New defender Joe Tyrie will get his opportunity to impress for Folkestone over the festive period.

Tyrie made his Invicta debut off the substitutes’ bench in last Saturday’s Isthmian Premier 1-0 loss to in-form Dartford in front of a crowd of more than 1,000 at Cheriton Road.

He joins on dual registration from Jay Saunders’ Tonbridge team after a similar stint at Sheppey.

As the matches come thick and fast, he will provide additional defensive competition for Folkestone.

Manager Andy Drury said: “We’ve conceded too many goals in the last couple of games.

“Joe is a promising young defender we thought we could get in to add competition for Gayley (Ian Gayle) and Marvel Ekpiteta, who defended quite well on Saturday. But we hadn’t defended well in the two games prior to that against Potters Bar and Chatham.

“We have got plenty of games coming up so there’s a chance for Joe to step up a league from where he has been on loan at Sheppey and, last year, at Sittingbourne.

“Joe will get his chance over the Christmas period.”

Also having already had a run in Tonbridge’s National League South side this campaign, 21-year-old Tyrie will help bring more youthfulness to the Folkestone squad, too.

“We have got some good youngsters with him, Frankie Morgan and Joel Odeniran,” said Drury. “Tyler Anderson has come in and he’s fairly young. I think we have got a decent blend of young and old.

“There’s a few players in their prime if you look at Jebby (Jack Jebb), Amadou Kassarate and Marv, as well as Tom Derry, who’s 29, and Dan Smith is 25.

“Khale Da Costa is 30 and Matthias Fanimo is 30 so we have got a mixture and that’s quite good. We just need to have a bit more belief in ourselves.

“We’re starting to get bodies back and we need to start creating chances, like we were a few weeks ago, and to go on a winning run again to get into the play-offs again.”

But Tyrie’s first Folkestone appearance came as he replaced Sam Blackman late on. The midfielder, who had himself only come on in the 54th minute, hobbled off.

Drury admitted: “We’re having to play players that aren’t fit.

“Gayley played the game at Potters Bar. He was 50 per cent fit but we had to play him because we didn’t have anyone else. Blacky was on the bench on Saturday and we were kind of trying to give him 30 minutes.

“But obviously, he has had a recurrence of his hamstring injury, which is just kind of where we are.

“We’re having to put people that aren’t really fit on the bench and trying to squeeze 30 minutes out of them.”

It appeared Invicta were on course for a first league point in December, only for Dartford forward Callum Jones to come up with the only goal with 11 minutes left, as ex-Invicta joint-boss Roland Edge’s Cheriton Road return proved a triumphant one.

“I don’t think it was a very good game,” reflected Drury, who felt both teams could have had a penalty. “The conditions meant it wasn’t very good viewing.

“There was nothing in the game. It was a game that had 0-0 written all over it and we haven’t cleared a set-play as well as we should have done. We cleared it, they have reacted a bit quicker, and that was the difference.

“I think each team only had one shot over 90 minutes so it wasn’t a pretty game.

“It was a game between two sides that, in my opinion, kind of cancelled each other out and will probably be in and around the play-offs, come the end of the season.

“We have still got injuries that are affecting us, with some of our big players not available.

“But we have just got to try and get some points while they’re out and kick on when they’re back.”

Mid-table Folkestone travel to Lewes on Boxing Day (3pm), looking to end a four-match losing streak, before Saturday’s visit of Wingate & Finchley (3pm) - two sides on the fringes of the play-off positions.

Drury said: “Lewes are a good footballing side - but so are we when we’re at it and playing well.

“We’ll train today to see who’s fit and available, and we’ll look to get three points.

“As I’d said to the boys on Saturday, as quickly as you can lose four games in a row, you can win four games over this period.”

Folkestone’s match at Wingate & Finchley in mid-August had resulted in a controversial 3-3 draw.

The game was called off following a head injury to Wingate goalkeeper Prince Adegoke in the 83rd minute, the home side also down to 10 players by that stage.

But almost four weeks on, it was decided that result would stand.