Cugley hails Remy wonder strike

Saturday’s Ryman Premier League game will surely be remembered by fans of both sides for a wonder goal scored by Folkestone Invicta striker Ellis Remy, to earn a well deserved point against Hampton and Richmond Borough at the Buzzlines Stadium, writes Andy Bown & Tom Marchant.

Remy struck a superb strike from all of 40 yards which sailed over Hampton goalkeeper Matt Lovett, much to the delight of the Invicta management, players and fans.

Invicta boss Neil Cugley told www.folkestoneinvicta.co.uk  : “It was Ben Sly who did well originally and headed the ball on and I remember as Ellis came to receive it, James Everitt had made a good run down the right flank and everyone just thought he was going to stick it over there and instead he has turned and hit it and to be fair he has meant it and it was a fantastic goal, definitely one of the best I’ve seen at Folkestone under the circumstances.

“I’ve seen different sorts of goals that have been fantastic but not as good as that strike yesterday I think and it was such an important time in the game as well where maybe if you were 3 or 4 up then you can try anything, but to do it when there’s so little time left is all credit to him.

“I think you could see how chuffed all the lads were with all the celebrations! Ellis got some stick from the lads after the game because he didn’t stop going on about it but when he scored everyone was just left in disbelief.

“He will definitely be offered terms for next season very soon and he’s only 23 and he’s a hell of an asset just because he can get goals and he links up the team well. Another plus point is that him and Kola love the club and they wanted to come back, and both give their all every week and we’re delighted with them.”

A win on Saturday for Hampton and Richmond would have seen the visitors go top of the Ryman Premier and they came to Cheriton Road in top form; unbeaten in twelve matches.

Cugley said: “I was very impressed with our performance. Our last two games have been against in form teams like Worthing who had been doing well too and obviously Hampton were a class side and like you say, if they’d won yesterday they would’ve gone top of the League so it was an excellent point.”

Hampton went ahead after 18 minutes with the game’s first top draw strike, struck by Stuart Lake from the edge of the penalty area into the roof of the net.

“Obviously they scored first and it was an excellent goal but a lot different to ours; they knocked it around well and looked full of confidence and I was really pleased we never stopped trying to play and there is always such a good spirit in the side,” said Cugley.

“I think we deserved to go in level at half time because not only did we hit the bar we did get forward well and matched Hampton for a lot of the half.

“For the first twenty minutes we were quite off the pace of the game and I was worried because Hampton scored their goal and I was wondering how we were going to react, but after that we settled and did well”.

Midway through the second half Hampton were still only leading by a goal to nil, despite coming out after the interval and applying heavy pressure on the Invicta backline.

Folkestone’s resolute defence remained strong, and ultimately Hampton paid the price for not taking their chances.

The Seasiders then made two attacking substitutions; replacing defender Samuel Kola Okikiolu with striker Paul Jones after about an hour of play, and bringing on quick, attacking midfielder Ben Sly for Mark Saunders with about twenty minutes to go.

Cugley explained: “We could have chucked another defender on when Kola came off injured as he had a tendon problem but by then we thought we might as well try get at them and it’s nice when it works – sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t!

“Jonesy came on and did well and Ben was very close to starting and he again looked very lively when he came on. Mark (Saunders) isn’t the youngest anymore and we felt the only way we were going to hurt Hampton was with pace.”

A lot of debate has followed Saturday’s game surrounding 20 year old Sly, who could have deemed himself unlucky not to have made the starting eleven after impressing in an unaccustomed left wing back role away at Worthing the previous Saturday.

Neil explained: “Ben is another one of these lads at the club that is only going to get better and he has got a great attitude to football and in training. He’s just one of a whole host of lads that we haven’t seen the best of yet and as long as these lads believe in themselves they will definitely get somewhere at this club.

“He needs to find a position he’s comfortable in because he’s played everywhere and anywhere so far and I need to help him do that by picking him in the right positions. I want to get safe as soon as possible this year so I can give him a few games towards the end of the season and obviously looking towards next season, pre season is a big time for him because he needs to show me he can be a part of the team for next season.

“Nine of the sixteen players in the squad yesterday came through the youth policy of the club and that is a hell of an achievement for a club like ours and it’s just about giving them the confidence to push on to the next step.”

One of those to have come through the youth setup is the ever committed midfielder Micheal Everitt, who made his return to the side after being on the sidelines with a back injury recently.

“I would definitely say it’s the best game he’s had in a long time,” said Cugley. “I thought that his standards weren’t quite as high as they were at the start of the season and he’s had a couple of injuries recently but yesterday he was absolutely immense.

“He got forward a lot more, got himself into the box and if he can consistently add that to his game then we’ll have an even better Michael Everitt.”

Micheal’s brother James who was also in the starting eleven yesterday was worryingly taken to hospital after returning home from the game on Saturday.

Father Paul explained the situation on the Fans Forum of this website saying James was taken into resuscitation and then had a CT scan in the early hours of Sunday morning. After being allowed home Sunday, James will see doctors today.

His manager admitted: “I didn’t know about James Everitt’s situation until today (Sunday) and I gave him a ring and at that time he said he’s got a bit of a headache and was feeling dizzy and was just at home.

“He said he went to hospital but I’m not exactly sure what was wrong unfortunately and I can’t say if he’ll be fit for Saturday yet. To be honest the only priority at the moment is making sure he’s 100% better, and we’re all thinking about him”.

Folkestone Invicta make the visit to Boreham Wood next Saturday in the Ryman Premier League, after picking up a well deserved point against high flying Hampton and Richmond Borough on Saturday.

Invicta will be without striker Damian Abel who serves a one match suspension. Ashford based Paul Jones is likely to replace him alongside Ellis Remy in attack. Left wing back Paul Lamb is still recovering from an ankle problem but is likely to be in the squad for Saturday’s trip.

“I want to wait until Tuesday because we’ve got the reserves playing then and Flan will have half a game and Chandler will play to improve his fitness, so I want to have a look at that before deciding on a team”, revealed Cugley.

On loan goalkeeper from Ramsgate, the highly rated Chris May, returns to the Rams this week because their number one goalkeeper Paul Wilkerson serves a suspension picked up after being sent off against Tonbridge Angels.

Cugley said: “It basically means I’m going to be on the phone all day Monday and Tuesday trying to look for a replacement! I have spoken to Luke (Stonebridge) and I want to be able to put him in the side in a situation where there isn’t too much pressure on him and that would come once we’re safe because if he does then make a mistake, it won’t matter so much.”

Boreham Wood presently lie eleventh in the Ryman Premier table, having lost their last three matches to Staines Town (2-1 away), Ramsgate (1-2 home) and Carshalton Athletic (1-0 away), all after beating Chelmsford City 2-0 at home at the end of January.

The Seasiders will travel up Saturday in high spirits, unbeaten in the last three League matches and keen to pick up more points to guarantee safety from relegation.

Furthermore the Seasiders will be determined to make amends to the result in the reverse fixture in early December, where Invicta were defeated 4-1, with Kevin Watson scoring Folkestone’s goal from the penalty spot.

"They were a really good footballing side that day in December and got the ball forward quickly and outplayed us completely,” recalled Cugley. “But I feel we’ve definitely improved since then and they have a nice pitch which will suit us. We’re enjoying our football at the moment and that’s showing in our results and I feel confident of going there and getting some points.”

Visit Folkestone Invicta’s website: www.folkestoneinvicta.co.uk