Invicta welcome Dartford to the Alcaline Stadium for our final fixture before Christmas.
Invicta come into the game on a 3-match winning run at home, having beaten Cray Wanderers, Dulwich Hamlet and Bognor Regis Town.
Over the Christmas period Invicta have 3 games at the Alcaline Stadium. A trip to Lewes on Boxing Day is followed by the visits of Wingate & Finchley and Hastings United. Tickets for those 2 games are available online now at HALF PRICE.
Our postponed home fixture against Cheshunt has now been rescheduled for Tuesday 7th January.
Team News
Andy Drury has made a number of additions to his squad since our last home fixture: Tyler Anderson from Beckenham Town and Sam Smith on a 1-month loan from Maidstone United who may be set to make their home debuts on Saturday while Nathan Green won’t feature until the new year.
The manager has been juggling his squad over the past few weeks with a number of players carrying injuries, a number of players will be assessed ahead of Saturday’s fixture.
From The Manager
Andy Drury spoke to our Head of Media ahead of the weekend: “We’ve been very disappointed not to come away with something from our last 3 games away from home but we are looking forward to the chance to bounce back on Saturday and continue a good run of home form.
We are in an incredible competitive division and fine margins make a real difference. Right now a win or 2 is the difference between teams sitting just above the bottom 4 to teams in the top 5. With 3 home games coming up over Christmas and a trip to Lewes on Boxing Day it is important we put a run together to push us to the top end of s congested group of teams and give us something to build on going into the new year.
It’s been tough on the group recently as we have battled through a period with injuries in recent weeks, with players either unavailable or having to play through them, but we hope to be at the back end of that now and have made a few additions to the squad to bolster us with the busy Christmas schedule coming up.
Dartford are a huge club at this level and it is no surprise they sit in the playoffs and are on a strong run of results, Saturday will be a huge test for us but we go into it knowing that if we are at our best we can can beat anybody at this level. I hope we will see a good crowd there to support us and our aim is to give them a result to send them into Christmas in good spirits.”
The Opposition
Dartford are playing in the Isthmian League for the first time since the 2009/10 season, spending the last 14 years playing in the Conference/National League until relegation from the National League South at the end of last season. The Darts took a while to adjust to life in the Isthmian Premier Division and were sat 15th after 12 games but a run of 10 games unbeaten now has Adrian’s Pennock’s side sitting 4th heading into the Christmas fixtures.
Dartford have shown they are dangerous in front of goal this season, having only failed to score once away from home and have managed to score 2+ goals in their last 8 games, 21 goals in that run.
Last 6
26/11 – Chichester City (A) – Drew 2-2
30/11 – Hastings United (A) – Won 3-0
03/12 – Sheppey United (A) – Lost 3-0 (Velocity Cup)
07/12 – Bognor Regis Town (H) – Won 4-0
14/12 – Dulwich Hamlet (H) – Drew 2-2
17/12 – Horsham (A) – Won 3-1
Recent Meetings
It’s been over 20 years since the side last met in league fixtures, both sides competing in the Southern League Eastern Division in the 2003/04 season. Invicta won 6-1 at Stonebridge Road in February 2004 with an Allan Tait hat-trick plus strikes from Anthony Hogg, Martin Chandler and John Ayling before winning 1-0 at Cheriton Road thanks to a single goal from James Dryden.
Since 2004 the clubs have competed in different leagues, only meeting in cup competitions. Clashes in the mid-2000s were tight, going to extra time and penalties as the sides shared a win apiece, but The Darts have dominated more recent meetings in the Kent Senior Cup.
The last meeting between the sides was the 2022 Kent Senior Cup Final, with manager Neil Cugley calling a team back from their summer holiday at a week’s notice to compete against a Dartford side that had just been eliminated from the National League South playoffs. Invicta lead at half time and levelled the scores at 2-2 in the second half but ultimately struggled against a much fitter side late on.
Last 6
13/03/04 – Invicta 1-0 Dartford
08/01/05 – Dartford 1-2 Invicta (after extra time) (Kent Senior Cup)
12/09/06 – Dartford 2-2 Invicta (5-3 on pens) (Westview Cup)
07/11/11 – Dartford 1-4 Dartford (Kent Senior Cup)
25/02/20 – Dartford 4-0 Invicta (Kent Senior Cup
17/05/22 – Invicta 2-6 Dartford (Kent Senior Cup Final at Chatham Town)
The Manager
Former Gillingham manager Adrian Pennock was appointed Dartford manager in March as the club looked to survive regelation from the National League South. As well as experience across non-league football with Welling United, Forest Green Rovers and Barrow before a spell in Brunei with Duli Pengiran Muda Mahkota where he lead them to the 2019 Singapore Premier League title.
Over the summer Pennock added a familiar face to his Dartford coaching team with the appointment of Roland Edge as assistant manager.
Key Man
Dartford Academy graduate Olly Box has become a vital source of goals for Pennock’s side this season. The midfielder made 11 appearances on loan at Margate in the Isthmian Premier Division last season as well as 16 for Dartford, and has found fine form this campaign. Box comes into this weekend on a hot streak in front of goal, scoring 6 in his last 7 Isthmian league appearances.
Admission
Supporters can pay on the gate for this fixture or purchase online in advance from our online ticket shop.
- Adults (18-59): £12
- Concession (60+, student, disabled, Blue Lights Card): £9
- Young Adult (13-17): £6
- Child (under 13): FREE
How To Follow
If you can make it to the match you can follow the action via our X (formerly Twitter) account. Alternatively, live score updates are available on Football Webpages.
Food & Drink
The Dugout Sports Bar will be open from 11:30am, with the Dugout Kitchen open for food. The Dugout accepts both cash & card.
Food and refreshments will also be available from the truck inside the stadium, located between The Dugout and the Folkestone Bowls Club building.
We have FOUR new fanzone bars around the ground serving draught beer, Guinness, water and soft drinks. 2 bars are adjacent to The Dugout, one beside the tea hut window and one beside the disability shelter. These bars are CARD ONLY.
The Dugout Sports Bar
The Dugout Sports Bar will be open showing all of the days live sport, including:
- 12:30 – Aston Villa v Manchester City
- 12:30 – EFL Football
- 17:30 – Crystal Palace v Arsenal
- World Heavyweight Boxing – Oleksandr Usyk v Tyson Fury
🥊 Join us after the football on Saturday for the huge World Heavyweight Title fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury!#UsykFury2 pic.twitter.com/fEynov4Rlk
— The Dugout Sports Bar & Kitchen (@thedugoutCT19) December 17, 2024
