Tom Austin opted to stick with Charlie Turner in goal; Osei-Asomah, Birse, Bennett and Boyland at the back; Byrne-Hewitt, Topley, Barnett and Gilbert in midfield and McDonald alongside Jake Clowsley up front. Kamanzi, Oti, new boy Cadell Fraser-Robinson, Crisell and Bastone were on the bench. Regent were in red shorts and socks and Charlie Turner turned to grey rather than yellow to avoid a colour clash with the opposition.

Regent kicked off and for a few moments matched their dynamic start on Tuesday as Jamie Bennett hoisted in a free kick won by Lewis Byrne-Hewitt. Folkestone, who had not played in mid-week were up to the task though and quickly responded with a dangerous attack which saw a header over the bar.

Gradually Folkestone got on top. Regent couldn’t maintain the high level of intensity shown in the first half on Tuesday night and Folkestone looked fresher for having not played since the previous Saturday. Pressure increased, and Charlie Turner was forced into saves as the Folkestone forwards pressed forward. At the other end Folkestone’s strong and well organised defence closed down any threats at the cost a yellow card where necessary.

As the half drew to a close it looked as though the sides might go in level but in the closing minute Folkestone’s Alfie Paxman got the ball, turned and buried the ball in the net to put the visitors one up.

After one minute of added time Regent went off facing a challenging 45 minutes.

Folkestone started the second half and looked to press home their advantage. Paxman was at the heart of their efforts and Turner was faced into further saves as Regent were penned back into their own penalty area.

On those occasions that Regent were able to get forward they were threatened by quick Folkestone counters and after ten minutes manager Austin brought on loanee Cadell Fraser-Robinson in place of Jordan Barnett and moved Pip Boyland forward to provide more strength to midfield.

Fraser-Robinson’s ability on the ball made an immediate difference and Regent started to look more threatening with Harry McDonald being hauled down by Aaron Simpson to earn another yellow card.

Unfortunately, at this point, Regent fell further behind in what had become an attritional struggle when Folkestone got away on the right and a sharp finish put them two up with the Regent players appealing in vain for an offside decision.

There were more narrow escapes as Regent searched for a way back into the game until the right wing combination of Osei-Asomah and Byrne-Hewitt made the breakthrough when the full back was put through by the sideline, pulled back a neat cross and Jake Clowsley was on the spot to put Regent on the scoresheet.

The remaining 25 minutes were very even with Regent pressing for an equaliser and surviving some narrow escapes in defence when outnumbered on the break. Khris Oti came on and was able to cope better with the physical nature of the defence whilst Cadell Fraser-Robinson impressed with his ability to run with the ball, but as full time approached Folkestone decided it was better to play out time and deny opportunities for an equaliser.

In the event the only threat came from a Harry McDonald shot from distance which was saved comfortably whilst at the other end Charlie Turner showed some impressive sweeper skills to close down the Folkestone forwards.

Match Verdict
Two games in five days proved too much for Regent when facing an opposition who had a full week since their previous match which, ironically, was against Tuesday night’s victims, Leatherhead. Now we have a full week to prepare for an important FA Trophy tie at Kings Langley.

By Paul Ketchley