Striker Joe Taylor – Folkestone’s top goalscorer with 27 goals in the 2016/17 season – has left the club and signed for their geographically closest Bostik Premier Division rivals Margate.

Along with virtually all of Invicta’s senior squad,the striker had been offered new and improved terms at the Fullicks and manager Neil Cugley said: “We needed to know what was going on and I’d been trying to get hold of him without success for several days now. I believe he’d been talking to a couple of clubs, but it’s hardly a surprise that he’s chosen to go there.

“He lives in Thanet, spent a long time with Margate in his younger days and knows a lot of people in that area.

“I’ve no idea what they offered him, but he’s got a young family so I’m sure that all those things were factors in him making this decision. He texted me earlier today (Thursday) to say he was  leaving.

He’s a nice lad and said some kind things about the way that he’s been treated here at Folkestone, thanking both myself and Edgy (assistant manager Roland Edge) for what we’d done for him during his time with us.”

On the plus side for Invicta gifted playmaker Sam Hasler and (espeically our female) fans favourite Kieron McCann have committed themselves to Invicta for a further season.

And, Taylor’s departure now means that boss Cugley can contnue talks with two new faces – one a defender, the other a midfield player who can also play at the back – knowing where he stands regarding the wage budget.

Joe joined Invicta for the first time in 2014 from Farnborough Town, rejoining in 2016 from Ramsgate. And in a total of 108 games, including 28 from the bench, he scored 47 goals including the winning goal at Thurrock which earned Folkestone their place in the play-offs.

Several more of the longer serving players have also accepted the new terms the club offered while, at this moment in time, only Joe Taylor and the already released Jordan Wright will be missing when the season starts on August 11th.