Tenth anniversary marked with minute's applause

By David Watters

Folkestone Invicta

Folkestone Invicta have honoured the memory of striker Paul Sykes in front of their late star's family and friends, a decade after his collapse while playing for the Ryman South club and tragic death a few hours later.

After holding a minute’s heartfelt applause before their 2-0 win over Redhill at The Fullicks Stadium in Ryman South on Saturday, officials later hung two framed portraits in their popular Stripes Bar and Wilf Armory Lounge of Sykes who collapsed during a county cup semi-final at Cheriton Road against Margate on April 12 2005.

The 28-year-old's widow, Carly Sykes-Blowers and members of her late husband's extended family were Invicta’s guests for the match to mark the tenth anniversary and she is pictured on the pitch with their son Thomas, only a toddler at the time of his father's death, and one of the portraits before it became a permanent fixture at the stadium.

Sykes enjoyed a successful career at several other Kent club including his home town side Dover Athletic, Dartford, Welling United and Margate before signing for Folkestone during the 2004-05 season.

He died a few hours after the match was abandoned and after the best efforts of paramedics and Invicta physio Dave Williams to revive him before he was rushed to the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford.

In the wake of his death and discovering that he had been suffering from a heart condition, his family and friends have been fundraising for the charity Cardiac Research in the Young (CRY).

* Listen to the podcast of this week's Non-League Show on BBC 5 Live for a report from the Fullicks Stadium on Saturday's tribute.

Image courtesy of Don Linkin

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