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BISHOP’S STORTFORD 0 FOLKESTONE INVICTA 1

AlfieMason(BOSTIK LEAGUE – PREMIER DIVISION)

A DOMINANT performance from the visitors saw Folkestone leave the ProKit UK Stadium with all three points.

On their first ever trip to Stortford the visitors were fully deserved of their victory although the only difference in the score-line was Kane Rowland’s eight minute goal.

The Kent side seemed much quicker, won the second ball and played with much more cohesion than the Blues who fell well below the standard they had set themselves at Harlow five days earlier.

Adam Flint’s squad showed a couple of changes. Lewis Dark was absent at a wedding and his replacement in the starting line-up was new signing Jordan Lawal.ToyosiOlusanya

Another new signing, Lance Akins was on the bench but made his debut coming on for Toib Adeyemi in the latter part of the first half.

Toyosi Olusanya with a low shot saved by Folkestone keeper Tim Roberts and Invicta’s Johan Ter Horst having the ball held at his feet by Calum Kitscha had both gone close before Rowland put Invicta ahead. He robbed Jordan Wescott at the angle of the box and advanced to smash a fierce shot wide of Calum Kitscha inside the far upright.

JordanLawalTer Horst and Kieron McCann nearly extended the lead in the next few minutes but Tim Roberts rescued the Kent side in the 13th minute tipping a Jamie Cureton header over the bar after Adeyemi had nodded a Chris Gregan free-kick across the box.

Roberts blocked out a Jake Cass low effort with his legs in the 23rd minute but with the Blues defence making errors and looking vulnerable every time Invicta attacked it looked as if the visitors would add to the score.

Josh Vincent with a header just over the target from a Ronnie Dolan corner was close in the 29th minute and then an Alfie Paxman free-kick was tipped over the top by Kitscha on the half hour.

Folkestone continued to call the tune after the break although Roberts saved well from a Cass free-kick seven minutes after the restart and then parried away a drive from substitute Ryan Charles.

Stortford pushed forward in the final 20 minutes, their best period of the game, but they created little in front of goal although when substitutes Chi Osadebe and Charles combined on the left in the 78th minute it looked as though something positive might materialise but the final pass into the danger area was not precise and Cass was unable to get his shot at goal away.

RyanCharlesCharles fired a fierce diagonal drive past the far post in the 81st minute and Cureton had an effort from the edge of the box blocked but Invicta substitute Ian Draycott missed a chance to double the lead in the 90th minute when he shot over the bar when through on the right-hand side of the box.

In all there were eight bookings during the contest with referee Conor Farrell showing yellow cards to five Stortford players.

STORTFORD: Calum Kitscha; Johnville Renee; Chris Gregan; Jordan Lawal; Sam Robbins; Toib Adeyemi (Lance Akins 32); Alfie Mason (Ryan Charles 46); Jordan Wescott; Jamie Cureton; Jake Cass; Toyosi Olusanya (Chi Osadebe 77).

Unused substitutes: Elliott Ronto and Jack Thomas.

FOLKESTONE INVICTA: Tim Roberts; Jerald Aboagye; Nat Blanks; Josh Vincent (Philip Starkey 81); Callum Davies; Jack Evans; Alfie Paxman (Sam Hasler 83); Ronnie Dolan; Johan Ter Horst (Ian Draycott 77) ; Kane Rowland; Kieron McCann.

Unused substitutes: Michael Everitt and Nick Shaw.

Referee: Conor Farrell

Attendance: 323