Folkestone Invicta manager Neil Cugley expects to be on a “rollercoaster ride” until the end of the season and Tuesday’s Isthmian League Cup exit against Tilbury underlined why.

The 2-1 home defeat against a side lying 13th in Division 1 North followed on from Saturday’s 1-0 league win at Walton Casuals and Cugley admitted: “It’s just so frustrating because we are so inconsistent and you don’t know what we are going to do from one match to the next.

“Tuesday’s game summed us up completely. We were poor in the first half and went in 2-0 down, then dominated the second half but only got one goal for our efforts.

“It’s probably down to the fact that we have now got so many young and inexperienced players in the side and I guess it means we are in for a rollercoaster ride for the rest of the season.”

The Walton victory left Invicta still stitting in sixth place in Division 1 South despite all their recent problems and with three of their next four matches at home – starting with Fleet Town this Saturday – they have the chance to consolidate their place in the chasing pack in the run-up to Christmas.

The Hampshire outfit moved up to third following last Saturday’s goalless draw with Dulwich Hamlet but Andy Sinton’s side have an unhappy record against Invicta.

They have lost all their previous six meetings, including a 6-1 defeat when the teams last met in February.

Cugley will be without one of his few remaining “old heads” because Jimmy Jackson in unavailable this weekend, which should mean a first league appearance for new signing Darren Smith.

The midfielder joined from Chatham Town on Monday and went straight into the side against Tilbury and although he had to come off with an elbow injury just before half-time, Cugley expects Smith to be fit for Saturday but defender Josh Burchell is ruled out by a calf injury.

Cugley said: “Darren’s a good player, a proper footballer and he gives us versatility because he can play in midfield or up front.

“When you have a squad as small as ours, it’s important to have players who can play in several positions.”

The Invicta boss has also bolstered his depleted squad by re-signing Joe Neilson from Hythe Town, while fellow striker Taylor Thomas – who scored the winner at Walton – has extended his loan period from