Farnham Town are pleased to confirm that Kai Tanner will be staying with the Club for the 2024/25 season.
The 20-year-old attacker came through the youth ranks at the Club and broke into the first-team as a 16-year-old during the 2020/21 season which attracted the attention of Sutton United who signed him to a two-year scholarship in the summer of 2021, following their promotion to the Football League.
After spending two years in the academy setup at Sutton, Tanner returned to Farnham Town last August to join Paul Johnson’s squad that would go on to clinch promotion to Step 4 without losing a single league game in the process.
Having to bide his time for his opportunities, Kai was an important part of the squad that made Club history this season, making 40 appearances across all competitions, netting five goals and providing 10 assists for his teammates. He was one of five players for the Town last season that averaged less than 90 minutes per goal involvement throughout the campaign.
The last of Kai’s five goals came on the day we clinched the league title, scoring the goal that kickstarted the comeback away at Jersey Bulls as we battled back to secure a 2-2 draw and the point we needed to become champions.
The Tanner family has long-lasting ties to Farnham Town, with his Dad, Paul, a former manager and now Director and Chairman of the Club, and we’re excited to see Kai continue his football journey with us next season.
Manager Paul Johnson said: “Kai joined us late in the summer last year and had to wait for his chances in the team. I wasn’t always able to give him the game time he wanted, but he was a true professional and remained ready and prepared to take his chances when they came. He never shied away from his responsibilities and pitched in when we were short of numbers, playing right back, left back – anywhere we needed him to down the stretch. He’s a fan favourite here and is someone who has a genuine love and passion for this Club and is determined to help us get to where we want to go.
“Kai will always be remembered for his goal away at Jersey Bulls, it was the key moment that inspired the comeback that secured promotion as well as preserving our unbeaten run. He’s still young and developing, he has a lot of talent and potential. The best is yet to come for Kai and we’re all pleased he’s going to be part of the squad next season.”