HERNE BAY 2

FOLKESTONE INVICTA 4

Folkestone Invicta won their first away pre-season friendly of the summer away to Herne Bay on Wednesday night thanks to goals from strikers Ade Yussuf (2), Joe Taylor and Euan Sahadow at the Altira Park Stadium.

Yussuf scored two first half goals before Taylor made it 3-0 early in the second half after an Ian Draycott penalty had been saved. Connor Wilkins and Tom Carlton then pulled goals back or Herne Bay before Sahadow completed the scoring.

Invicta gave full games to goalkeeper Dan Brabham and defender Ethan Madden, while Sam Hasler captained the side against his former club as the fixture had been arranged as part of the deal that took him to Folkestone Invicta last October.

Nat Blanks returned after a recent calf injury and played at left back for the first half, while Madden played the opening 45 minutes alongside Callum Davies at the heart of the visitors’ defence.

Hasler received the ball from Draycott, took it on and tried his luck from distance in the sixth minute, Rob Budd saved but did not hold and Draycott followed up but the goalkeeper then made a good save at the expense of a corner. Hasler’s dangerous corner from the right hand side went right across goal and took a touch off a defender past the far post for another corner. Scott Heard sent the subsequent set piece over from the left hand side that fell to Jordan Wright whose shot was blocked by a defender.

At the other end, striker Jake Embery headed over in the middle when Danny Leonard crossed from the left hand side.

Invicta soon had another chance in the 12th minute when a Hasler ball put Wright in the clear but Budd came out to save and the ball ricocheted out for a corner after a Josh Vincent throw in from the right to Yussuf.

The opening goal came in the 14th minute when a quick throw in from Hasler on the right released YUSSUF in space who applied a cool finish under Budd and into the net across goal.

Herne Bay responded as a free kick from the right was cleared by Davies in the middle on the quarter of an hour mark.

Brabham then saved in the 19th minute after a ball back from Embery.

Hasler then let fly from 30 yards in the 21st minute but Budd got across to save after touches from Heard and Draycott. Hasler clearly wanted a goal on his return to his old stomping ground and locals will not have needed reminding just how he can strike a ball.

Another Hasler shot from the edge of the penalty area was charged down by central defender Jack Steventon a minute later when Draycott played the ball in to the midfielder’s path and a low 24th minute Hasler free kick was comfortably saved by Budd.

Herne Bay threatened in the 25th minute when Josh Wisson and Carlton worked the bal out to Raphe Brown in space on the left hand side whose ball into the box was met by Embery and Madden blocked a subsequent shot.

Hasler slipped the ball through to Yussuf in the 27th minute and the striker’s shot warmed Budd’s hands but a further pass across to the unmarked Wright on the left hand side of the penalty area might have been a better option.

Wright and Heard then combined in the 29th minute when a deflected Draycott shot came back off the post and Hasler shot wide from distance across goal on the left hand side.

It was 2-0 in the 31st minute when YUSSUF received the ball from Draycott, cut inside Jai Mckinley and slotted the ball into the net.

The ball fell to Brown on the left three minutes later who tried to slip it through the middle but Davies intercepted and Carlton hit a low 42nd minute shot at Brabham when Brown played it back after being picked out on the left by Embery.

Under a new management team of John Embery and Jermaine Darlington, Herne Bay had announced separate first half and second half line ups ahead of the game as they look to rebuild for the new season.

Invicta, by contrast, had just three substitutes which is more unusual at this time of year. Strikers Taylor and Sahadow came on for Yussuf and Blanks at half time as Madden came across to right back, Vincent to central defender and Wright to right back.

Herne Bay were to be much more of an attacking force during the second half.

Alex Mulroney-Skinner – who had previously played for Hythe against Invicta during July – broke clear down the left in the 49th minute and got in behind the visitors’ defence and shot across goal, with former Invicta youth team player Jarred Trespaderne just unable to convert at the far post.

Invicta were awarded a penalty when Hasler was brought down by Tom Mackeldon after combining with Heard. Draycott’s 54th minute penalty was saved by Budd but TAYLOR followed up to score.

Herne Bay pulled a goal back in the 60th minute when a long throw in from Reiss Crimmen on the left was spilt by Brabham and put in buy WILKINS.

Invicta then made a final substitution as Liam Jelley came on at right back and Wright moved back up to left midfield.

A 68th minute Hasler shot was blocked by Crimmen when Wright ran at the home defence after receiving the ball from Heard.

Sahadow then hit a combination of crossbar and post when he met a Micheal Everitt corner from the left two minutes later and Davies was close at the far post when Everitt played another good ball into the penalty area.

James White then hit a low shot at Brabham when the ball fell to him in the 73rd minute.

A rocket of a shot from Hasler from the right hand side of the penalty area was then kept out by young Herne Bay substitute goalkeeper Tom Carey.

Milachi Robinson played a dangerous ball across the Invicta goal but beyond everybody after receiving it from Mackeldon in the 77th minute and a good strike from Nassim Dukali flew just over the Invicta crossbar a minute later.

Brabham then saved when Trespaderne played the ball in to Carlton.

It was CARLTON who made it 3-2 when the ball broke for him and he fired into the net in the 84th minute.

But Invicta struck again in the 87th minute when SAHADOW found the net after Taylor had touched a Heard corner from the right back.

HERNE BAY (first half): Budd, McKinley, Brown, Rumbol, Steventon, Leonard, Wisson, Carlton, Embery, Schafer, Davis.

HERNE BAY (second half): Budd (Carey), Moore, Robinson, Crimmen, Steventon, White, Mackeldon, Wilkins, Mulroney-Skinner, Dukali, Trespaderne, Lindsay, Carlton, Bensley, Bunda-Kamara.

FOLKESTONE INVICTA: Brabham, Vincent, Blanks (Sahadow 45 mins), Madden, Davies, Everitt, Hasler, Heard, Draycott (Jelley 60 mins), Yussuf (Taylor 45 mins), Wright.