Folkestone Invicta 2-2 Leatherhead (5-3 pens) - We're hopeful we can get promoted - Delo

But whatever was said in the home dressing room at half time worked a treat as with the ageless Jimmy Jackson and the inspirational Darren Smith rolling back the years, Cugley’s side levelled with 20 minutes to go courtesy of Smiths sweet strike and Frankie Chappell’s delicate lob over the keeper. 

Extra time could separate the two sides and so it was left to keeper Jack Delo to become the Invicta hero.  Despite suffering from a foot injury, the giant keeper was able to turn aside the unfortunate Joe Coke’s penalty leaving James Everitt the task of sending Folkestone into the Final on Saturday, which he duly did.
 
After the game, hero Delo spoke with www.kentishfootball.co.uk.  

He said: “I’m certainly in the wars and struggling at the moment.  But what a night?  Had a bit of mixed time really but it’s nice to be on the end of a penalty shoot out as nothings expected of you as anyone from 12 yards out with just the keeper to beat you’d expect to score. 

“You’ve just got to guess that you’re going to go the right way and if you do you’ve a chance of saving one. 

“I’m always confident that I’m going to save one and tonight that was the case.  I couldn’t get anywhere near some of them but managed to get to one and that’s all that mattered. 

“It was a shame not to go straight up, but we got second and have had a great result tonight, and we’re in the Final – we know Godalming won’t be easy but we’re hopeful that we can do something and get promoted.”
 
There was no happier man at Cheriton Road than the Folkestone boss, who revealed that this was the first penalty shoot out Folkestone Invicta had won a penalty competition. 

A proud Neil Cugley told www.kentishfootball.co.uk: ”Give Leatherhead credit for coming at us from the off – they were on fire and really took the game to us and we couldn’t cope early on. 

“We got done on two set pieces and really didn’t look ourselves.  Thing is that we said at half time if we can just get a goal back football changes so much, and then I thought we were the better side from then. 

“I can’t repeat what we said at half time – we just know we had to get a goal, and we got at their defence.  End of the day we might as well have lost four nil than two nil – we had nothing to lose and it was one of those days when it worked.”
 
And work it did as for at half time, you really couldn’t see how Folkestone were going to get back into the game, as they really had no answer to the tempo that the visitors set. 

Kwabena Aygei was the first to test Delo on 9 minutes the striker brought a sharp save out of the Folkestone stopper at his left post. 

Leatherhead did take the lead moments later when Boulter was left unmarked to head home a left- wing free kick. 

Boulter was then denied on the half hour as Delo clawed his looping header out from underneath the bar, and then the giant stopper produced a smart low save to deny Kev Terry at the near post. 

However, from the resulting corner it was two nil as this time Boulter stooped to power a header through the crowd and at that point you really couldn’t see a way back for the home side.
 
But whatever was said in the home dressing room seemed to work wonders as it was a different Invicta that emerged after half time. 

And within five minutes of the restart, Josh Vincent had seen a shot cleared off the line by Dan Dean, and Smith had crashed half volley inches over the bar. 

Smith though was not to be denied and on 57 minutes he got on the end of a James Everitt flick to drill the ball into the bottom corner of the net for his 9^th goal of the season, and all of sudden the mood around Cheriton Road changed – suddenly there was hope in amongst the home faithful where ten minutes before there had been none!
 
That hope turned into genuine belief on 69 minutes when Frankie Chappell muscled his way through to take advantage of defensive hesitation to lift the ball over the marooned Harris and into the Leatherhead net for 2-2 ! 

The visitor’s response was almost immediate with Dean desperately close to restoring the lead, when he hit Delo’s right post as he jabbed at a cross. 

The action switched to the other and following a great run by substitute Brendon Cass, a flying James Everitt was only denied by a superb tip over from keeper Harris. 

As the minutes ticked by, both sides become increasingly nervous, and it was so very nearly Folkestone who were caught out. 

How relieved then were the home fans when with just three minutes of the ninety left Luke Pigden skipped around Delo after nipping in only to screw him shot wide under tremendous pressure from Josh Burchell. 

Simon Austin could have won it for Folkestone with the last kick but his half volley from twelve yards whistled just too high. 
 
And so into extra time we went and Delo had to make a brave save to deny Greg Andrews, and then the same player was very unlucky when he beat Delo to a cross only for the ball to drop behind anyone in a green shirt. 

As extra time seemed to speed past, James Everitt thought he’d won the game on 114 minutes – but he hadn’t as Harris produced a near miraculous save to hold onto the header from Smith’s corner, as it seemed destined for the top corner. 

Given the stage of the game it really was one of the great saves!
 
And so we went to penalties.
 
Smith scored for Folkestone; Dean replied for Leatherhead; Friend put the home side back in front; Mark Simmons levelled again.  James Dryden and Rob Hill then scored their respective penalties before Cass put Folkestone 4-3 ahead. 

Then Leatherhead full back Joe Coke stepped forward but his penalty low to Delo’s left was turned aside brilliant, and it was left to James Everitt to send Harris the wrong way and book Folkestone place in Saturday’s play-off Final against Godalming Town as they beat Worthing also after extra time.
 
But this was the home sides night after all the problems that they’ve experienced this season, and a delighted Folkestone boss Cugley finished the night with a word of praise for his experience in the middle of his young side. 

“Darren was outstanding for us tonight and he and Jackson had the experience and was a help at half-time, and on the pitch they were superb,” he said. 

“I don’t usually watch penalties but I did today – there were so some good penalties – and if you have the quality on Saturday in the final, it’ll surely be a terrific game to watch!”
 
Folkestone Invicta: Jack Delo, Josh Vincent, Josh Burchell, Liam Friend, Frankie Chappell, Micheal Everitt, Darren Smith, Liam Dickson (Brendon Cass 52), James Everitt, Simon Austin (Pete Williams 106), Jimmy Jackson (James Dryden 96).
Subs: Roy Guiver.

Goals: Darren Smith 57, Frankie Chappell 69

Booked: Jimmy Jackson 60, Josh Burchell 103

Leatherhead: Colin Harris, Joe Coke, Rob Hill, Chris Boulter, Dan Dean, Luke Pigden, Kev Terry, Mark Simmonds, Kwabena Ayegi (Gabriel Oduniake 89)(Michael Corbett 115), Tommy Hutchings, Jack MacLeod (Greg Andrews 87).
Subs: Ian Hendry, Adam Goodwell

Goals: Chris Boulter 16, 31
 
Booked: Kwabena Auegi 62, Kev Terry 75

Attendance: 437
Referee: Mr D Cook
Assistants: Mr D Robathan & Mr S Griffiths
Fourth official: Mr T Robinson