Folkestone Invicta defender Ben Mason on how early-season experiences away from Cheriton Road helped grow side’s bond with supporters and closing in on title-winning first season at the club

Ben Mason believes Folkestone’s experience of playing away from Cheriton Road this season has helped to build a strong bond with the club’s fans.

Invicta are on the brink of sealing the Isthmian Premier title and their inaugural promotion to National League South after they drew 3-3 against Carshalton last weekend.

A crowd of 2,097 - Folkestone’s second-biggest at Cheriton Road this term - watched the six-goal thriller as the club draws towards the end of a first campaign on their new 3G pitch.

It comes after they started the season, playing their ‘home’ matches at Margate, Ashford United and Chatham Town as work on the £1m investment was finished.

But defender Mason said: “The fans have made a massive difference, coming to Margate or Ashford, being loud and supporting us.

"That’s our motivation. I suppose it was a bit of adversity but it brought us together.

“It helped with the fans, as well. Obviously, this is my first season here but the bond is so strong. After every game - even when we have had results go against us - the fans are buzzing.

“That massively helps us.”

Mason had struggled to find a home to play regular senior football after he left AFC Wimbledon - where he captained the Academy side that won the EFL Youth Alliance South East - in 2024.

But the 22-year-old quickly took to life with Folkestone as he joined in pre-season, having previously played for Dulwich Hamlet, Hemel Hempstead, Farnborough, hometown club Chertsey, Basingstoke and Braintree.

“I knew by the end of my first pre-season game this is a good place to be,” he said.

“That just came from how everyone was speaking, the standards they had set and the attitudes from all the coaches. It’s exactly what I want to be around.

“Last year, whether it