Upbeat Neil Cugley is delighted with Folkestone’s summer rebuild and one of the best pre-seasons in his time at the club.

The Invicta boss saw his side put in another encouraging display in going down 3-1 to National League promotion-chasers Dagenham & Redbridge at the Fullicks Stadium on Monday night.

It was just a second defeat in six games in July and Cugley said: “I enjoyed it. It’s always good to play against full-time players, it gets you so much fitter and when you
make a mistake, you are punished for it.”

With one game to come – the free admission visit of Bostik North side Thamesmead in the Sid Burvill Memorial Cup at Cheriton Road on Saturday (3pm) – Cugley said: “We have had a good pre-season.

“We have played some big games, made a few bob for the club, played a good mix of fixtures and integrated a few new players. It’s gone well.

“The players have fitted in well and want to be here. We have even only picked up one injury in (last season’s top-scorer forward) Joe Taylor.”

Invicta begin their Bostik Premier campaign with a trip to Enfield Town on Saturday, August 12, and Cugley added: “We’re still hoping he might be OK for the start of the season.

“We have a lot of games at the start, though, so we won’t rush him.

“It’s tricky at the start when you’re playing twice a week for a couple of months on hard pitches.

“We might need to add another player, so I’ll be talking to the board about what we’re able to do.”

Cugley says the free admission on Saturday is designed as a thankyou to fans, adding: “They have had to pay out for a couple of big games and it’s a thank you from the club for their support

“Hopefully, they can come along, watch a good game of football and see what the club has to offer.”