Invicta ready to take on old foes

One of the keenest Kent rivalries of recent years will be renewed on Tuesday night at The Fullicks Stadium when Tim Dixon’s Ramsgate visit Folkestone Invicta for their Ryman South game re-arranged from New Year’s Day, writes Mick Cork.

Invicta were too often on the wrong end of things when Scots Jim and Danny Ward were in charge at the Thanet club and one-time Folkestone favourite Dixon is keeping that tradition going.

Neil Cugley’s Folkestone are currently fifth in Ryman One South with 47 points from 21 games and though the Rams have three points less from two more games played, there won’t be too much between the clubs come the end of April with both likely to be well placed in the top half of the table.

Neither side has played since January 25 when Folkestone came from behind to beat Redhill 3-1 at The Fullicks Stadium while Ramsgate crashed to a 2-0 home defeat by unpredictable Chipstead.

Invicta boss Neil Cugley watched Ramsgate come from 2-1 down to beat Hythe Town 3-2 with a powerful second-half performance at Reachfields when well-travelled striker Ian Pulman scored twice and former Folkestone favourite James Everitt grabbed the winner.

Everitt and Pulman have 12 goals apiece so far this season, with five each in the last five games but Folkestone can boast three players past that mark too in Paul Booth, Dane Luchford and Johan Ter Horst.

Looking ahead to the game, Cugley said: "They’ve got three good forwards, a lively midfield and in Dean Hill and Ollie Schulz have two of the best central defenders in this division. When you think about they’re set up fairly similarly to ourselves. And Ratty [Everitt] just loves scoring against his old teams!"