Folkestone Invicta boss Jay Saunders has already heard lots about what to expect ahead of this weekend’s FA Cup second qualifying round derby away tie with Dover Athletic

Folkestone manager Jay Saunders has already heard plenty about what sort of atmosphere to expect in this weekend’s massive derby.

Invicta will take the short trip to Crabble and fierce rivals Dover in the FA Cup second qualifying round. The teams met twice in Isthmian Premier two seasons ago - each winning the away fixture - but hadn’t played one another for some time prior to that, meaning another huge crowd is expected for this tie.

Ironically, the clubs will also meet in the Kent Senior Cup second round - this time at Cheriton Road.

Saunders gets on well with Whites’ management team. He played with boss Jake Leberl at Margate and also worked alongside academy manager and No.2 Mike Sandmann when he was in charge of the Thanet team.

While both clubs probably would have preferred to have drawn lower-league opposition at this stage of the FA Cup, there is still plenty of excitement for Saunders’ first derby in the dugout.

“I’m looking forward to it,” said Saunders, who signed a four-year contract at Cheriton Road in March 2025.

“All I heard about when I came is about when we played Dover, the crowds, and this and that. I’ve heard so much about the home and away games so I’m looking forward to that.

“I’ve spoken to Mike Sandmann. We speak all the time.

“Obviously, I played with Jake, as well, so I know those guys really well. I think they were a bit disappointed with the draw.

“To a degree, we were [disappointed] because you always want to get teams from lower divisions, don’t you? But, at the same time, it still is a big game.

“If you’re going to play a team at this level, I suppose you want it to be a local derby in front of a big crowd.”

The FA Cup draw was made last week but Saunders said Folkestone’s focus is only