Joint-boss Micheal Everitt claims Folkestone Invicta have had enough chances in past two Isthmian Premier matches to win 10 games despite defeat to Concord Rangers and draw at Potters Bar Town
Published: 05:00, 04 October 2023
Updated: 15:30, 04 October 2023
Frustrated joint-head coach Micheal Everitt has claimed Folkestone have had enough chances in their past two matches to win 10 games.
They have taken a single Isthmian Premier point from away trips to early-season strugglers Potters Bar and Concord.
Folkestone shared the spoils from a remarkable six-goal contest at Potters Bar last Tuesday.
A first-half Brandon Adams hat-trick, which included two penalties, made it 3-2 to the hosts despite goals from Invicta forwards Ibrahim Olutade and David Smith.
Six minutes after the restart, Potters Bar keeper Preston Edwards was sent off for a foul on Olutade and replaced between the posts by left-back Prosper Keto with no keeper on their bench.
Defender Ian Gayle got Invicta level but they couldn’t find an all-important winner.
Substitute Jordan Ababio made a swift impact at Concord on Saturday.
He scored to put Folkestone ahead in the second half, only for the hosts to hit back and then bag an 83rd-minute winner.
“It’s been a week where we didn’t meet our expectations,” admitted Everitt.
“To be fair, Saturday was our first defeat in six league games. But we feel like we could have won every single game that we have played this season.
“A combination of two things have cost us.
“We are not taking our chances - we have had enough chances in our previous two games to probably win 10 - and [we’re] making individual mistakes, which is hard.”
It took winger Ababio just three minutes to make an impact at Concord after he had come out of the Invicta starting line-up.
Everitt explained: “We played Whitehawk and Jordan had a great chance to finish it with five minutes left.
“We didn’t take that chance and we feel like we dropped two points [drawing 1-1].
“Then, he comes off the bench on Saturday and he scores a goal. The front three are all kind of doing that.
“They’re not being clinical when we need them to be clinical. Tuesday and Saturday are really good examples of that.”
With other clubs in FA Cup action, a win at Concord could have seen Folkestone move into the play-off places.
Everitt said: “We could have gone fourth. We know that and I think the players knew that as well.
“They’re not a team that looked like they’ll be towards the bottom.
“They played well against us, although maybe we caught them on a good day. We still missed some really big chances at important times.
“Ultimately, if you make that mistake you can get punished and that’s what has been happening.”
On the Potters Bar match, he added: “It was a very familiar story of missing big chances and individual errors. It’s not a good combination.
“It’s something which has happened in the last two games. It’s down to us to do something about it.
“If we have to make some tough decisions, that’s what we’ll do.”
Invicta face division rivals Haringey in the FA Trophy Third Qualifying Round this weekend in the first of two successive Saturdays at home.
Everitt said: “They are a team that are dangerous.
“They have proved that with the teams they have beaten in the FA Cup - Dulwich, Tonbridge and they pushed Dover as well.
“We know what sort of threat they will have. But we did fairly well last year in the FA Trophy.
“It’ll be our aim to do well again.”
The winners will pocket £2,450 in prize money.
Invicta beat a Gillingham XI 1-0 in a home friendly on Tuesday thanks to Olutade’s first-half goal.
There was a trialist in Folkestone’s starting line-up, with Academy scholars Jack Bone and Kian Scott coming off the bench.
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Thomas Reeves