Folkestone Invicta’s title ambitions helped persuade captain Liam Friend to turn down a move away from the club this summer.

Friend, 26, was approached by a Ryman League Premier Division club following Folkestone’s
play-off final defeat against Merstham in May.

But the centre-half, who’s made 448 appearances for Invicta since 2006, has now signed a new deal at the Fullicks Stadium and will lead the side again in 2015/16.

Folkestone manager Neil Cugley is taking a wage cut to help fund the playing budget next season and chairman Jim Pellatt came out straight after the play-off final to outline the club’s Plan B – a serious push for automatic promotion.

Friend said: "It’s nice to see the club making statements to say what they want to do. That’s what I wanted to hear from them, the chairman coming out and being positive.

"Cugs normally plays things down and no-one’s saying we have to win the title – there’s no pressure on us and no-one’s going to lose their job – but we feel that’s what we need to do. We’ve done our apprenticeship at the top of that division.

"I’ve been at Folkestone for a long time and it pleased me to hear the club being so positive.

"I’ve been through some negative times so why leave when it’s just about to change and go the other way?

"There was one club in the league above (that was interested) but I sat down with Cugs, let him know and he put me right about where I should be.

"I trust him and I’d like to think he trusts me. I’ve never wanted to leave Folkestone and wanted to get it sorted out now."

Read the full interview in the Folkestone & Hythe Express.