Rocks lost out in their relegation battle by suffering a 2-1 loss at home to Folkestone Invicta at Nyewood Lane despite big efforts from the Bognor side throughout — and perhaps they deserved a draw. The visitors’ goals came from Jack Jebb and Matthias Fanimo while Jasper Mather’s goal gave the home side some impetus but it ended in defeat.

Bognor won an early 2nd minute corner and Matt Burgess lofted it in and Jonathan Henly had to punch it out. Preston Woolston followed up outside the box but fired it off a defender and away.

Joel-Michael Odeniran went into the book after just 5 minutes as he impeded Bailey Smith off the ball near the dugout side of the pitch.

Ryan Hall kicked the ball out straight to Joe Turner who belted it instantly back at goal but, luckily for the goalkeeper, over the bar on 10 minutes.

Chad Field headed it out partially to ex-Rock Dan Smith, who had a go on the turn.  Hall dived to his left but saw the ball fly wide of the right post.

Bognor conceded first in the 14th minute.  Jack Jebb hit his corner on the left flying over Hall and into the right side of the net over the goalkeeper.

Smith went down after Odeniran slipped up and appeared to shove him.  He went onto shoot but was blocked and Jasper Mather on the rebound was denied too on 21 minutes as Rocks were in search of their equaliser.

Then Hall was called into action as Turner tried to find the run of Jebb in the box soon after, with the goalkeeper quick to rush out and gather on the turf.

Calvin Davies tripped up an Invicta player on the attack on 27 minutes.  Up stepped Matthias Fanimo to curl it into the net off the inside of the post directly from the freekick.

On 33 minutes it was Smith who nodded low at goal from a curling freekick into the box by Jebb but that was saved by Hall.

Smith hit a ball into the box which deflected nastily beyond the back post off Odeniran as he was having a nervy start at the back for the the visitors.

Matt Burgess slipped up allowing Amadou Kassarate in but after speeding into the box, his low shot hit the side netting.

Bognor got a goal back though as Bailey Smith had his shot denied by a deflection off a defender but Jasper Mather followed up with a low strike low into the net on 36 minutes.

Davies and then Smith both were in the book around the same time as the Bognor goal lifted Nyewood Lane.

Nathan Green swung in a cross which was swiped at and missed but Fanimo curled it narrowly wide instead on 40 minutes.

To end the half, Turner curled another right footed ball in from the left but Smith’s header flew over the bar.

HT 1 – 2

It was a rather uneventful opening to the second half as Mather spun a left footed cross wide of the goal early on.

Burgess made a bursting run into the area but his cross towards Mather was cut out on 57 minutes.

Then Mather curled it into the box and Invicta’s defence could only nod it into the path of Woolston who sliced his effort well wide on the rise.

Then Dion Jarvis was fouled by Miquel Scarlett but Davies hit the long and high freekick into the arms of Henly on 62 minutes.

Field did well to win possession in Invicta’s half but his pass forward to Burgess ended with the midfielder leaning back and shooting over the bar from outside the area.

Hall failed to gather a long and high ball into the area and it fell directly onto the boot of Abouhadje Evans Kouassi who fired it low at goal and it was Field who hacked it off the line on 70 minutes.

Then Kassarate went into the book for fouling Dan Gifford on the break on 73 minutes.

On 75 minutes it was Tommy-Lee Higgs who slipped a neat pass to Burgess who swirled his low shot wide of the right post.

Bognor surged forward again with Field doing well with a run. He found Mather who diverted it back inside the box and Higgs hit it over on the bounce and whilst on the turn on 77 minutes.

Freddie Chester won a corner but Burgess’s ball in was somehow kicked away again.

Jarvis threw the ball onto Mather and his drag back found Field but the ball was under his feet as he stubbed it along the deck and into Henly’s arms on 82 minutes.

Davies fired another freekick off for a goal kick after Mather was tripped from behind on the touchline.

The referee gave a yellow card to Mather for dissent on 86 minutes as Bognor were having to defend a rare second half attack from the visitors.

Harvey Whyte went into the book for a high foot before Henly also was shown yellow for time wasting as frustrations grew.

Burgess hit another freekick directly into Henly’s hands after there were scuffles in the box in the build up to him taking it.

It was a messy end to the game with Bognor attacking and always looking the more likelier to score again.  Henly got his second yellow card for play acting after he clashed with his own right back, Scarlett.  He was sent to the stands and Folkestone managed to hold onto the win after he was awarded a drop ball right at the end after rather bizarre scenes.

The Rocks are back on the road next as they travel to Chatham Town on Saturday 15th March with kick off at 3pm.

FT 1 – 2