Hendon 4 Folkestone Invicta 0 Play-off semi-final match report
Published: 22:00, 03 May 2018
Updated: 22:11, 03 May 2018
Folkestone's Bostik Premier play-off dream was ended by four first-half goals on Thursday night.
Just two points and one place were between Invicta and semi-final hosts Hendon after a 46-game league season.
But they were worlds apart as Hendon produced a dazzling first-half display to leave Folkestone's defence shell-shocked.
Folkestone were given an early warning sign inside the first minute when Zak Joseph capitalised on a mistake in the visiting defence only to blaze wide from 12 yards with just keeper Tim Roberts to beat.
Joseph then fired a free-kick into the defensive wall before Hendon took a sixth-minute lead. Michael Everitt was caught out as Josh Walker got behind him and lobbed Roberts, who managed to get a hand to the ball but couldn't prevent it going in.
Leading scorer Ade Yusuff had Folkestone's first chance after 12 minutes, but his 20-yard shot was deflected over the bar.
It went from bad to worse four minutes later as Hendon made it 2-0. Joseph crossed from the right wing and Ashley Nathaniel-George bundled the ball home at the far post.
When Davies was caught upfield just before half-time, Walker fired wide but the home side were not finished and powered in two goals in two minutes to put the game beyond the visitors.
Joseph's stunning 30-yard strike left Roberts a spectator on 43 minutes and within 60 seconds Niko Muir was given time and space to find the bottom corner.
Invicta replaced Everitt with Johan Ter Horst at half-time and they came out with more urgency in the second half.
However, it was Hendon who continued to create the better chances - Joseph just failing to get enough on his attempted lob before he flashed an effort inches over just after the hour mark.
It was Ter Horst who nearly pulled one back on 64 minutes but his header from Sam Hasler's free-kick came back off the far post.
Invicta battled hard late on but a flurry of changes disrupted any flow and the tie was already well beyond them after a dreadful first-half showing.
Hendon: Lovelock, Hammond, Sprague, Lee, Bray, Eggleton, Walker (Uchechi 56mins), Maclaren (Diedhiou 84mins), Joseph (Murphy 74mins), Muir, Nathaniel-George. Subs not used: Tingey, Diedhiou, Corcoran.
Folkestone: Roberts, Vincent, Everitt (Ter Horst 46mins), Newman, Davies, Hasler (Draycott 72mins), Dolan, Aboagye, Taylor, Yusuff, McCann. Subs not used: Wright, Blanks, Shaw.
Attendance: 722.
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Matthew Panting