Folkestone Invicta came away empty-handed from Tuesday night’s pre-season friendly away to Maidstone United on the 3G pitch at The Gallagher Stadium.

Invicta’s pre-season results have so far followed what the non-league pyramid would expect with wins over Brightlingsea Regent, Hollands and Blair and Faversham Town and defeats against Tonbridge Angels, Dover Athletic and now Maidstone.

On a sunny evening, it was Maidstone who made the early running as the first corner of the night was played in from the right hand side and headed off target by Raphe Brown in the seventh minute.

A Sam Bone ball up the right hand side then found Sol Wanjau-Aransibia in space a minute later but the striker hit the clear chance off target across goal with a trialist waiting at the far post on the left hand side.

The opening goal came in the 17th minute when Trialist C – who had just come on for Bone – played a free kick into the penalty area and WANJAU-SMITH took the ball down before rifling it in despite the attention of Invicta captain Ian Gayle.

At the other end, Kane Penn received the ball from Andre Coker and fired well off target from a central position outside the penalty area in the 25th minute after a succession of passes.

Invicta goalkeeper Joe Coleman then made a good save three minutes later to keep out a Brown shot from the left hand side at the expense of a corner after the Maidstone player had shown trickery when receiving the ball from goalscorer Wanjau-Smith on the left hand side.

Coleman then palmed away a snapshot from the right hand side of the penalty area in the 30th minute.

Invicta midfielder Ade Cole was then booked by referee Nick Dunn for a rash 32nd minute challenge on Maidstone captain Gavin Hoyte.

It was 2-0 in the 42nd minute when a free kick into the box saw Wanjau-Smith and Brown combine on the left hand side before Maidstone’s TRIALIST A swept the ball in.

Invicta brought Ibrahim Olutade, Scott Heard and Jake Goodman on at half time.

The visitors had to wait until the 49th minute to gain their first corner of the night when Heard combined with Jordon Ababio. The set piece from the left hand side was punched away by goalkeeper Harley Earle before coming back towards goal and then being headed off the line by George Fowler.

It was soon 3-0 when the ball was launched forward up the left hand side when Hoyte played it back to a fellow defender and home substitute Levi Amantchi capitalised on a weak back pass from Goodman to play the ball across goal from the right hand side of the penalty area for fellow substitute Razza Coleman DE-GRAFT to put it in at the far post.

A 55th minute Sam Corne corner from the left hand side was then headed over by Hoyte.

Cole got a 62nd minute volley in from the right hand side for Invicta that went back to where it had come from on the left.

But Maidstone continued to be on top as Trialist B curled a 77th minute shot wide of the far post after receiving the ball from Lemar Reynolds.

The home side shot over again from inside the penalty area in the 86th minute and a final chance saw Amantchi cut in from  he right hand side when his 87th minute shot was deflected.

Invicta’s now look ahead to our penultimate pre-season fixture as we host Hythe Town on Saturday 29th July, 3pm kick off.