A new era begins at Cheriton Road on Saturday as Jay Saunders takes charge for the first time as Folkestone Invicta 1st Team Manager.
Jay will be joined in the dugout by his management team of Lloyd Blackman and Tommy Parkinson, the trio beginning work this week at the Alcaline Stadium.
Paul Sykes: 08/11/76 – 12/04/05
Saturday marks the 20th anniversary of the passing of Paul Sykes, who passed away aged just 28 after collapsing on the pitch during Invicta’s ill-fated Kent Senior Cup semi-final against Margate.
A minutes silence will be held before kick off. You can read more here.
Ups & Downs
Saturday’s opponents Bowers & Pitsea have already been relegated from the Isthmian Premier Division, and could be joined by both Bognor Regis Town and Hastings United this weekend.
Bognor Regis will be relegated should they fail to beat Dulwich Hamlet, who sit just above the bottom 4. Hastings travel to Canvey Island, who also sit just above the drop-zone knowing defeat coupled with a win for Dulwich at Bognor would also see them relegated.
At the top, Dartford, Billericay and Horsham have all secured at least a playoff spot and are chasing the title with just 2 points separating the 3 clubs.
The race for the playoffs took a twist this week after Cray Valley PM were deducted 3 points for fielding an ineligible player. Chichester City, Hashtag United, Chatham Town and Carshalton Athletic all remain in contention for the playoffs with 4 games remaining.
In the Isthmian South East Division, Ramsgate could be crowned champions should they beat Three Bridges and Sittingbourne lose to East Grinstead.
Burgess Hill Town have secured a playoff spot and Margate will join them with just a single point from their final 4 games, Merstham, Beckenham Town and Three Bridges all remain in contention for the final spot.
Aveley have already been relegated from the National League South. Welling United face the same fate this weekend, travelling to Hampton & Richmond where a defeat coupled with wins for both Enfield Town & Salisbury.
From The Manager
Jay Saunders joined us this week for his first interview as he got to work at the Alcaline Stadium.
Team News
Nathan Green will serve the final match of his 4-match suspension on Saturday for his sending off against Chichester City last month.
Midfielder Brad Walledge has been recalled to the squad from Kennington for the remainder of the season.
The Opposition
It’s been a long, hard season for Bowers & Pitsea who were relegated back to the Isthmian North Division last month after just one season back at step 3. Bowers have been in the bottom 4 since November and rooted to the bottom of the league since early February. They come into the weekend without a win since Christmas and having lost their last 11 games.
Last 6
01/03 – Billericay Town (H) – Lost 4-1
08/03 – Dover (A) – Lost 2-0
15/03 – Horsham (H) – Lost 1-0
22/03 – Cray Wanderers (A) – Lost 4-0
29/03 – Carshalton Athletic (A) – Lost 6-1
05/04 – Hastings United (H) – Lost 2-0
Recent Meetings
The sides shared the points with a 2-2 draw when we travelled to the Len Salmon Stadium earlier in the season, Dan Smith and Evans Kouassi on the scoresheet for Invicta.
Bowers have only visited Cheriton Road on 2 occasions and are yet to leave with a win. Invicta ran out 4-1 winners with Ade Yusuff and Ian Gayle among the scorers.
Last 6
14/12/19 – Bowers 3-1 Invicta
08/02/22 – Invicta 2-2 Bowers
12/03/22 – Bowers 2-3 Invicta
30/11/22 – Invicta 4-1 Bowers
25/03/23 – Bowers 3-1 Invicta
04/01/25 – Bowers 2-2 Invicta
The Managers
Joe Flowers and Luke Wilson took over as joint-managers of Bowers & Pitsea at the start of 2025 following the departure of James Collins. Flowers had previously been a part of the management team that won promotion to the Isthmian Premier Division back in 2019 under manager Rob Small. Wilson is a former Bowers player, with 126 appearances and 24 goals for the club.
Key Man
Solomon Kofi Tetteh-Quaye Addy, Better known as TQ Addy, is a pacey winger who Jay Saunders will know well having worked with him at Tonbridge Angels. Addy was on the books of Crystal Palace and Luton Town as a youngster before joining Tonbridge and has more recently turned out for fellow Isthmian Premier Division side Lewes.
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
Charlie Prescott and Adrian Dawkes from Seasiders Radio will be there to bring you live radio commentary from the Alcaline Stadium.
You can also keep up to date with the action with updates from our X (formerly Twitter) account and 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 food truck inside the stadium, located between The Dugout and the Folkestone Bowls Club building.
We have four 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 from 11:30am showing all of the days live sport, including:
- 12:30pm – Manchester City v Crystal Palace
- 12:30pm – EFL Football
- 5:00pm – The Masters Day 3
- 5:30pm – Arsenal v Brentford
