Farnham Town are saddened to confirm that goalkeeper Pat Nash has left the Club this summer, completing a transfer to National League side Aldershot Town.
The 20-year-old has cemented himself as a true fan favourite during his 14 months at the Club, and despite his young age has been a consistent performer week in, week out.
Pat joined Farnham Town in March 2023, making his debut on April 1st in the 2-2 draw away at Knaphill. He would go on to start the final eight games of the campaign and was a key part of the side that won the Southern Combination Cup at the end of the 2022/23 campaign.
Despite significant interest from Clubs further up the pyramid, Pat recommitted to the Town, signing a new contract with the Club ahead of the 2023/24 season.
This past season would be Pat’s first full season in Senior Men’s football after leaving Everton’s academy setup the previous year. He would go on to play every minute of all 54 games for the Town in 2023/24 as we went unbeaten in the Combined Counties Premier Division South, securing promotion to Step 4 for the first time in our history.
Pat’s performances between the sticks for Farnham Town remained at an excellent level for the entire season, keeping 31 clean sheets across the 54 games. His quick thinking with the ball at his feet and pinpoint distribution helped keep Farnham on the front foot, kickstarting counterattacks on a weekly basis.
Across the 4,860 minutes of football Pat played this season as first-choice goalkeeper, Farnham Town only trailed for a frighteningly short 218 minutes – 4.45% of the time, which in itself is a truly remarkable feat. In all, Pat made 62 career appearances for the Club, keeping 32 clean sheets in those games, which is 51.6% of matches played.
Perhaps most importantly, Pat was a huge inspiration to the hundreds of children who would come and watch him every week at The Memorial Ground. After every game, Pat would give his time to sign countless autographs for the young fans who cheered his every kick, every claim of the ball, and every save. He was a true servant to the Club in more ways than one.
While the Club made a strong offer to keep Pat for our debut season at Step 4, we were aware that a player of his talent would draw significant interest from higher up the football pyramid ahead of what projects to be an incredibly exciting future in the game.
Being born and raised in Aldershot, the opportunity to play for his home town Club was an incredibly appealing prospect for Pat who has completed a transfer to Aldershot Town of the National League where he will go and compete for a place in the first-team, despite hefty interest from other Football League and National League clubs.
Manager Paul Johnson said: “We’re very sad to lose Pat today. He’s been an incredible player for us since he arrived, and everyone around the Club loves him. We made a very strong push to keep him here, but we understand the attraction of getting an opportunity at a National League side.
“Pat has huge talent and will go far in the game. We look forward to following his progress at Aldershot where he hopefully gets the opportunity to shine. I’d like to thank Pat for his efforts as a Farnham Town player, where he will be remembered as one of the Invincibles. We’d all like to wish Pat the very best and both he and his family will always be welcomed back to the Club with open arms.”
Everyone at Farnham Town would like to wish Pat all the best as he embarks on the next chapter of his football career.