Flanagan explains why he had to leave Invicta

New Dartford defender Adam Flanagan, 29, admits family commitments had forced him to leave Ryman Premier League side Folkestone Invicta.

The Essex based former Invicta skipper, issued a statement on www.folkestoneinvicta.co.uk  Explaining why he’s signed for the Princes Park outfit.

He said: “I would like to say thanks for everybody at the club, the fans and friends who I made during my time at Folkestone Invicta for making it as enjoyable as it was.

“The 190 mile round trip for training and 160 miles for a match day were always worth it for the enjoyment and encouragement I took from being involved with a club like Folkestone, and the support I received from the diehard fans.

“There were a few reasons behind me moving on, but the main reason was solely down to the arrival of my first child, a baby son, and that I feel I needed to be closer to home for his arrival - which I think is especially important in the first year.

“I’m very grateful for everything that everybody has done for me and I would like to think that I’ll see everybody I met whilst at Folkestone again someday, and we’ll have a drink together and catch up, whether that being playing or as a supporter.

“I wish Neil (Cugley), the players, the fans and everybody else involved at the club the best for the forthcoming season and know that I’ll be looking for the Folkestone result first each week - best wishes and good luck.”

And the club website reports on the ground improvements, currently taking place at the Buzzlines Stadium, Cheriton Road.

The work programme for the pitch continued this week. The playing surface has been harrowed to start the levelling process and it has been treated with an agent to make the topsoil more receptive to seeding.

This week the pitch has been mown, seeded and top dressed with 80 tons of mixed loam/fine sand.

In September an anti-worming treatment will be applied to the playing surface which rids the ground of worms which deposit casts and adversely impact upon the quality of the surface.

Depending on the amount of rain in Folkestone over the coming weeks and months, the pitch will be ‘verti drained’ in addition to being rolled and fertilised.

Watering may be necessary if the club experience a prolonged dry spell, but the overall objective is to have the pitch ready for use by mid July.

Manager Neil Cugley, preparing for his eleventh season in charge at the club, reports that the work on the pitch so far looks impressive, and is hopeful for plenty of rain to allow the new grass to grow.

He has also reported that two transfer targets will let him know on a definite decision whether or not to come to the Buzzlines Stadium at the weekend.

The Invicta manager continues to put in a lot of unnoticed hard work, as he attempts to strengthen his squad with a number of new signings.

Unfortunately when it comes to attracting players, Folkestone Invicta is not top of players’ list of chosen clubs due to their location on the coast.

Contrary to popular belief, it has little to do with the terms offered to transfer targets but more to do with geography.

This is one of the reasons why certain Kent clubs have held training sessions in London during the past few seasons.

The Club talk to few players from East Kent as there are very few about capable of playing at Ryman Premier League level, and those with the required quality are most likely to be found wearing black and amber already.

Therefore, the majority of players come from north Kent and beyond and so they don’t have to rush any decisions preferring to keep their options open before talking to the Seasiders – this makes for a frustrating time for all associated with the club as we can control most things but not our location.