Manager Kevin Watson is backing Boxing Day rivals Folkestone to finish in the play-offs ahead of his trickiest test at Herne Bay yet.

Invicta narrowly missed out on a top-five berth in Isthmian Premier last season but they have struggled to replicate that form this year and sit mid-table in 13th, ahead of their trip to Winch’s Field.

Watson spent time with Folkestone in his playing days and met current assistant Adam Flanagan there.

Now, though, the duo are trying to steer second-bottom Herne Bay away from trouble.

“I’ve got every confidence that, come the end of the season, Folkestone will be in the play-off positions,” said Watson.

“I think their league position looks false.

“They’ve now gone out of the FA Trophy so their focus will be on the league. With the firepower they have got and the squad they have got, I think it’ll prove our toughest test to date.

“But it’s another measure of where we are. It’s an opportunity we’ll embrace.

“We’ll go into the game with a similar mindset to the other games and, on the back of it, we can re-group and assess what we need to work on.

"But they are a well-established club at this level and very strong.

“I know quite a few of the players and the management team so there’s some familiarity there.

“Folkestone is where myself and Adam met. It’ll be a tough test for us but one that we need to look forward to.”

Watson hasn’t had many chances to come up against Folkestone in his managerial career, although he did beat them 3-1 in the Kent Senior Cup in September while at Cray Valley.

“I did play them earlier in the season when I was at my previous club in a cup game so I think we have a good understanding of them and their strengths,” he noted.

“It’s a good game for us at a good time of year.”

Versatile full-back Harrison Hatfull could make his delayed Bay bow in the derby, having had trials with Maidstone and Gateshead before his recent departure from Margate.

“He’s a young, talented lad, and he’s keen to progress and develop,” added Watson.

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“They’re the sort of players we want to work with. He’s done well at this level. It just seemed like a good fit in the sense of where he is located.

“We spoke about what we are trying to do here and that seemed to align with his values.

“It seems like a good fit and he played some minutes on Tuesday night.”

Striker Marcel Barrington and defender Briggs Ojemen also got game time in a friendly at home to Hythe on Tuesday on their injury returns. Bay won 2-0 through Eddie Allsopp and Monty Saunders, with the club having not played competitively since December 6.

On Bay’s recent postponements, Watson said: “We wanted the games on for all manners of reasons. I suppose there’s elements of routine.

“Obviously a couple of those games [called off] were at home, and we have got the all-weather surface, but, obviously, frost is probably about the only thing that brings the all-weather surface to a halt.

"The other thing is momentum but we can’t dwell on it.”

Influential midfielder Michael West is expected to remain unavailable now until he has had an operation.

The manager confirmed: “We played him the other day to see how he looked. But it’s unlikely now that he’ll feature until the operation is done.”

A good crowd is expected for the Folkestone game and Watson has stressed the importance the club’s fans can have.

He said: “I said when I came to the club that I wanted to engage with the supporters because they’re a huge part of what makes the club what it is.

“They have had some success in recent times, haven’t they? It’s important we bring those positive moments back.

"Without them, the club doesn’t exist or certainly not at the level that it does.”

Bay previously played Folkestone in a home league fixture in March 2016, which they lost 3-1.

Big striker Harry Smith, now of League 2 Leyton Orient, struck twice.