Folkestone Invicta manager Neil Cugley eyes Velocity Trophy final place ahead of another big week for the club

Folkestone boss Neil Cugley admits he would love to lead the club to the Velocity Trophy final.

Cugley will be looking for a response as they visit Horsham tonight for their semi-final after a 4-0 home loss to Cheshunt in Isthmian Premier on Saturday - their first home league loss this season.

It starts another potentially crucial week for Invicta who host fellow play-off hopefuls Lewes in the league this weekend at Cheriton Road.

“That’s what you want (to be involved in big games), I do anyway,” Cugley said.

“Hopefully the players will move on and get going again.

“It would be nice to get into a final.”

Injury-hit Invicta beat Horsham 2-1 at home in September, with the two teams set to meet in West Sussex two Tuesday nights in a row.

Cugley suggested: “That could be viewed both ways. If we go there and win, it puts something in their heads for the league game. But it could spur them on.

“It’s another two Tuesday journeys but, for our lads in North Kent, it’s not so bad.

"It's just the players based down here who have a bit more of a trek."

Invicta are likely to be without 25-goal striker Ade Yusuff (hamstring) and all-time leading scorer Ian Draycott (broken wrist) for the cup tie but midfielder Scott Heard has recovered from a recent hamstring problem.

But Cugley said: “That’s how it goes but let’s not use excuses.

“You need to adapt to these sort of things.”

The winner of the semi-final will play Margate or Haringey, with those two sides meeting at Haringey - after Jay Saunders’ side beat them 3-1 at Hartsdown Park in the league on Saturday.

If the scores are level after 90 minutes, the cup ties will go to penalties.