Change is in the air at Folkestone Invicta following Liam Friend’s departure to Kent rivals Margate.

Former club captain Friend will line up against his former colleagues in the Ryman League Premier Division next season after playing 541 times during a decade with Invicta.

His exit leaves a big hole in Folkestone’s defence and Friend may not be the last fans’ favourite to walk away from the Fullicks Stadium this summer.

Ian Draycott, Joe Taylor, Josh Vincent, Nat Blanks, Tim Roberts and Callum Davies are all staying but others have yet to confirm their plans for 2017-18.

Manager Neil Cugley said: "I’m disappointed (to lose Friend) but it’s one of those things. You get on with it.

"He did say he was happy and was going to stay but a couple of days later, changed his mind. But that’s football and you move on.

"You can’t knock what he’s done for the club. He’s been a great servant and we have to accept there’s teams with bigger budgets and sometimes they’re going to look at that – not just for themselves but the players those sort of clubs can bring in as well.

"The players I do go after finish up, a lot of times, at Tonbridge or Margate because they’ve got the financial clout to do that.

"The disappointment is because he said he was staying. I’m a friend of his as well because we’ve been together so long but that’s how it is in our game. You have to accept that sometimes."

Folkestone’s pre-season programme this year includes home games against Millwall (July 11), Dover (July 22) and Dagenham (July 31).

Cugley said: "The friendlies will test us. It’s one of those years when we’ll need them because there will be a lot more trialists and a few new faces.

"Is that good or bad? Sometimes fans like new faces and some don’t like seeing the old ones go.

"But that’s how it is sometimes. You just roll your sleeves up and get on with it.

"There would have been a lot more changes if we’d gone down, so this way there’s a bit more stability and we move on."

Read the full story in the Folkestone & Hythe Express.