The pain of last season’s play-off heartbreak on home soil is driving Folkestone captain Liam Friend on to make sure they go one better next week.

Invicta have guaranteed themselves a home semi-final on Tuesday night as they look to book their place in the play-off final for a second season running.

They were beaten on penalties by Leatherhead a year ago and Friend, who’s lost in the play-offs in each of the last three seasons, won’t tolerate a repeat.

He said: "I wasn’t particularly pleased last year, watching Leatherhead celebrating on our pitch. I want to make sure that doesn’t happen again.

"Other than when we played Maidstone (in 2013), every time we’ve gone out of the play-offs, we’ve not shown what we can do.

"We’ve been in the play-off places for months and it’s been a case of waiting. I just can’t wait for the game on Tuesday now.

"I want to be in the Ryman Premier next season and I want to do it with this club, with Cugs (Neil Cugley), with Edgy (Roland Edge), with Frankie (Chappell) and with players I’ve played with for a long time. To go up as captain, it would be my biggest achievement.

"We’re not the biggest payers at Folkestone but we’re a good team and have high expectations. We expect ourselves to be up there.

"When you’ve come so close, like we have, it seems now as if we should do it."

Read the full interview in the Folkestone & Hythe Express.