Folkestone Invicta F.C.
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| Folkestone Invicta | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Folkestone Invicta F.C. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | Invicta | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Founded | 1936 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground | "The Buzzlines Stadium", Cheriton Road |
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| Capacity | 6,500 (3,500 covered, 900 seats) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chairman | Bob Dix | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Manager | Neil Cugley | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | Isthmian League Premier Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005-06 | Isthmian League Premier Division, 13th | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Folkstone Invicta F.C. are a professional football club based in Folkestone, Kent.
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[edit] History
Folkestone Invicta Football Club, which was formed in 1936 and played in the East Kent Amateur League (now the Kent County League), took over use of the Cheriton Road ground in early 1991 after the demise of the old Folkestone club who had enjoyed a long history in the Southern League.
Under manager Gary Staniforth, Invicta joined the Winstonlead 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 at Faversham's Salter Lane. The club also won the Kent Intermediate Shield that season by beating Gravesend West Indians at Canterbury's Kingsmead Stadium, with striker Mark Warlosz scoring a hat-trick.
Invicta achieved senior status and joined Division One of the Winstonlead Kent League, making steady progress in its 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. Included in the Swanley line up that day was Peter Smith, who later joined Brighton & Hove Albion.
Former Folkestone, 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 treble that season, but ended up empty handed, losing the Division One Cup semi final over two legs to holders Ramsgate and the championship was eventually won by Sheppey United. The club were also runners up for a second successive season in the Plaaya Kent Senior Trophy after losing a penalty shoot out in the final against Deal Town at Dover's Crabble ground following a 2-2 draw after extra time.
Invicta entered the F. A. 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 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 Portuguese World Cup star Paolo 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.
Cugley made an immediate impact as promotion was achieved by finishing runners up to Herne Bay in 1997-98 when the club also finished runners up in the Plaaya Kent Senior Trophy for the third time after losing 1-0 in the final to Greenwich Borough at Ashford Town's Homelands ground. Hopes of a trip to Wembley that season were also dashed with a 2-1 defeat away to Great Wakering Rovers in the last 32 of the F. A. Vase.
But under manager Cugley the club were to be permanent fixtures in the top three of their respective division for three successive seasons.
The club continued to make good progress in 1998-99 as Southern League football returned to Folkestone. Invicta finished third in the Dr. Martens League 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 Conference club Welling United. The club also made its mark in the F.A. Umbro Trophy by beating Conference club Hayes to reach the Third Round before going out 8-4 in an incredible tie away to three-times winners Woking.
The 1999-2000 season saw the club achieve more progress with promotion to the Dr. Martens League Premier Division as runners up to Fisher Athletic (London) in the Eastern Division. Again there was final day heartbreak for Invicta as the championship went right to the wire with Fisher winning away to Newport (Isle of Wight) to make Invicta's final day win at Wisbech in vein. Invicta went down 1-0 at home to holders and eventual winners Kingstonian in the F.A. Umbro Trophy and again reached the Kent Senior Cup Final, but went down again, this time 3-0 to Gravesend & Northfleet, their fifth successive defeat in a cup final as a senior side. It was a good season all round for the club as the reserves won the Kent Intermediate Cup and the youth team won their section of the MUSH Kent Youth League and reached the 2nd Round of the Times Sponsored F. A. Youth Cup before bowing out 6-0 against a strong Millwall side at the New Den
The 2000-01 season saw the club compete in the Dr Martens 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 F. A. 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 played some good football at times but the club 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. Highlights of the season were a club record unbeaten 24-match league run and reaching the Third round of the F. A. Trophy before bowing out at home to Nationwide Conference club Stevenage Borough..
The club has now switched from the Southern League to the Ryman (Isthmian) Premier League, finishing mid-table 2 seasons running.
In the 2005-06 FA Cup competition, they managed to qualify for the First Round proper for the first time in their history [1].
[edit] Club records
Record Attendence: 2,322 v West Ham friendly November, 1996
[edit] Playing squad
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[edit] External links
[edit] Notes
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AFC Wimbledon | Ashford Town | Billericay Town | Boreham Wood | Bromley | Carshalton Athletic | Chelmsford City | East Thurrock United | Folkestone Invicta | Hampton & Richmond Borough | Harrow Borough | Hendon | Heybridge Swifts | Horsham | Leyton | Margate | Ramsgate | Slough Town | Staines Town | Tonbridge Angels | Walton & Hersham | Worthing edit |
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