Grier's Guide to Folkestone
When: Tuesday 3rd December, 7.45pm.
The town: Channel port that has seen decline as a ferry terminal since the opening of the nearby Channel Tunnel. Famous residents include June Brown (Dot Cotton), celebrity chef Phil Vickery and members of the bands Morcheeba and Carter USM.
The ground: Fullicks Stadium, Cheriton Road, Folkestone, CT19 5JU. An old-school non-league ground with good terracing all round - they don't make 'em like that any more.
Directions: Follow the M20 more or less all the way until you eventually get to the coast - it should be about an hour and a half from Kingston as long as the motorway is OK. The nearest station is Folkestone West, just 51 minutes from St Pancras on the high speed route, or you can get the cheaper but much slower route from Waterloo East.
NB: Remember that South West Trains go on strike from Monday 2nd December, so you may need to allow a lot more time to get to the game on Tuesday. Alternatively, the Kingstonian Supporters Club has announced that there is a minibus running from Kingsmeadow to Folkestone. In order to book your place on the minibus, please contact Geoff Yorke on 07899 934736. The price for travel is £15.00, the minibus will leave Kingsmeadow around 4.30pm. Places are very limited, so please book quickly.
Our record there: Generally pretty bad - a 2-0 defeat last season continued a long run of poor results at Folkestone.
Players to watch: Ira Jackson and Jerson dos Santos already have 12 and eight goals respectively this season and are both near the top of the league's goalscoring tables. They have still only used 18 players in total this season, a level of consistency in the squad that has no doubt helped their fine form.
Recent form: Folkestone are flying, at time of writing sitting second in the league and just a point off the top with a game in hand. Despite Ks' recent improvement in form, this will be a tough trip.
Crowd: Generally around the 500 mark and capable of making some noise.
Drinking: The Chambers in the town centre is an underground den of good beer, cheap food and sometimes live music. It's just a few doors up the road from The Firkin Alehouse, micropub of the style increasingly popular in Kent. If you don't have time to head into town then the closest pub to the ground is the Nailbox just the other side of Folkestone West station. The ground itself has two bars - the Invicta Bar on the main road before you go through the turnstiles and then another bar in the ground.
Food: Nothing much around the ground so the tea bar will be the easiest option. Cheriton Road has a few fast food options about half a mile before you get to the ground if coming by car and Chambers is just round the corner from Papa's, a good chippie.
