 | |||
| Full name | Folkestone Invicta Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | Invicta, The Seasiders, Stripes | ||
| Founded | 1936 | ||
| Ground | Cheriton Road,Folkestone | ||
| Capacity | 4,000 (336 seated)[1] | ||
| Chairman | Josh Healey | ||
| Manager | Jay Saunders | ||
| League | Isthmian League Premier Division | ||
| 2024–25 | Isthmian League Premier Division, 12th of 22 | ||
Folkestone Invicta Football Club is afootball club based inFolkestone,Kent,England. They are currently members of theIsthmian League Premier Division and play atCheriton Road.
The club was established in 1936 and joined the East Kent Wednesday League for the 1936–37 season.[2] They continued in the league untilWorld War II. In 1962 the club joined the new Division Two of the Eastern Section of theKent County Amateur League.[3] They won the division at the first attempt, earning promotion to Division One. The club were Division One champions in 1969–70 and were promoted to the Premier Division. However, they were relegated back to Division One at the end of the following season. After finishing as runners-up in Division One in 1976–77, the club were promoted back to the Premier Division. Two seasons after being promoted, Invicta were champions of the Eastern Section Premier Division. In 1980–81 they were beaten 2–0 by New Romney in the final of the League Cup. The Premier Division was renamed the Senior Division in 1984 and clubs in the division were granted 'Intermediate' status enabling them to enter a higher standard of county cup competition.[4] The club were subsequently runners-up in the Kent Intermediate Shield in both the 1985–86 and 1989–90 seasons, losing 2–1 toSevenoaks and 6–3 to Sangley Sports respectively.
Folkestone folded in 1990, with Invicta, now the highest-ranked club in the town, taking over theirCheriton Road the following year. In 1990–91 Invicta won the league's Les Leckie Cup (defeatingKennington in the final) and finished third in the Premier Division,[5] after which they were elected to Division Two of theKent League,[6] which was largely composed of reserve teams. They went on to win the division, as well as the Division Two Cup and the Kent Intermediate Shield in the 1991–92 season, and were promoted to Division One,[7] as well as being awarded senior status.[8] Their first spell in Division One saw them reach the final of the Kent Senior Trophy twice; in 1993–94 they lost 3–1 toAlma Swanley and in 1993–94 were beaten in apenalty shoot-out 5–4 byDeal Town. The club were runners-up in Division One in 1997–98, earning promotion to the Southern Division of theSouthern League,[9] also losing another Kent Senior Trophy final 1–0 toGreenwich Borough. After losing 1–0 toWelling United in the final of theKent Senior Cup in 1998–99, the club were transferred to the Eastern Division for the1999–2000 season. They went on to finish as runners-up in the division, earning promotion to the Premier Division. However, a second successive Kent Senior Cup final appearance that season ended in a 3–0 defeat byGravesend & Northfleet.
Invicta spent three seasons in the Premier Division, before finishing bottom of the table in2002–03, after which they were relegated to the Eastern Division. A fifth-place finish thefollowing season was enough for an immediate promotion due to the creation of theConference North andSouth creating several spaces in the divisions above. However, the club were transferred to theIsthmian League, joining its Premier Division.[10] The 2003–04 season also saw another Kent Senior Cup final appearance, in which they were beaten 2–1 byMargate. The following season striker Paul Sykes collapsed and died during a Senior Cup semi-final match against the same opponents, with the club withdrawing from the competition.[11]
In2005–06 Invicta reached the first round of theFA Cup for the first time, losing 2–1 atLeague TwoChester City. The club spent four seasons in the Isthmian League Premier Division before relegation to Division One South at the end of the2008–09 season. In2009–10 they were runners-up in Division One South, having missed out on the title due to having ten points deducted for going into administration.[10][7] However, they qualified for the promotion play-offs, and after beatingLeatherhead on penalties in the semi-finals, defeatedGodalming Town 2–1 in the final, earning promotion back to the Premier Division. Another Kent Senior Cup final appearance in the same season ended with a 3–1 defeat toSittingbourne. In thefollowing season the club finished bottom of the Premier Division and were relegated straight back to Division One South.
The next four seasons saw Invicta finish in the top five, qualifying for the promotion play-offs; in2011–12 they lost 2–1 toDulwich Hamlet in the semi-finals and in2012–13 they lost at the same stage toMaidstone United. In2013–14 they won their semi-final, beatingHastings United 3–2, but lost on penalties toLeatherhead in the final after a 1–1 draw.[10] They reached the final again in2014–15 after defeatingWhyteleafe in the semi-finals, but were beaten 3–0 in the final byMerstham.[10] After four successive play-off failures, the club won Division One South in2015–16 to return to the Premier Division.[10] They finished fourth in the Premier Division in2017–18, going on to lose 4–0 in the play-off semi-finals toHendon. They also lost the Kent Senior Cup final again, beaten 4–2 on penalties byMaidstone United. A sixth Senior Cup final appearance in 2021–22 ended with a 6–2 defeat toDartford.
When Folkestone folded in 1990, Folkestone Invicta were playing in nearbyHythe. However, they returned to the town in 1991, taking over Folkestone's oldCheriton Road in 1991.[12]
51°5′11.602″N1°9′34.031″E / 51.08655611°N 1.15945306°E /51.08655611; 1.15945306
