The Bostik Friday Interview: Mr Invicta

Folkestone Invicta boss Neil Cugley on the last 21 seasons, refusing himself a pay rise and being a Great Dane's phone-a-friend!

1997 was a memorable year for many reasons. The election of Tony Blair, the re-election of Bill Clinton at a time when most of us thought of a cigar as purely a smoking implement, and the tragic death of Princess Diana. The closure of Woolworths, the launch of Channel Five, the first ever recorded murder in Midsomer, and the sight of Jack and Rose clinging on by the rudder of a sinking ocean liner whilst Celine Dion wailed her famous anthem.

Down on the Kent coast, however, another event occurred; one which will undoubtedly have remained clear in the minds of local Non-League football supporters- particularly those with a love of amber and black. Neil Cugley, former manager of Ashford Town and Hythe Town, took over at Folkestone Invicta.

Twenty-one seasons later and the residents of Cheriton Road still have the same hand on the tiller- and unlike Titanic the club has remained afloat despite being holed below the financial waterline on a number of occasions. Neil has, in effect, become ‘Mr Invicta’- and we caught up with him to reminisce, to talk about the present and the future, and to find out how he feels about receiving a telephone call from a Great Dane every Saturday morning.

Neil and stadium sponsor Paul Fullick

Neil and stadium sponsor Paul Fullick

Twenty one seasons- you’re the Arsene Wenger of Kent! When you took on the role did you think of it as a job for life?

Ha! Not for one minute. I initially had ambitions of doing well and perhaps moving to a higher level in the future, but I’m still here as you can see!

So what has kept you there? What is it about Invicta that you’ve been unable to say goodbye to?

There seemed to always be a new challenge. Whether it has been on the field, or financial, I’ve always felt that I had something else to achieve. When I joined we were in the Kent League and immediately got promotion, then we had a good season in the Southern League South, went up again the next year, ended up top of the Southern League Premier Division- one step from the National League at that point- and suddenly the plug was pulled. We couldn’t afford to keep going at that level, the wages were cut dramatically, we ended up relegated- but even then, I was motivated to see whether I could get the club back up again, despite having no money. That’s happened two or three times now, and each time I’ve seen it as an opportunity to test myself.

Surely there must have been other opportunities, though? Opportunities that might have provided you with a budget to compete at a higher level?

Yes, but you have to remember that when you’re doing well, you’re happy where you are- and that when you’re not doing well nobody wants you anyway! There have been other opportunities, but never the right job at the right time. And I have enormous affection for the club. I was born in Folkestone, I played for the youth team, the first team; most of the best times in my career have been here. It’s always been a friendly club, a happy club, a nice club to be part of. When the chance has come along to go somewhere else, there’s always been an emotional tie that I’ve not wanted to shake off.

You have two jobs now- Manager and Director of Football. Often you hear about the occupants of those two roles coming into conflict, so it must be nice to not have that problem?

I’m not sure- often I ask for a pay rise and then have to turn myself down! The reason I accepted the role as Director of Football three years ago is because I hate surprises. In the past when we’ve run out of money it has always come as something as a shock- all has been going well and then suddenly, we’re broke, the wage bill has been cut, and I’ve not been able to see it coming. Now I’m involved in those decisions so I always know exactly how well the club is coping, financially and otherwise. We agree a budget, and then I’m left alone to get on with it- the rest of the board is very supportive but they trust me to do things properly.

You had your Annual General Meeting last night, and an open forum afterwards. How did that go?

It went very well. I’ve been at those meetings in the past and heard stories of enormous debt for the very first time, so they’ve sometimes been fraught, but these days we’re solvent, the ground is in good condition, we’ve got a good side and everything is positive. Conversely, those meetings used to be packed, now they’re not overly well attended because there’s not much wrong that the supporters need to worry about. That’s not necessarily very exciting, but then the only excitement we want is on the pitch.

So what have been the best moments of the last twenty-plus years?

I don’t spend a great deal of time thinking about the past, I’d rather look forward. I enjoyed the season when we won the South Division by 24 points (2014-15), but I’m really enjoying this year, too. The team are playing well, they work hard and the results have been good- and I’m not taking credit for that. I pick the team but it’s the players who have to deliver, and they’re doing it very well at the moment. I look forward to every match, every weekend.

What about the worst moments?

How long have you got! Being stuck at the bottom of the league with no money and knowing you won’t be able to get out of it isn’t much fun, but even then I’ve been able to think that the young side I’ve got would be better for the experience the following season and should be able to do well. I’m a positive person and I try not to dwell on the negatives if I can help it.

At the start of this season did you set targets for the team?

