We are ready for the fight, insists Birthday boy Cugley

Neil Cugley takes his Folkestone Invicta side to Ashford Town (Middlesex) this weekend hoping to return home with all three points to kick off his 50th birthday celebrations in style on Saturday night, writes Andy Bown & Tom Marchant.

“I’m looking forward to it and I’m hoping we get the right result on Saturday as otherwise it puts a bit of a downer on things when your going out, but hopefully we can get a result there and I can enjoy my birthday party,” Cugley told www.folkestoneinvicta.co.uk  

“With my birthday on the Monday when we play East Thurrock, it means that it’s all sorted out really!”

Unfortunately for Invicta a strong performance against Chelmsford City wasn’t reflected in the scoreline on Monday night, when the Seasiders came home defeated 3-0.

Cugley said:“I thought we did alright to be fair but it was a disappointing result. They are like the Chelsea of the Ryman Premier in that they are a massive club and I think they will finish up in the Conference in about two or three years.

“It was always going to be a difficult game but I thought we done a lot better than we did on Saturday, especially in the first half on Saturday.

“I couldn’t have asked for anything more from the players, especially the younger lads like Liam Friend, James Everitt and Damian Abel who all had very good games and who showed they could hold their own against that sort of quality of player, which was very pleasing to see.

“It was a big task for them and they stood up to it well and I’ve got no complaints at all. It was a quality game, a game of high standard on a lovely pitch and it proved they were a good side.”

Invicta conceded after 35 minutes with a free kick scored by Mario Noto, which saw the visitors go into the break 1-0 down.

Cugley said: “At half time we thought we could have got something out of it. We stuck to the task well and at 1-0 down we should have scored and we had a very good chance, and when we were 2-0 down we were still creating chances again and then their third one at the end finished us off.

“If we play like that against the lesser sides then we will win games. The Folkestone fans clapped the lads off and you think when you lose 3-0 and they still clap you off, you know you have tried your best and have given everything you can”, mentioned the Folkestone boss, who reserved praise for all his players and the Folkestone fans during what has been a difficult time at the club lately.

“The lads have been so good with players leaving the club and they have kept at it and even though we lost on Monday night the commitment and attitude of the players was spot on and we all felt we could kick on from that.

“I think our fans understand that when things are down we seem to come out fighting, and we all appreciate the loyal support they give us and all the hard work they put into the club, which makes such a difference”.

Cugley has no new injury concerns from Monday night’s match and Walid Matata didn’t start as he (like a few of Chelmsford’s players) was stuck in horrendous traffic getting to the ground but he is fully fit and will take his place in the squad this Saturday.

Cugley said: “We haven’t been there (Ashford Town Middlesex) before and it is a big game for us. We’ve got three big games coming up; Ashford, East Thurrock and Worthing.

“We’ve got to pick points up as if we don’t we are going to be in the relegation fight. It is a great chance for us to get up the table again.

“They played Maidstone not long ago and we’ve had them watched and they work hard like teams do in this League but they won’t have the quality of the likes of Bromley and Chelmsford so we’ve got to keep playing as we have bean and obviously take our chances when they come along”.

The Invicta boss also announced he is strongly considering giving a place in the squad to forward James Corbett, who has been playing in the reserves recently in a bid to try and improve his fitness after spending a while out of football.

“To be honest it’s whether we use him Saturday or Monday as we have really got to start looking at him to see what he can do as he’s been good enough to play in the reserves,” Cugley said.

“He’s got a good attitude and I know the younger lads have liked having him about but at the end of the day we have got to start pushing to see whether he can come in the first team now.

“His fitness is improving bit by bit but it’s a catch-22 situation; we don’t pay him so he can’t get down on a Wednesday when we train as he has to work.

“But I’m hoping we can get him down this Wednesday and then have a closer look to see how his fitness is. His quality is second to none, as will anyones be when they’ve come from that level.”

Meanwhile, readers of www.folkestoneinvicta.co.uk are urged to keep their eyes on the homepage this week where as part of the build up to Neil’s big day, we will be canvassing the thoughts and opinions of officials, players and fans of the Cheriton Road club, for stories of their memorable moments with Neil – on and off the field of play!

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

Ashford Town (Middlesex) v Folkestone Invicta
Ryman Premier League
Saturday 18^th November 2006
Kick Off 3:00pm
At Short Lane Stadium, Short Lane, Stanwell, Middlesex TW19 7BH