Neil Cugley admits Folkestone will remain one of the ‘have nots’ in the Bostik Premier unless the club receive serious financial backing.

Invicta’s long-term goal is to reach National League South but their manager is realistic about their prospects in a non-league scene increasingly awash with big money.

A 5-1 defeat at home to Dover on Saturday highlighted the point, although Cugley’s men did hold their own for spells against the National League visitors.

He said: "We’re not going to have a big squad. We’ve got to try the younger lads and sometimes they get found out in these games.

"But unless a multi-millionaire comes into Folkestone, you’re not going to change how we do things.

"Long-term, if you’re ever going to compete with these clubs, they’ve all got them now. It’s billionaires at the top level and millionaires at our level now. You hope, one day, the right person will come in and take the club up to the next step. We can’t do it without them.

"We’re a lovely club, don’t get me wrong. We’ve got a good youth policy, a nice pitch and good changing rooms so there are no problems but if you’re being realistic, you realise when you play the Dovers and Ebbsfleets it’s a different world.

"Even in our league, it’s gone mad. It’s no good dreaming we can compete with that.

"I call it the haves and the have-nots. That’s how you have to take it on. With Margate, Dulwich, Leatherhead and Billericay, there’s some massive clubs in there.

"I’m not saying I’m the only one in our league that can’t go mad. There will be others and it will be important that we do well against them."

Read the full story in the Folkestone & Hythe Express.