Folkestone Invicta F.C.

Folkestone Invicta

Full name

Folkestone Invicta Football Club

Nickname(s)

Invicta, The Seasiders, Stripes

Founded

1936

Ground

Fullicks Stadium, Cheriton Road, Folkestone

Capacity

4,000

Manager

Neil Cugley

League

Isthmian League Premier Division

2015–16

Isthmian League Division One South, 1st (promoted)

Home colours

Away colours

Folkestone Invicta Football Club are a football club based in the town of Folkestone, Kent, England. They play their home matches at Cheriton Road, currently known under the terms of a sponsorship deal as the Fullicks Stadium, and currently compete in the Isthmian League Premier Division.

History

Kent County League and Kent League

Folkestone Invicta was formed in 1936 and played in the East Kent Amateur League (now the Kent County League). They took over the Cheriton Road ground in early 1991 after the demise of the old Folkestone F.C. who had enjoyed a long history in the Southern League.

Under manager Gary Staniforth, Invicta joined the Kent League and completed the Division Two league and cup double during the 1991–92 season, losing just two league games all season and beating Whitstable Town in the Division One Cup Final.

Invicta achieved senior status and joined Division One of the Kent League, making steady progress in their first two seasons at this level under club stalwart Staniforth. The nearest the club came to another trophy during these two seasons was when they lost the 1994 Plaaya Kent Senior Trophy Final 3–1 against Alma Swanley at Gravesend & Northfleet's Stonebridge Road.

Former Dover Athletic, Hythe Town, Crawley Town and Sittingbourne player Tim Hulme then took over as player-manager for the 1994–95 season. Invicta at one point chased the Kent League double that season, but ended up empty handed, losing the Division One Cup semi final over two legs to holders Ramsgate with the championship eventually being won by Sheppey United.

Invicta entered the FA Cup for the first time during the 1994–95 season, beating Hailsham Town and then Southern League Premier Division side Sittingbourne before going out 2–1 at home to a Worthing side which included former Tottenham Hotspur striker Mark Falco.

Hopes were high for the 1995–96 season as Invicta strengthened their squad, but things turned sour during the second half of the season as Hulme left the club, with his assistant Micky Dix taking over for the remainder of the season.

Former Canterbury City boss Darren Hare was recruited for the 1996–97 season, but after a poor start he was soon replaced by one-time Folkestone Town manager Dennis Hunt, assisted by veteran player Bobby Wilson.

It was during this season that a club record 2,332 saw the club play hosts to West Ham United in a benefit game following freak floods in the town. A strong West Ham side included Paulo Futre, Julian Dicks, Frank Lampard and Stan Lazaridis.

It was the arrival of manager Neil Cugley from Ashford Town during the summer of 1997 which was to provide the catalyst for the return of Southern League football to the town.

Southern League

Cugley made an immediate impact as promotion was achieved by finishing runners up to Herne Bay in 1997–98. The club continued to make good progress in 1998–99 as Southern League football returned to Folkestone. Invicta finished third in the Southern Division behind champions Havant & Waterlooville and runners up Margate, with the promotion race going to the final day of the season. Invicta also reached the final of the 1999 Kent Senior Cup where they lost 1–0 at home to then Football Conference club Welling United.

The 1999–2000 season saw the club achieve more progress with promotion to the Southern League Premier Division as runners up to Fisher Athletic in the Eastern Division. The 2000–01 season saw the club compete in the Southern League Premier Division for the first time and Invicta achieved their objective of staying up. In the process they were the only side to win away to Nigel Clough's Burton Albion at Eton Park.

The 2001–02 season saw an improved Invicta side briefly top the Premier Division table for the first time in the club's history during the opening weeks of the season. The club reached the 4th Qualifying Round of the FA Cup but were beaten 5–1 in a replay away to Welling United after drawing the initial tie 1–1 with a lucrative trip to Reading as the prize. The season ended on a dramatic note as Invicta 3–3 home draw with Tamworth on the final day of the season denied the Lambs the championship – that game was watched by a crowd of 1,277, the highest ever home attendance for an Invicta league match.

That record was broken in August 2002 when the visit of neighbours Dover Athletic attracted a crowd of 1,446 to Cheriton Road, but the 2002–03 season was to prove a difficult season for Invicta as financial constraints took their toll. The young side had a run of 22 Premier Division matches without a win and had to wait until February for a first home league win of the season. A late rally was not enough to prevent the club from finishing bottom of the table and being relegated back down to the Eastern Division.

The 2003–04 season was more successful for Invicta as the club finished fifth in the Eastern Division to win promotion via the re-structuring of the non-league game.

Isthmian League

In 2004 the club was switched from the Southern League to the Isthmian League, where they have finished in a mid-table position in the Premier Division 2 seasons running.

In the 2005–06 FA Cup competition, Invicta managed to qualify for the First Round proper for the first time in their history.^[1]

In the season 2007–08 Invicta progressed to the 4th qualifying round of the FA Cup, losing 2–0 to Billericay Town on 27 October 2007, but were relegated from the Premier Division due to a defeat on the last day of the season to Maidstone United.

The club re-signed Jimmy Dryden, who was offered a new deal at bitter rivals Dover Athletic, who had just won promotion into the Premier Division. Dryden went on to become the Club's leading scorer in the 2008–09 season, and is also contracted for the forthcoming season.

