We've got a lot of hard work to do, says Folkestone Invicta boss Neil Cugley

FOLKESTONE INVICTA manager Neil Cugley was not over-enamoured by his side’s performance in Saturday’s 1-0 friendly defeat away to Ashford United.



Ashford United will be playing Southern Counties East Football League (formerly the Kent League) this season, after winning promotion after finishing in third-place in the Kent Invicta League last season.

Folkestone Invicta grabbed a top-five finish in the Ryman League Division One South last season, before going down to a 1-0 defeat at Maidstone United in the semi-finals of the play-offs.

“It was alright, I guess,” Cugley told www.folkestoneinvicta.co.uk.  

“Our forwards were disappointing on the day and we’ll need to do much better than that.

“Looking back to last season, I guess we’ve lost seven or eight of the lads we had then. This is a very different pre-season and I’m some way off knowing what is my best 11.

“We need to work out how we’re going to play and we’ve got a lot of hard work to do between now and August 10 when the season kicks off in earnest.”

Cugley admitted liking the look of left-back Chris Elliott who impressed most Folkestone fans, but the young ex-Canterbury City play is away for a couple of weeks soon and faces a disrupted pre-season.

Midfielders Matt Newman and Josh Vincent were both unavailable this weekend but will be back for next Saturday’s visit to FA Carlsberg Vase Finalists Tunbridge Wells.

Josh Burchell may be given more time to rest his injured ankle, however.

Keeper Rob French – whose blunder cost Folkestone the game – escape serious criticism as the manager said: “It was a bad mistake, but I’d sooner he did that now and got that out of his system. He comes with a good reputation.

“Roddy (Hayward) started on the bench because he’d dislocated a finger the previous week, but he and Rob French will be my two keepers.”

Folkestone Invicta are in negotiations with Haart of Kent County League side New Romney about playing an away friendly on Thursday 18 July.

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