A bumper crowd is expected at Cheriton Road on Boxing Day when Hythe Town travel to Folkestone Invicta for the first league derby between the clubs for 14 seasons.

Hythe’s promotion from the Kent League, coupled with Invicta’s relegation back to Ryman Division 1 South, has set up one of the most anticipated festive fixtures in the county.

With his side only four league places behind Folkestone, Hythe manager Scott Porter (pictured) is relishing the chance to secure the bragging rights in Shepway after playing second-fiddle in the district for more than a decade.

He said: "This time last year, there was a massive difference between the two clubs but now there’s not.

"It shows how far we’ve come and when the fixtures came out, everyone looked for this game. Folkestone v Hythe is the talk of people around the town, it’s a massive game.

"My lads won’t need a lot of motivation because a lot of them have been turned down by Folkestone."

He added: "Folkestone have been together a long time whereas we’re stil trying to find our feet. It’s coming together nicely but we’ll have to be at our best."

Hythe have a fully-fit squad at their disposal going into Monday’s game, although Ashley Porter misses out through suspension.