Invicta return to the Alcaline Stadium on Saturday as we host Cheshunt in the Isthmian Premier Division.

Andy Drury’s side will be looking to bounce back from defeat at Whitehawk on Saturday and extend a run of 3 consecutive home wins in the league.

Invicta are currently on a run of 3 consecutive home wins in the Isthmian Premier Division and a win on Saturday would match our 4-match winning run during March & April last season. We haven’t had a longer winning home league run since an 8-match streak during the 2018/19 season.

Pitch Inspection

With a view to Saturday’s weather forecast we have scheduled a pitch inspection for 10:30am on Saturday morning ahead of the fixture. The result of the pitch inspection will be communicated via our website and social media channels as early as possible.

Team News

After having a number of players unavailable for last week’s trip to Whitehawk, the manager will be buoyed by the return of Amadou Kassaraté who got married last weekend. Wingers Khale Da Costa and Matthias Fanimo were fit enough for the bench in Sussex as they return to fitness, but Ian Gayle, Jack Jebb and Joel-Michael Odeniran are doubts.

Chris Sessegnon has joined Isthmian South Central side Leatherhead on a 1-month loan deal as he looks to build his fitness after returning from a dislocated shoulder picked up against Ascot United in October. We wish ‘Sess’ the best of luck in his time away and look forward to seeing him back in black & amber soon.

From The Manager

Andy Drury spoke to our Head of Media ahead of the weekend: “We were disappointed by last weekend’s performance and result at Whitehawk and we are eager to get back onto the pitch on Saturday and putting that right. We are on a good run of form at home with 3 wins in a row, we want to keep that going and push into the Christmas period with momentum.

Despite the disappointment we felt last week, it’s important to remember we are currently sat just outside the playoffs and are still one of the form teams in the division with 12 points from 15. Every week, every month I think we can see the improvements in the group we have here and we continue to work towards our goals. We follow up Saturday with 2 away trips, then we have 3 home games out of 4 over the Christmas and New Year period, we want to come out the other end of that in a positive position to kick on in the new year.

The support that came out for us against Bognor in that weather was fantastic and you can feel the bond growing between the supporters and the players, that is important for us. We need their backing both in numbers and vocally to drive us on out on the pitch.”

The Opposition

With 2 promotions and a relegation in the past 7 years, it’s been quite a ride for Cheshunt. The Ambers won the Isthmian South Central playoffs in 2018/19, then after 2 season with no promotion and relegation through the COVID19 pandemic, they followed up with the Premier Division playoffs in 2021/22.

Relegation after 1 season in the National League South saw a return to the Isthmian League last season, with Craig Edwards’ side narrowly avoiding a return to Step 4 as they finished 4 points above Margate.

The Hertfordshire side currently sit outside of the bottom 4 with a vastly superior goal difference, while also having a game in hand on those below them.

Craig Edwards departed the club in mid-October, with Mel Gwinnets replacing him later in the month, Cheshunt picking up 5 points from 6 league fixtures since his appointment.

Last 6

29/10 – Canvey Island (H) – Lost 1-0
02/11 – Bognor Regis Town (A) – Won 4-0
09/11 – Dartford (A) – Lost 2-1
19/11 – Billericay Town (A) – Lost 3-0
23/11 – Carshalton Athletic (A) – Drew 1-1
30/11 – Dulwich Hamlet (H) – Drew 1-1

Recent Meetings

The sides have met 6 times since Cheshunt were promoted from the Isthmian North Division in 2019, Invicta with 2 wins to Cheshunt’s 3. Both of those wins for Invicta came at Cheriton Road, but our visitors took 3 points back to Hertfordshire in March 2022 with a 4-0 win on their way to promotion to the National League South.

Both games last season saw the home side come from behind to take 3 points, Invicta winning 2-1 at the Alcaline Stadium thanks to goals from Luke Holness and Ibrahim Olutade

Last 6

15/10/19 – Invicta 4-2 Cheshunt
13/10/20 – Cheshunt 2-1 Invicta
06/11/21 – Cheshunt 0-0 Invicta
19/03/22 – Invicta 0-4 Cheshunt
14/10/23 – Invicta 2-1 Cheshunt
19/03/24 – Cheshunt 3-2 Invicta

The Manager

Following the departure of the long-serving Craig Edwards in October, Cheshunt appointed Mel Gwinnett as their new manager.

Mel has held roles as a goalkeeping coach at Exeter City and MK Dons, assistant manager at Stevenage and Barnet before taking on the top job at Hampton & Richmond where he lead them to within a point of the National League South playoffs before departing in the summer.

Key Man

23 year old midfielder Antonis Vasilou is currently Cheshunt’s top goalscorer this season with 7 in 17 appearances. Antonis featured against Invicta last season during a spell at Margate, scoring a late equaliser in our 2-2 draw at Hartsdown Park in the FA Cup. After coming through as a youngster at Barnet, he joined Wingate & Finchley in 2022 before moving to Kent a year later, moving on to Cheshunt after a short spell in Thanet.

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 – Everton v Liverpool
• 12:30 – Leeds United v Derby County
• 17:30 – Manchester United v Nottingham Forest