By Alex Hoad

Neil Cugley says there is an air of positivity around Folkestone Invicta as they prepare to start another season.

Despite suffering relegation from the Ryman League, Premier Division and having home-grown centre-back Liam Friend linked with a move to Margate, Cugley, pictured, says the level of optimism around the Buzzlines Stadium is as high as it has ever been during his 15 years at the helm.

He said: "Everything is positive here at the moment. The club is in as good a shape financially as it has been for a long time and the supporters' club have done a fantastic job with work on the ground.

"Two years ago we had a fantastic season, winning promotion, which was beyond our expectations and we all had smiles on our faces but all the while we had the off-the-field issues hanging over us, to such an extent that we didn’t know if there would be a club the following year.

"Hopefully, this season we’ll be able to settle down, play some good entertaining football, win some games and be competitive in this league. The club may be in the most positive position it has ever been."

Invicta are no closer to learning the future of Friend, who would command a compensation fee should he agree to switch to Hartsdown Park.

Cugley said: "I spoke to Liam on Monday and I think he’s going to join us for the start of pre-season this week as Margate aren’t back yet and I’m sure we’ll talk about it more then."