Kingstonian FC

When Kingstonian goalkeeper Rob Tolfrey was sent off in the fifth minute for handball just outside the penalty area in denying Folkestone's Alfie Paxman an opening goal, you could be forgiven for thinking early that this might be a long afternoon, especially for sub goalkeeper Mason Whitnell, unexpectedly having to make his Kingstonian debut in what would be a baptism of fire.

When Ollie Cook hobbled off injured in the fifteenth minute, you could be forgiven for thinking that this most likely would be a long afternoon for Kingstonian followers.

And when Adam Yusuff scored the first Folkestone goal in the 18th minute, it was confirmation with a mere 72 minutes of the game left that it would indeed be a long afternoon for the K's. Sometimes it's simply one of those days where analysing a game is frankly a waste of time. When a team loses their first choice goalkeeper to a red card and then loses one of their top defenders to injury so early in a game, and against a team of the title-challenging quality of Folkestone Invicta, the odds are pretty infinitesimal that something positive would come out from this fixture in a fine part of the Kent coast.

And so it came to pass, as, despite all efforts from the remaining men in hoops, the vast majority of the action was down the wrong end as far as Kingstonian were concerned. Defender Matthew Newman scored twice with uncontested headers in the 26th and 39th minutes, before David Smith scored from the penalty spot in the 49th minute. Most of the rest of the second half was frankly waiting for the game to end, but both sides managed to get themselves on the score sheet when David Smith scrambled home his team's fifth in the 76th minute and then Gus Sow scored a penalty in the 79th minute as K's tried to claim the points on "last goal wins" rules, which unfortunately don't count.

K's don't have too long to recover from this ordeal as Horsham visit King George's Field on Wednesday evening for a 7.45pm kick-off.