MOOR GREEN 3FOLKESTONE INVICTA 0

Folkestone Invicta suffered their eighth successive away Dr Martens League

Premier Division defeat and had striker James Dryden controversially sent off

as they moved a step nearer relegation at Moor Green on Saturday afternoon.

Dryden was dismissed after 55 minutes with the score at 1-0 for what referee

Andy Garratt from Bloxwich deemed to be a deliberate elbow on centre half

Dean Peer.

The 23-year-old striker was distraught after being sent off for the

first time and insisted any contact had been accidental as he had been

watching the ball rather than the man.

It was the game's main talking point from Invicta's point of view and

overshadowed the rest of the afternoon.

Invicta had gone into the game without top goalscorer Allan Tait, whose ankle

injury denied him the chance to improve on his chances of landing the Golden

Boot.

As it was, Moor Green's Nathan Lamey moved joint top of the goalscoring

charts as he opened the scoring after just four minutes.

The opening goal came from the game's first corner as Lamey had time to pick

his spot from the edge of the penalty area after big centre forward Rob Elmes

had struck the crossbar from Jai Stanley's ball in.

Invicta had adopted a 4-4-2 formation and striker John Ayling gave a good

account of himself as he took on more responsibility in Tait's absence.

Ayling was denied by a saving tackle from Richard Robinson after a great

piece of trickery from the 21-year-old striker in the 9th minute.

James Millar then shot over after 12 minutes when his initial shot came back to him after Ayling had dummied a Martin Chandler

corner into his path.

Maurice Munden made a good save to keep out Craig Woodley's low shot after 27

minutes when Elmes headed down Jae Martin's deep cross from the left.

Munden saved again after 39 minutes when he kept out Lamey's low shot in a

move involving Woodley and Martin Myers.

Invicta were still in the game at half time and made a purposeful start to

the second half.

Peer got the ball back to his goalkeeper Adam Rachel when more skill from

Ayling gave Invicta three against two after 48 minutes and the stretching

Dryden couldn't quite force home Chandler's right wing cross after 50

minutes.

At the other end, Martin headed just over from Stanley's right wing cross

after 52 minutes.

But Dryden's dismissal was to rock Invicta as they briefly struggled to

contain their anger.

Elmes shot against the post following a move involving Woodley and Myers

after 62 minutes.

It was 2-0 after 66 minutes when Martin fired home a low shot from the edge

of the penalty area when Woodley broke after an Invicta corner at the other

end. Invicta brought on John Guest as an emergency striker to partner Ayling.

But Moor Green completed the scoring after 77 minutes when Elmes headed in

Jamie Petty's corner from the right.

There were bookings for the home side's Robinson (foul on Ayling as he burst

through after 30 minutes), Petty (kicking the ball away after 65 minutes),

debutant substitute Declan Chinedu (foul on Mark Towse after 88 minutes) and

Lamey (90 minutes).

FOLKESTONE INVICTA: Munden, Everitt, Towse, Larkin, Henry, Chandler, Millar,

Chambers (Guest 70mins), Dryden, Tait, Ayling. Unused subs; Blackman,

Maxwell.