Invicta kicked off the Bank Holiday weekend with a dramatic win over St Albans City at Hartsdown Park, thanks to an injury time strike from substitute Ben Mason. We now take our unbeaten start to the season to Chatham Town, also unbeaten after four games.

Victory at The Bauvill Stadium would take Invicta up into the play-offs ahead of next weekend’s FA Cup break. Invicta will host Sevenoaks Town in the FA Cup First Qualifying Round, with the home tie due to be played at Ashford United’s Green Box Stadium. Tickets are on sale now.

Supporters’ Coach

Spaces are available on our supporters’ coach, departing from The Dugout Sports Bar at 12:30pm on Saturday. Supporters can book their seats via our ticketing provider Fanbase. Click here to book.

Team News

Ollie Black and Jeremy Santos remain long-term absentees, but Dean Rance and Ben Mason both returned to the squad on Saturday having missed the trip to Canvey Island.

Kit

Invicta will be in sky blue on Monday, with Chatham Town in red.

From The Manager

First-team manager Jay Saunders spoke to Invicta TV following our 2-1 win over St Albans City on Saturday:

“Chatham are a side I’ve seen a lot over the last few years, and Kevin [Hake] has done a brilliant job both in building up the ground and their success on the pitch. I think they were disappointed with last season but they’ve put together a good, young squad as they’ve moved to a hybrid-full time model, so their fitness should be good and they’re full of quality. It’s certainly a game to look forward to, a Kent derby and a big crowd with a good away support making the journey.”

The Opposition

Having moved to a full-time training model, it’s been a summer of change at Chatham which has seen high-profile departures such as long-serving captain Jack Evans (Billericay Town) and former West Ham forward Freddie Sears (Maldon & Tiptree). Kevin Hake’s side have hit the ground running this season, having picked up an opening day draw followed by three consecutive wins. This leaves The Chats in second place heading into Monday. Only two goals conceded is the second best record in the fledgling Isthmian Premier Division, only bettered by the unbreached Dulwich Hamlet.

First Four

09/08 – St Albans City (A) – Drew 0-0
12/08 – Ramsgate (H) – Won 4-2
16/08 – Cheshunt (H) – Won 1-0
23/08 – Aveley (A) – Won 2-0

Recent Meetings

Jay Saunders has the task of ending Chatham’s six-match winning run against Invicta in league and cup competitions. Invicta’s last win against The Chats came nearly 10 years ago, Ian Draycott scoring the only goal in a 1-0 win at Maidstone Road.

Last 6

03/10/20 – Invicta 0-3 Chatham (FA Cup)
15/08/23 – Invicta 2-3 Chatham
12/09/23 – Invicta 0-5 Chatham (Kent Senior Cup)
13/04/24 – Chatham 2-0 Invicta
14/12/24 – Chatham 4-1 Invicta
29/03/25 – Invicta 1-3 Chatham

One To Watch

Forward Stanley Oldfield has three goals from the opening four games of the season. The teenager joined on a dual-registration from Snodland Town midway through last season, where he finished with 20 goals from 42 appearances, and has made a flying start to his first full season at step three.

How To Follow

You can keep up to date with the action with updates from our X (formerly Twitter) account or via Football Web Pages.

The Venue

Directions can be found here.

Travel

Always check rail times/strike action before you travel. 

The quickest route to Chatham by train is to change at Dover Priory. Trains depart from Folkestone once an hour, with the journey taking 1 hour 34 minutes. The Bauvill Stadium is a 25 minute walk from the station, or an 8-minute journey on the 101 bus service.

Admission

Supporters can pay on the gate for this fixture, or purchase online in advance.

• Adult: £15
• Concession: £10
• Under 16: £5