Chatham Town 1-2 Folkestone Invicta - We couldn't run a bath at the moment, bemoans O'Brien

“That’s why they’re the team to beat and be the team that will win the League,” O’Brien admitted shrugging his shoulders! 

“To be under the pressure that we put them under second half and then still get that little bit of luck – although I can’t disagree with the penalty award even if I wanted to – to win a game like that sums it up really. 

“I’m gutted about the performance, but thought our performance was very gutsy on the day as it has been against most of the top sides, and so its Saturday’s trip to Corinthian Casuals that I now look to get the same sort of performance from the boys! 

“We’ve had a couple of new faces in who have done well tonight but its getting the best out of all of the squad week in week out – Folkestone do it; Sittingbourne are doing it – teams do it and they get on a run which breads confidence.  Problem is that we’re at the moment on a run where we “couldn’t run a bath” at the minute. 

“I do believe that we’re going about it in the right way, and we’re just coming up short. 

“I’m crying out for a couple of points and I’m crying out for a couple of wins, and I just hope that my squad are feeling the same!”
 
The game itself began with both sides looking to create chances although it was the home side who had the clearest early one when on loan Jack Hobbs took advantage of a mistake by Liam Friend to race clear only to be denied by the legs of Invicta keeper Jack Delo. 

That came on 13 minutes and seemed to kick start the visitors as on five minutes later James Everitt should have scored when he had a free header from Jimmy Jackson’s free kick, which he sent high over the bar. 

Sadly for the home side, they didn’t heed the warning and from Jackson’s next free kick on 21 minutes Folkestone had the lead. 

Friend, making up for his earlier mistake, powered the ball into the home net. 

The League Leaders then set about probing and prodding to see if the Chatham defence with assistant boss Lew Watts defying the years in the centre, and it was somewhat against the run of play when the home side did score on 36 minutes. 

Rob Denness made good ground down the right and his ball inside found Matt Solly, who swept the ball to the far post for Brendon Cass to bury the chance and put Chatham level.
 
After the break genuine chances became fewer and fewer as the game became more cagey, but Frankie Chappell’s header for Folkestone was well grabbed by Dean Ruddy in the home goal, whilst at the other end another Delo save with his legs denied Denness, and from the resulting corner the giant Invicta keeper had to use all his inches to stop Ashley Probets vicious in swinging corner from creeping in under the bar. 

Josh Burchell then headed Darren Smith’s cross wide before Hobbs was denied by Delo’s smart catch above his header – again after Denness had done well.
 
The game seemed destined for a draw until with just six minutes left, a rash challenge from Ray Powell sent James Everett sprawling (not for the first time) and the Folkestone number nine dusted himself down, before sending Ruddy the wrong way from the spot to seal Folkestone’s 19^th League win of the season.
 
After the game, O’Brien called on his side to repeat their performance (if not the result) on Saturday when the Chats travel to Corinthian Casuals. 

He said, ““It was a funny day when Corinthian came here – there wasn’t a pass in the game and they hit us with 3 at the end.  But we’ll go there against a side that passes the ball well, and are the makings of a good side, and I hope that we’ll come away not with just something but with a win. 

“It’s about time that our form improved – we started off well enough but then lost our way and to be frank haven’t found it again. 

“We’re trying to claw our way back into things, but the boys are still lacking a bit of belief, which is sad because on their day they are some fantastic players…  Tonight if we upped the work rate just to the next level, and any neutral that saw the game and was scoring it the way they score Boxing matches I do genuinely believe that we would have edged it.  That’s tonight and we must now go again on Saturday.”
 
For Cugley, as he now faces up to a top of the table clash with Croydon Athletic at the weekend, there’s still the seeming ridiculous delay of “officially” deducting the Cheriton Road club the points for going into administration. 

A bewildered Folkestone boss admitted, “I think that we would have preferred to have been docked the points by now to be knocked off top.  I felt that Saturday – when you’re top everyone wants to knock you off top – we’d be the same – but now that we’re going to be second or third.

“Maybe that will let us play a little bit better than we are at the moment.  Sometime we are a young side, and I think that if we’re not top it could well take some of the pressure off the youngsters, but lets face it if they do take nine, ten or however many points off us and we still make the Play Offs isn’t that a hell of an achievement for the players?”
 
Part of the crowd were the Croydon Athletic management team of Tim O’Shea and Neil Smith – a point that Cugley found slightly amusing as he admitted, “You know I don’t know why teams bother to watch us in advance as we play the same team week in week out and play the same formation too – we’ll put out the same team from the same squad, and obviously Croydon have got some great players and they too want to get out of this league, and whilst we wish them good luck in that dream, we’re just planning to survive and still be around in August! 

“It's been worthwhile what we’ve achieved this year – it's been brilliant – as I honestly didn’t think we’d start the season, and I’m please that we won tonight but we can play better than that!  Jimmy Jackson’s not been very well and Liam Dickson has a muscle problem but I’m hoping that both of them will be OK for the weekend!”
 
Chatham Town: Dean Ruddy, Ray Powell, Ashley Probets, Matt Solly, Lew Watts, Chris Henry, Rob Denness (Rico Briggs 66), Brad Potter, Brendon Cass, Jack Hobbs (Jack Pallen 82), Jimmy Lyons (Justin Ascheri 86).
Subs: Michael Scott, Richard Stroud.

Booked: Chris Henry 34, Robb Denness 60
 
Goal: Brendon Cass 37

Folkestone Invicta: Jack Delo, Josh Vincent, Josh Burchell, Liam Friend, Frankie Chappell, Micheal Everitt, Darren Smith (Peter Williams 72), Liam Dickson, James Everitt, Simon Austin (Lee Spiller 90), Jimmy Jackson.
Sub: Mick Dix.

Booked: James Everitt 77

Goals: Liam Friend 21, James Everitt 84 (penalty)
 
Attendance: 133
Referee: Mr Andy Mead (Orpington)
Assistants: Mr Paul Beadle (Sevenoaks) & Mr Graeme Ions (Maidstone)