charlton and Dover
Athletic player Byron Bubb lobbed wide from 30 yards after 80 minutes just
a minute after coming on when the ball came back out to him after he had
initially threaded it through. The final corner count of 14-4 in
Invicta’s favour will be of little consolation to the home side.
Hendon: King, Duncan, Murphy, Cooper,
Good, Burgess, Hunt (Pickett 63), Campbell, Crace (Frendo 86), O’Brien (Bubb
79), Huddell. Subs: Cook, Apilson. Attendance: 239.
Folkestone Invicta were left
languishing in the bottom four of the Ryman Premier League after losing
2-1 at home to Hendon at the Buzzlines Stadium on Monday night, writes
Richard Murrill.
But O’Brien’s opener came a minute later
and put the home side under pressure.
Invicta’s
Flanagan was booked after 36 minutes and Steve Good fluffed his chance
when the subsequent free kick fell to him.
But Hendon threatened again when Huddell hit
the angle of bar and post with a 25-yard strike froim the left hand side
after 53 minutes.
At the other end, a Flanagan header flew just
wide after a 77th minute corner from the left and Micheal
Everitt fired wide from right on the edge of the box after 78 minutes when
substitute Joe Neilson played the ball back to him following another ball
in from the left.
Folkestone Invicta: Kessell,
Watson, Lamb (Neilson 65), Flanagan, Guest, Chandler, M. Everitt (Lindsey
90), Myall, Dryden, Jones, Norman. Subs: J. Everitt, Sly, Mann.
Red Dragon I.T. Ltd