Folkestone Invicta manager Jay Saunders says he thinks scheduled National League South derby at Ebbsfleet United should have been given the go-ahead this Saturday

Folkestone boss Jay Saunders reckons this Saturday’s derby against troubled Ebbsfleet should have been given the go-ahead.

Invicta have been left with a fixture-free weekend. They were meant to travel to Stonebridge Road for a first National League South derby of the season.

But the league postponed Ebbsfleet’s first three games of the season due to the club’s ongoing financial problems last week.

Saunders revealed: “We’ll train on Saturday morning.

“That’s all we can do, really, and there isn’t a lot of choice. It’s just a blow because you want that buzz of trying to win games.

“It would have been a really good local derby and on a Saturday, as well. In my head, I cannot get around it.

“Personally, I think they should have let them play it. It would have brought in good revenue for them.

“But it is what it is and we just have to get on with it.”

As a player, Saunders turned out at Stonebridge Road - for Gravesend & Northfleet before the club were renamed Ebbsfleet in 2007 - and has some fond memories there.

“I really enjoyed my time at the club so you don’t like to see it,” he added.

“Hopefully, it will all get sorted.”

Folkestone enjoyed a dream start to an inaugural National League South season as they hammered fellow newly-promoted club Walton & Hersham 5-1 last weekend.

Skipper and defender Kevin Lokko led the way with a hat-trick while forwards Joe Pigott and Aaron Cosgrave were also on the scoresheet.

But Saunders, who was without defender Liam Smith (hamstring) and striker John Akinde due to injury, said: “I wasn’t pleased with pre-season.

“I was really disappointed in that, with the team I had in my head that would start this season, we’ve not seen it!

“It’s been really difficult from that side of things and