As Folkestone prepare to embark on a run of five home games inside three weeks, boss Neil Cugley says Invicta’s survival will depend on them turning the Fullicks Stadium into a fortress.

Invicta have won five and lost only one of their last eight games in all competitions at Cheriton Road and only once in seven Ryman League, Premier Division matches at home following their promotion this season.

Cugley said: “If we’re going to stay up then we have got to put points on the board and do well at home. Teams in this division tend to do well at home so we need to do that.”

Canvey Island visit on Saturday (3pm) sitting three points and four places below Cugley’s men and in the relegation zone, although the Invicta boss added: “It will be a difficult game. We are going to have to work hard but we need to start putting points on the board.

“Hopefully, over the next few weeks, we can start to get back to having some competition for places.”

Phil Starkey could return in time for the visit of unbeaten leaders Leiston on Tuesday (7.45pm) with Josh Vincent a further week away and Nat Blanks hoping to be back a week after that.

Cugley said: “Leiston are a team that a lot of people think will go on and win the league and they are coming to us. If you can’t get excited about playing games like that, you shouldn’t be in the game.”

Invicta were boosted by Saturday’s 3-1 success at Cheshunt in the FA Trophy first qualifying round, which earned the club £2,700 in prize money and set up a reunion with FA Cup conquerors North Leigh in the next round, this time in Kent on November 12.

Cugley said: “I think that’s £10,000 from the cups so far this season and we’ve sold a couple of players, too. It’s all good for the club.

"Hopefully, we’ll do better than we did down there (losing 3-1 in Oxfordshire last month). They’ll probably have been jumping up and down at the draw but we were at our lowest point that weekend.”