Joint-head coach Roland Edge believes the key to David Smith hitting the goal trail at Folkestone once more will be ensuring the striker is enjoying his football again.

Smith is back at Cheriton Road, having left for National League Bromley a year ago.

It didn’t work out at Hayes Lane for 24-year-old Smith, who also had loan stints with Folkestone’s league rivals Hornchurch, Hastings and Margate last term.

Edge, in charge alongside joint-boss Micheal Everitt, said: “We know what Dave can do.

“We know his strengths, it’s about the team playing to his strengths. For myself and Mev, it’s about getting Dave happy.

“I think he thought, last summer, ‘My career is taking off’ but it didn’t quite pan out that way. He went on loan to a couple of clubs in our league.

“If you could ask him, I think he would have been happiest back with us. But, because he had left, that was never an option.

“He’s back now, though, and getting Dave happy again is a main aim.”

Invicta continued their pre-season schedule with a 2-1 friendly loss to higher-division Dover at Crabble on Saturday.

But upbeat Edge reflected: “There were loads of positives.

“We have got a lot of new faces for the first time in a long time. They’re getting to know what we want and it’s not going to happen overnight.

“Dover had a lot of trialists and a lot of good players.

“I don’t think it would be too out of order to say we could have gone in with a lead at half-time.

“We just lacked a little bit in the second half but, overall, it was good.”

An outrageous and opportunistic strike from midfielder Ade Cole put Invicta ahead.

With many supporters in the bar or heading back to the terraces, Cole spotted the Dover goalkeeper off his line and hit an inch-perfect lob immediately after the restart - only for the hosts to strike back with two goals in eight second-half minutes.

On summer recruit Cole’s goal, Edge said: “It was quite an audacious effort!

“I don’t mind that. When you have set-pieces, you want people like that around them.

“He could see he [the Dover goalkeeper] was off his line but, to be honest, it was still a heck of a hit.

“In many ways, it unsettled the half. But, overall, Ade has settled in really well and I like him.”

Edge also discussed recent off-the-field changes at the club, which have seen a consortium of businesses take over the day-to-day running of operations at Invicta, working alongside legendary ex-boss Neil Cugley, who has taken up a director of football position.

“It’s good,” he noted.

“Cugs did just about everything - the washing up to the grass. The club has been spoiled by how hard he works.

“But these people have come in and seen, on the pitch, it’s all right. They can see something could happen at the club.

“It’s not about doing it all in a month. It’s about getting the infrastructure right.”

Invicta will have two Kent derbies in the opening month of their Isthmian Premier season.

Folkestone, who open at Wingate & Finchley on August 12, host newly-promoted Chatham in their second game and entertain Margate on August Bank Holiday Monday.

On their opener, Edge said: “You have got to play everyone twice so it doesn’t really matter too much, does it?

“Wingate & Finchley is a lovely place to go.

“It’ll be red hot so there’s no real excuses.

“But we’re just focusing on ourselves at the moment.”

Before then, though, Folkestone, who won 5-2 at Hollands & Blair on Tuesday, will face another Southern Counties East Premier Division side in Faversham this Saturday.

Fit-again Callum Davies, forward Andre Coker, two-goal Jordan Ababio and a trialist struck in their triumph over Hollands & Blair.

Invicta will visit Maidstone next Tuesday.