Not all concerning the future of the Club is certain; it remains in the balance with senior figures negotiating with Revenue and Customs to try and establish a path forward in the interests of both parties. In the Isthmian Division One South, Invicta finished the 2008–09 season in 11th place. Despite insolvency during 2009–10,and a subsequent 10 point deduction, Folkestone finished 2nd in the league with 82 points, 7 behind Croydon Athletic, and were promoted to the Premier Division via the play-offs. Invicta finished bottom of the Premier Division in the 2010–11 season, however, and were relegated back to Division One South.

Jimmy Dryden, the club's leading scorer, left Invicta before the 2011–12 season started and signed a deal at rivals Hythe Town, for whom he played against Invicta on the Boxing Day derby between the two clubs in 2011. It was the first time the two clubs had played each other in a league game for 14 years. Invicta won the game 8–0 watched by a crowd of 1,018.

The 2011–12 season was a good season for Invicta, finishing in 4th place, securing a play-off spot. Invicta lost, however, to Dulwich Hamlet in the play-offs. The following season saw Invicta again make the promotion play-offs, only to be beaten 1–0 by Maidstone United in the semi-finals. They achieved runners-up finishes in the next two seasons but lost in each promotion play-off final, firstly to Leatherhead on penalties after a draw and the following year to Merstham. In the 2015–16 season Invicta clinched their first ever Division One South title with five games to play.^[2]

Ground

Folkestone Invicta play their home games at The Fullicks Stadium, Cheriton Road, Folkestone, Kent, CT19 5JU.

Current squad

According to

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.		Position	Player
		GK	Tim Roberts
		GK	George Fender
		DF	Josh Vincent
		DF	Nat Blanks
		DF	Liam Friend
		DF	Frankie Chappell
		DF	Callum Wraight
		MF	Roland Edge
		MF	Michael Everitt

No.		Position	Player
		MF	Charley Robertson
		MF	Matt Newman
		MF	Jordan Wright
		FW	Paul Booth
		FW	Jon Pilbeam
		FW	Joe Taylor
		FW	Ian Draycott
		FW	Connor Coyne
		FW	Harry Smith

Honours

Kent League Division Two Champions 1991–92
Kent League Cup Winners 1991–92
Champions Isthmian League Division One South 2015–16
Won Isthmian League Division One Play-Off 2009–10
Runners-Up Isthmian League Division One 2009–10, 2013–14
Runners Up Eastern Division, Southern League 1999–2000
Runners-Up Kent League Division One 1997–98
Runners-Up Kent Senior Cup 1998–99
Runners-Up Plaaya Kent Senior Trophy 1993–94

Records

Record attendance: 2,322 v West Ham United, friendly match, November 1996

Former players

1. Players that have played/managed in the Football League or any foreign equivalent to this level (i.e. fully professional league).
2. Players with full international caps.
3. Players that hold a club record.

References

↑ FA Cup official site, Invicta qualify for First Round
↑ "Congratulations to the champions!". Isthmian League. Pitch Hero Ltd. 26 March 2016.

External links

Official website
Folkestone Invicta at the Football Club History Database

Isthmian League

Premier Division	AFC Sudbury Billericay Town Bognor Regis Town Burgess Hill Town Canvey Island Dulwich Hamlet Enfield Town Folkestone Invicta Grays Athletic Harlow Town Harrow Borough Havant & Waterlooville Hendon Kingstonian Leatherhead Leiston Lowestoft Town Merstham Metropolitan Police Needham Market Staines Town Tonbridge Angels Wingate & Finchley Worthing

Division One North	AFC Hornchurch Aveley Bowers & Pitsea Brentwood Town Brightlingsea Regent Bury Town Cheshunt Dereham Town Great Wakering Rovers Haringey Borough Heybridge Swifts Maldon & Tiptree Norwich United Phoenix Sports Romford Soham Town Rangers Thamesmead Town Thurrock Tilbury VCD Athletic Waltham Abbey Ware Witham Town Wroxham

Division One South	Carshalton Athletic Chatham Town Chipstead Corinthian-Casuals Cray Wanderers Dorking Wanderers East Grinstead Town Faversham Town Godalming Town Greenwich Borough Guernsey Hastings United Herne Bay Horsham Hythe Town Lewes Molesey Ramsgate Sittingbourne South Park Three Bridges Tooting & Mitcham United Walton Casuals Whyteleafe

Seasons	1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1919 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17

Folkestone

People	List of people from Folkestone

Political	Shepway Folkestone and Hythe constituency

Education	The Harvey Grammar School Folkestone School for Girls The Folkestone Academy Pent Valley Technology College K College University Centre Folkestone

Transport	Folkestone West railway station Folkestone Central railway station Folkestone Harbour railway station Folkestone East railway station M20 motorway Channel Tunnel

Sport, arts and leisure	Folkestone Invicta F.C. Folkestone Sports Centre Folkestone Triennial Leas Cliff Hall Tower Theatre Folkestone & Hythe Operatic & Dramatic Society Folkestone White Horse Leas Lift

Media	Folkestone Herald Kentish Express KMFM Shepway and White Cliffs Country Academy FM (Folkestone)

Historical events	1934 Hillman's Airways de Havilland Dragon Rapide crash 1954 Swissair Convair CV-240 crash 2007 Kent earthquake

Twin towns	Boulogne-sur-Mer Middelburg Étaples

Coordinates: 51°5′11.602″N 1°9′34.031″E / 51.08655611°N 1.15945306°E / 51.08655611; 1.15945306

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