By Alex Hoad

Folkestone Invicta manager Neil Cugley has his sights set on survival when his side kick off their Ryman League, Premier Division campaign on Saturday.

Invicta host Croydon Athletic – who were promoted from Division 1 South alongside Folkestone last season – but Cugley, pictured, knows his young squad are in for a battle to survive.

He said: "We have a lot of young players who I hope will relish the challenge of playing in the Premier Division. We’d like to prove a point and go in without any fear.

"I’m not in a dreamworld – I’m not going to start talking about top-half finishes. We want to stay up, as simple as that.

"We have a good mixture in the squad this year, even though we’ve not got the biggest squad. Hopefully, we have enough to get by because we don’t really have a Plan B.

"Spirit and workrate is going to be key for us again this season – that is what we’re all about."

Invicta’s pre-season preparations finished with a 4-1 defeat at Whitstable on Saturday before a 1-1 draw at Chatham on Monday.

Cugley’s team to face Croydon almost picks itself with skipper Micheal Everitt and Steve Kember suspended for one match each, wing-back Josh Burchell unavailable, Ollie Bartram likely to miss out with a knee problem and James Everitt possibly out for a fortnight with a back injury.