Folkestone Invicta 4 v 1 Bognor Regis Town

Saturday 10th December 2022, Kick-off 13.00
Isthmian League Premier Division
Cheriton Road, Folkestone
Admission: £12.00
Programme: £1.50
Attendance: 564

Today promised to be tricky enough in searching for a game, with my wanting to get home in good time for England's World Cup Quarter Final fixture against France at 7pm. But it was made a whole lot more complicated with a deep freeze hitting the country at the moment. The after affects of my work's Christmas party last night meant I did not get going quickly enough to head for Stanway Pegasus, my closest unvisited venue in the NLS, and with its added security of a 3G pitch. And instead I headed over to the Folkestone area, with the original intention to visit Kent County League outfit Hawkinge Town, a club that has long since been on my radar with it issuing programmes and having a decent looking clubhouse. I chose Hawkinge with Folkestone Invicta as a back up, in the knowledge that the pitch at Cheriton Road has an excellent track record in overcoming inclement weather conditions. I waited in Folkestone for the outcome of a midday pitch inspection at Hawkinge, and when that confirmed that their game was called off, I headed instead for Cheriton Road, for my visit since 2015.

The ground has not substantially changed since my last visit in 2015, and so still has a nice blend of intimate covered terracing behind one goal, quite a large bank of open terracing behind the other, a traditional all-seater stand straddling the half way line on one side, and an open bank of terracing opposite - which was previously a covered all-seater stand, but the roof and seats were removed following storm damage back in December 2013. A bright day today meant I could enjoy the scenic surroundings of the North Downs in the distance today, as opposed to my visit in 2015 when they were obscured by thick fog. An excellent website charting the history of the Cheriton Road football ground can be visited by clicking here.

A glance at the league table suggested that this would be a close encounter between two clubs stuck in the lower half of the table. Folkestone were down in 16th place in the table, following seven wins and two draws from their 19 league games, and have lost their last two league games, both away, after winning two home games. These are slightly unusual times for Folkestone, after previous manager Neil Cugley stepped down after 26 seasons in charge at the club. Bognor were in 13th place, following six wins and six draws from their 18 league games. Their last four league fixtures have all been at home, with the last two ending in draws.

On a gloriously sunny afternoon, which didn't feel quite as cold as I had feared (possibly aided by layering up), Folkestone started on the front foot, so it was a slight surprise when the visitors opened the scoring on 5 minutes, when the ball was played forward for Nathan Odokonyero to run onto and clear of the defence, before slotting past the keeper. Folkestone equalised on 27 minutes when Nathan Green dinked the ball from the byline, and after taking a deflection off the back of a Bognor defender, an unmarked Ade Yusuff slightly scuffed volley from ten yards out in a central position sent the ball bobbling in off  the left hand post. And they took the lead six minutes later, when the ball was cleared high into the air by a defender, Folkestone's James Rogers headed it across goal for an unmarked Scott Heard to drill the ball home at the far post. The visitors really should have been reduced to ten men when Cameron Black, who was already on a yellow card, was surprisingly not shown a second for a rather cynical body check right on the edge of the area as Ibrahim Olutade sprinted in from the left. Nothing came of the resulting free kick, and 2-1 was how it remained at half time, by now the hosts deserving of their lead after falling behind early on.

In truth, Folkestone went on to dominate most of the second half, and there was never any doubt where the points would be heading. They extended their lead to 3-1 on 65 minutes when Nathan Green won the ball just inside the Bognor half before driving forward, sprinting past a couple of defenders, eventually stroked the ball past the keeper. Bognor did have a couple of decent chances to pull a goal back, first on 71 minutes when a cross from the left more deflected off the striker's head and went wide, and two minutes later, a ball curled to the back post was headed over. But on 82 minutes, Bognor's Cameron Black was finally shown a second yellow card and then a red to reduce the visitors to ten men. And Folkestone soon made absolutely sure of the three points with their fourth goal following a swift counter attack which saw Yusuff cross from the left and sub Ira Jackson Jr tapped the ball home.

So in the end, a deserved win for Folkestone, which saw them rise above Bognor in the table to 13th place, on a day when only one other fixture in the division was played. Fortunately the trains home fell favourably, even allowing enough time to stop off for a pizza and a beer before the big match. Which would ultimately end in disappointment, with England losing 1-2, and Harry Kane missing a penalty in the 84th minute.

Video highlights of this match can be viewed by clicking here