Yes- two targets. The first, as always, was to get enough points to stay up. The second was to get more points than we got last year, as that would signify an improvement. But given how well we’ve done so far I’d be disappointed if we weren’t pushing for a playoff spot. I didn’t think that at the start of the season, if I’m honest, but I have to think that way now- the players have absolutely the right attitude and they’re capable of continuing our good form.

The performances over the last couple of months have been excellent. When you beat Leiston 5-1 you commented that they needed to be more consistent- they’ve delivered that, haven’t they?

They have, but there are an awful lot of peculiar results in this league, it’s really difficult to predict. We beat Enfield Town 5-1, for example, and shortly afterwards they were beating Dulwich Hamlet 3-1- you need to deliver consistently good performances to get near the top.

We asked your supporters for questions, and one of them wanted to know how you planned to beat Billericay. Do you plan, perhaps, to earn a certain number of points every month? The fixtures for December look fairly kind, and then in January you have Margate, Dulwich Hamlet and Billericay Town within a fortnight. What goals do you set?

I just want to win every game. I’m not one to single out games as must-wins, or to go into particular matches looking for a point. It would be good to win our games in December so that there’s less pressure on us when we get into January and have that run of fixtures, but you have to be positive and not worry too much. If we do what we’re capable of, we’ll do ok.

Good luck to Billericay by the way. The fact that people are talking about that match demonstrates that they’ve been good for the league, they’ve put it in the spotlight. How are we going to beat them? By employing hard work, being organised and not being afraid of their reputation. Money will talk in the end- they can afford to bring in players who should be able to deliver the goods consistently- but we have nothing to fear. I love the big games, the chance to pit my wits against teams who- on paper at least- should be better than us. I’m very much looking forward to that one.

On Saturday you take on Harrow Borough. They’ve just had their first win after having six matches without one, and you’ve just had your first loss after eight wins. Has that turned what was looking like a home banker into a much more difficult game?

It’s that consistency question again. I think that anybody can beat anybody in our league, and if we’re not up for it and doing the right things we’ll drop points. If we play the way we had been prior to the Wingate and Finchley match last weekend then we’ll have a good chance- but we didn’t play well in north London.

Do you have a full side to pick from?

I have sixteen. We never have a big squad and I’m going to have to be careful. We’ve brought a couple in on loan just to cope with the sheer number of games.

Another supporters question, then. You’ve given up your famous stripes this season and reverted to an all-yellow strip. Do you plan to go back to your black and amber?

I’m sure we will at some point, but that’s a question for the chairman. The problem with the stripes is that no sponsorship logo shows up well on that background, and our sponsors help keep the club going so they need to have their logo visible. It looks much clearer on a plain shirt! We have played in yellow before, so it isn’t like we’ve just abandoned tradition!

And one more from the terraces, this time rather serious. You’ve been at the club for more than two decades, and at some point might decide to retire. Is there a succession plan?

That’s another one for the chairman. I don’t honestly know, but I have to say I’ve no plans to go anywhere. It’s no secret that if we’d gone down last season then I would have left, as I’m not sure I could have coped with having to get out of the South Division all over again, so I suppose I understand the question. But let’s not think too far ahead. I’m happy and I’m staying.

What impact do your supporters have on the team? They’re a noisy and passionate bunch.

They’re more than noisy and passionate- we’re very, very lucky to have them. Every game gets sponsored, every player gets sponsored, when we’ve been short of money they’ve been quick to put their hands in their pockets- fifteen thousand pounds to keep us afloat a few years ago; they are extremely committed to the club and they are tremendous. They get behind the team, they appreciate the fact that we’re working on a strict budget, and they give me great support, too.

They are one of the reasons I’ve been here so long. It’s a happy and friendly place to work.

So finally, how do you get on with Non-League’s most famous dog?

Ari? We’re the best of friends- he rings me every Saturday to find out which strip we’re wearing so he can make sure he’s in the right outfit! He’s great! That’s one of the things I love the most about Non-League football, we don’t take ourselves too seriously, we look out for each other and we welcome everybody. Ari helps put our club on the map- and he’s always incredibly well dressed!

During the last twenty-one years we’ve had six general elections, five Doctor Who’s, two James Bond’s and one hundred and eleven different presenters of Have I Got News For You, but Folkestone Invicta have had only one manager.

Football's best dressed dog- with his human and canine friends!

Football's best dressed dog- with his human and canine friends!

And unlike that other long serving football boss at The Emirates, you’re unlikely to hear anyone at the Fullicks Stadium suggest that they need a change any time soon.

Where next?

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The Bostik Vardy After an incredible scoring feat, could Junior Ugedi-Uzokwe be the Bostik League's answer to Jamie Vardy?

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