Folkestone Optimists 3rd XI continued their strong start to the season with a comprehensive 6–1 victory away at K Sports on Saturday morning.

Despite an early meet and spartan facilities — one toilet, no changing rooms, and a sand-based pitch with all the bounce of a wet towel — the visitors quickly found their rhythm.

Selection had been disrupted by the Hopkins family holiday, forcing a change in shape to a 3-4-3 formation. The experiment worked. Skipper Phil King opened the scoring with a trademark dribble and finish from close range with absolutely no hint of a Ben Allon deflection pushing it over the line, before Jude File doubled the lead after a neat interchange with Jack “Jimmins” Timmins.

Moments later, Ben Allon made it three from a deft near-post deflection at a penalty corner. When a K Sports defender blocked a goalbound effort with a foot, King calmly converted the resulting penalty stroke to make it 4–0 inside 25 minutes.

A lapse in concentration shortly before half-time allowed K Sports to pull one back, but the result was never in doubt.

The second half saw less fluency but plenty of control. The back three of Hagger, Ireland and Sutton were assured, while the midfield quartet of Ball, Jones, Ward and King maintained composure despite the increasingly scrappy play.

A contender for “moment of the match” came when Tom Jones delivered an inch-perfect cross to Timmins, who somehow contrived to miss from a yard. His blushes were spared later when he converted a tidy finish to make it 5–1.

Young Will Ball rounded off the scoring with a superb solo run, beating multiple defenders before walking the ball into the goal — a moment of individual brilliance that capped an otherwise workmanlike second half.

A seventh looked certain when Norval Scott waited unmarked at the back post, only for Timmins to unintentionally intercept the pass and steer it wide.

Goal keeper Chris Stephens was unfortunate to not keep a clean sheet, having had very little to do for most of the game.

The result lifts Folkestone to third in the table with three wins from four and a game in hand. With the Hopkins clan due back and key players returning from injury, optimism remains high ahead of the home fixture against Burnt Ash after the half-term break.

I hear Egypt is lovely in October. Enjoy the break lads, plenty of work to do when we get back.