Fresh blood at board level proves that Folkestone Invicta’s money worries are well and truly behind them.

The club announced three new directors at a meeting last week and that number could be set to rise in the next few weeks.

Long-term supporter Dave Darlow is now a full director, while Cliff Egan has taken on the role of sales and marketing director. First-team manager Neil Cugley, meanwhile, will now serve as director of football.

Less than five months ago, Folkestone were penniless and unable to pay their players but now it’s a completely different story.

Asked about the new-look board, Cugley said: "It shows that we’ve got nothing to hide now. We’ve actually got money put away.

"We’ve haven’t got a big budget, a frightening budget, that’s going to cause a problem.

"If we had a week now when the weather set in, I’m sure that people on the board would be able to get a whip-round and pay the wages that week. It’s not just one person now, it’s five or six.

"Dave Darlow looked at the books and saw them from 18 months ago to now and he was amazed that the club had turned itself around.

"We’ve done it without anybody pumping money in. It’s all been done through hard work and the fans putting some money in and selling Johan (ter Horst, to Hull City)."

Full story in the Folkestone & Hythe Express.