Joint-boss Roland Edge has urged Folkestone’s players not to undo all their hard work this season.

Invicta were beaten again last weekend, losing 3-1 at home to a Kingstonian side fighting to avoid relegation - a fourth successive Isthmian Premier loss.

Edge felt his troops let themselves down against Kingstonian but, despite their hopes of finishing in the play-offs having ended, he hopes the 11th-placed team can turn their form around in the final four fixtures of the campaign.

He said: “Football is a funny thing, isn’t it?

“You’re only as good as your last game - that’s the truest saying there is.

"I think we took over in a low position and then we tried to close in on the play-offs.

“Now, we don’t want to undo the hard work.

“On Friday, we will say, ‘Honestly, we have done really well and we have played sides this year and they have gone out of the ground so relieved they have beaten us’. They’ve got to take pride from that.

“Are they good lads? Yeah, they’re good lads.

"But they definitely let themselves down on Saturday.”

Ira Jackson’s penalty was of little consolation for Edge and fellow joint-head coach Micheal Everitt, who were without defender Josh Vincent (suspension), James Rogers (illness) and fellow midfielder Ronnie Dolan (injury).

“It was a really flat performance,” he reflected.

“But not by individuals necessarily. It was a whole team thing.

“The things that have worked well for us this season, we seemed to neglect. We didn’t work well as a unit.

“We went in at half-time 1-0 up. Facing into the wind, you think ‘We cannot afford to concede in the first 10 minutes of the second half’ but, unfortunately, we conceded three minutes into the half.

“In the middle of the season, we would have rolled our sleeves up and got into it, but we didn’t really have that attitude, which is disappointing.”

Edge, however, doesn’t think their losing streak is a major concern.

He explained: “The first two games - if I’m completely honest - they could have gone either way against Aveley and Lewes.

“One decision cost us, really - although it was not as bad as Hornchurch’s one at the weekend! Then I give them a bit of an excuse at Bowers because they’re realising the play-offs might be gone.

“But that’s not the excuse on Saturday.”

Youngsters Lenny Atherton, Jake Dancer and Finlay Dent came off the bench, with Edge hinting: “These lads are good players. It’s nice to keep tabs on them and reward the hard work they’ve been doing.

“They might get a bit more game time before the end of the season.”

Invicta are at home to Steve McKimm’s Carshalton on Good Friday, who come into the encounter after a 2-0 home loss to Bishop’s Stortford.

Edge said: “Carshalton are going to be in the same boat as us.

“To be fair, they lost their last game and they have maybe got the realisation that fifth spot isn’t going to happen for them, either. But they will be well drilled.

“Steve will get them up for fighting for three points and we’ve got to do the same.”

Folkestone have an Easter Monday derby at Margate when they will be looking to complete the double after a 4-0 success at Cheriton Road at the turn of the year - it was Gate boss Reece Prestedge and assistant Ben Greenhalgh’s first fixture in charge.

Edge said: “We played them when they’d just taken over and beat them.

"They will probably want a bit of revenge. I don’t blame them for that.

“For us, it’s about how we finish. Now the goal isn’t achievable, we need to set a new goal.

"The players need to remember to finish strongly.”

Vincent and Rogers are both set to return to the squad.

Folkestone are due to confirm the identity of a company whom they'll enter a two-year agreement with from May 1 this week.