In 1997, Cugley was appointed manager of Folkestone Invicta and in 2018 held the honour of the longestfootballmanagerial reign in England's top seven tiers after Arsenal manager Arsène Wengerretired that year. In 2022, during his twenty-sixth season as Invicta's manager, making him England's longest-serving manager, he decided to step down as the club's manager. Because of his long tenure as manager, he has been dubbed "Mr. Invicta".