Hendon 1-0 Folkestone Invicta. Seven points will keep us up, predicts Cugley - EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

HENDON 1-0 FOLKESTONE INVICTA
Ryman Premier League
Monday 12^th March 2007
Stephen McCartney reports from Claremont Road

Neil Cugley believes seven more points are needed from his side’s last eight games to maintain Folkestone Invicta’s Ryman Premier League status for another season.

Hendon, full of confidence having pulled off a shock 3-1 win over AFC Wimbledon at Claremont Road just two days ago, leapfrogged over East Thurrock into seventeenth place after Jamie Busby’s sixth goal of the season, early in the second half, ended the Kent side’s six game unbeaten run.

And the shot-shy Folkestone Invicta side are now just two places and just one point clear of the North Londoners and looking over their shoulders as they haven’t scored in their last three games.

Hendon dominated the entire first half as Folkestone Invicta were restricted to just one chance - from their first corner of the game on the stroke of half-time.

On that occasion midfielder James Corbett’s corner was met by Ellis Remy’s looping header and his strike partner Damian Abel nodded the ball towards the far corner but this was headed off the line.

That was the only joy for the bored travelling fans that made the 200-mile round trip from their Folkestone base to Brent Cross in north West London.

Attack after attack kept Invicta on the back-foot for the first half with wing-backs Wayne O’Sullivan and Craig Vargas probing and tall striker Dean Green casing the Kent side problems throughout.

Busby had the first chance of goal after ten minutes but his right-footed shot from 25-yards was comfortably dealt with by visiting goalkeeper Richard Martin, whose on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion.

Martin pulled off the best save of the match soon after when he quickly got down low to his right to prevent Marc Leach’s left-footed driven free-kick from twenty yards finding the bottom far corner.

And Vargas’ cross from the left was met by a towering header from the unmarked Belal Aiteouokrim but his twelve-yard effort flew over.

Hendon’s manager Gary McCann, a goalkeeper during his playing days, called for patience from his side when Davis Haule lashed his left-footed shot over Martin’s bar after 23 minutes.

Another chance came the Londoners way when Aiteouakrim slipped the ball to livewire Green, who dropped his shoulder, before his right-footed shot from seventeen yards rolled into Martin’s grateful arms.

Remy’s frustration became evident when he was spoken to by the match referee just before their first corner of the game, when he clashed with Haule after the Hendon midfielder committed a foul on him inside the centre circle.

After Invicta’s only first-half chance, Hendon scored the only goal of the game after four minutes and fifteen seconds into the second half.

Green decided not to shoot on goal from the edge of the penalty area and laid the ball to his right for Busby, and the midfielder cracked a right-footed shot across Martin, which screamed into the far corner from 25-yards.

The goal finally sparked Folkestone Invicta into life and Remy brought the ball under control with his chest before his right-footed angled drive was deflected past the far post after 57 minutes.

After making a double change five minutes later, the Kent side changed formation as Ben Sly and forward Paul Jones tried in vain to salvage a point.

A low centre from Sly found Remy but his twenty-yard shot trickled harmlessly past the far post.

And Remy had an even better chance to equalise after 69 minutes when he received a pass from Michael Everitt on the right but his left-footed drive from 25-yards was comfortably saved low down by Richard Wilmot at his near post.

A rare attack from Hendon came with 19 minutes remaining when Lee O’Leary played a driven diagonal pass from left to right for O’Sullivan to latch onto, and after cutting in from the flank, he skied a long-range left-footed effort.

Despite their second half dominance, Invicta didn’t have the killer touch needed to claw themselves a point.

Their last chance came with seven minutes remaining when Wilmot plucked Kevin Watson’s looping header out of the air following Sly’s right-footed free-kick from the right channel.

“It was the only shot they had in the second half so obviously disappointing,” Cugley said EXCLUSIVELY to www.kentishfootball.co.uk after their seventeenth league defeat of the season.

“To be fair it was a good goal, a great goal, but it’s always disappointing when you come away, dominate the second half like you have and you’ve got nothing.”

Cugley needs to address his poor goalscoring record - 37 goals from 34 league outings this term.

“We had a good chat about that,” he said. “We just can’t blame the forwards, we’ve got to get more quality to the forwards and use our free-kicks and corners and anything else we can get a goal from, and a lot better.”

And Cugley admits the Buzzlines Stadium club are involved in another relegation scrap.

“Well, we’ve always been in it, we’ve been in it since November so I wouldn’t say we’re dragged in it. We’ve always been in it,” he said.

“We’re one of a few sides that could go down if we don’t get a couple more wins.

“I think if we play like we did second half that shouldn’t be a problem. Defensively we’re very strong (but) in the final third we have to improve a little bit.”

League leaders Chelmsford City visit Cheriton Road on Saturday and Cugley admitted he’s side should enjoy the occasion.

“I’ve just said in there, in the changing room, we’ve got nothing to lose really,” he said.

“They’re going to come, a massive club with a huge wage bill and it’s a game we can go out and try and enjoy really.

“We’re not expected to get much out of that game but last weekend there was a lot of funny results.”

Has Cugley started planning for his eleventh campaign in charge of the club, and how many points does his side need to collect to maintain their Ryman Premier League status?

“I think a couple more wins and a draw maybe would be enough - seven points I think, something like that,” he predicted.

“We’ve got to make sure we’re staying up. Once we’ve done that we’ll start looking forward to next year but we’ve got to stay up.

“It’s been a difficult season really. So many players coming and going and especially October time it cost us dearly when we had to get rid of so many players.

“We’re just starting to recovered from that really and (this was) our first defeat from six games (so) we just have to go on another little run.”

Midfielder Mark Saunders sits out Saturday’s game against Chelmsford City due to suspension.