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A courageous display by 10 man Whyteleafe ultimately brought no reward with the hosts grabbing a last minute winner at the end of an open and entertaining game.
'Leafe travelled with a depleted squad forcing manager Stuart Massey to name himself as a substitute whilst giving a debut to former Thamesmead forward Richard Dimmock with recent returnee Ellis Conroy drafted into midfield.
The visitors started brightly and on two minutes Andrew Martin claimed a penalty as he was brought down in the box, but it was waived away by the referee, rather setting the tone for the evening. Two minutes later Martin met a Mark Hammond
Folkestone began to press with veteran striker James Dryden impressive up front and it took an Ali Reeve block to prevent him opening the scoring on the quarter hour. Reeve made a double saving tackle shortly after as the hosts continued to apply the pressure. On 35 minutes a Folkestone corner saw Rob O'Hara save a fierce header and in the melee that followed Rob Smith brilliantly cleared off the line to deny Dryden.
At the other end the impressive Dimmock turned and shot on the edge of the box, his fierce drive flashing narrowly wide. Just before the break Folkestone took the lead when Jackson set off on a mazy run into the area before passing sideways to Dryden who slotted the ball past O'Hara.
Shortly after the break Leafe looked to be on a level terms when a fierce Dimmock drive across the area was turned in by Ryan Gray; only for the linesman to flag for an infringement that, frankly, no one else saw. The Folkestone players had appealed for nothing and were clearly counting their blessings as play resumed, whilst Gray was booked for protesting.
O'Hara was in fine form between the sticks with some fine handling, again denying the menacing Dryden twice from close range. On 70 minutes Leafe grabbed a well deserved equaliser when a Ryan Gray free-kick was bravely headed in by Martin, who took a blow to the head in the process.
O'Hara again saved brilliantly in the 72nd minute as the hosts pressed for a victory, then the match took another turn as Rob Smith was booked for a mis-timed tackle having already been shown a yellow card for an innocuous challenge before the break. The red card followed and Leafe were clearly on the rack. Despite some stalwart defending by Reeve and Asher Hudson the home side finally took the points in the 90th minute when Frankie Chappell rose in a crowded box to head home.
Whyteleafe's inconsistent season continues with some crucial games coming up against Dulwich, Eastbourne Town and Croydon Athletic within the next 10 days; games that will determine if an end of season relegation scrap is on the cards.
Whyteleafe: O'Hara, Hudson, Jabbie, Reeve, Gray, Conroy, Hammond, Martin, Maclean, Dimmock (Aldous 78), Smith. Sub not used: Massey.