Fifth in the table Dorking Wanderers – many people’s pre-season title favourites – provide arguably as stiff a test the you could imagine when they visit a Folkestone side still struggling for consistency and any real sort of form in the Bostik League on Saturday.
Marc White’s expensively assembled squad are unbeaten in the league since the second weekend of the season when Lewes pulled off an excellent 2-1 victory at the Wanderers’ new Meadowbank Stadium, the home side’s only reply being a goal from renowned striker Jason Prior who, with five goals in the league alone, is well up among the leading scorers in the division.
The delays may all now seem worthwhile for White’s men who will themselves be eager to put a rare defeat behind them after being beaten 3-0 in a third round Emirates FA Cup third qualifying round replay on Tuesday by National League South outfit Gloucester City.
Two goals from Prior and a 90th minute equaliser by the ex-South Park hotshot Kieran Lavery had earned Dorking that replay against their higher league opponents.
Prior, who had spells with Newcastle United and AFC Wimbledon in his younger days and was in the Havant & Waterlooville National League South championship winning squad last seek has also played at Cheriton Road several times during spells at Bognor and Margate.
While Folkestone have dropped some way off the pace near the top in recent weeks, the title race could become a lot closer for several clubs as third-placed Bognor Regis Town travel to Kent to take on leaders Tonbridge this weekend and the visitors could cut the Angels’ lead at the top to two points with a victory at Longmead.
Elsewhere, highly promising and in-form Worthing could end the day in second place if they overcome Invicta’s conquerors last weekend, Kingstonian down on the West Sussex coast.
And at Hartsdown Park, early pacesetters Enfield are the visitors for mid-table Margate.
We have no further team news for Invicta fans at this moment, but manager Neil Cugley was hoping to bring at least one new face into the squad before the weekend.
There’s very little let-up for Folkestone either as they make the long Tuesday night trek to Bognor Regis – their longest journey of the entire Bostik Premier Division which was postponed a couple of weekends ago when Bognor were in FA Cup action.