INVICTA LOSE ONE OF THEIR 9 LIVES!
NINE was the magic number at the Fullicks Stadium as it was the shirt number which ensured this clash involving teams at both ends of the table ended with honors even.
Harlow number nine Alex Read opened the scoring for the lowly visitors with an excellent 44th minute strike before Invicta counterpart Ian Draycott levelled for promotion-chasing Invicta 20 minutes into the second half.
Failure to claim all three points meant that Invicta missed out on the chance to go second in the Bostik Premier table, long-serving boss Neil Cugley cutting a frustrated figure.
“To be fair to Harlow, they made it difficult for us and their goalkeeper made two excellent saves to keep us at bay,” Cugley told The NLP.
“We huffed and puffed during the second half but our link-up play was not of the quality that we would have wanted.
“The players must take a bit more responsibility against sides in the bottom half of the table as some of the top sides do let you play a little bit more. Sometimes you have to dictate the play more and that is something that we didn’t really do today.”
Invicta almost broke the deadlock after just 36 seconds when striker Johan Ter Horst, who recently returned to the club, cut in from the left, only to force a fine save from Harlow keeper David Hughes.
Ade Yusuff twice went close to firing the hosts in front and was duly punished for not doing so a minute before half-time when Read let fly from outside the area into the roof of the net, giving Invicta keeper Robert Martin no chance. Invicta, however, continued to probe after the break and finally got their reward on 65 minutes. Captain Callum Davies played the ball out of defence, Kieron McCann did well to bring it down on the left hand side and crossed for Draycott to convert. Charles Edwards went close to restoring Harlow’s lead, heading Robbie Martin’s cross just wide before Ter Horst fired an effort into the side netting. Harlow boss Danny Chapman was happy with a point, adding. “To come here and get a result is not bad as I don’t think many clubs will do so with Folkestone going so well. “Even though Folkestone had more of the ball I don’t think that they really threatened us on many occasions and that really pleased me. It has been our away record that has left us where we are in the table but if we can continue to nick points away from home then we’ll be ok.”