Following their come-from-behind win over Tunbridge Wells, Farnham Town were back at home for the first time in the 2024/25 season as they welcomed Sittingbourne to The Memorial Ground for an Emirates FA Cup Preliminary Round clash.
Having equalled the Club’s best-ever run in the competition last season, reaching the Second Qualifying Round for only the second time, falling to a 2-1 defeat against Chesham United, the Town would’ve been hoping they could put in an equally impressive showing in this season’s competition.
But Sittingbourne would be no walk in the park. Their 5-0 win on the opening day of the Isthmian South East season put them top of the table, after narrowly missing out on promotion to Step 3 last season, losing in the Play-Off semi-final.
A number of key absentees for Paul Johnson to contend with for this fixture. Both Mark Waters and Max Meaton were unavailable due to personal commitments, while new recruit Liam Flanighan is still working his way back from injury. Concerns over Darryl Sanders’ fitness meant he had to settle for a place on the bench. However, Jordan Stepney was passed fit to play and came into the back four to make his second debut for the Club.
It was the visitors who started the brightest, imposing their physical style of play on Farnham who were slow out of the traps, and Sittingbourne made their pressure pay in the fourth minute. Having just seen a cross turned behind narrowly for a corner, the delivery from the right corner flag was whipped in at pace towards the near post where skipper Liam Smith beat his marker to flick on into the far corner, stunning the 450-strong crowd into silence.
The final third entries continued to come thick and fast for Sittingbourne, with an opportunity coming down their right snuffed out overzealously by Stepney, who would go into the book for his pull-back on the winger – a moment which would become more important in the second half.
Farnham did slowly begin to settle back into the game, albeit without creating huge openings going forward. As it was for the visitors, it was a corner which presented the best goal threat for Farnham, and at the half-hour mark they got back on level terms. Harry Cooksley’s out-swinging delivery was met by Jack Dean who angled his header in off the back post to square up the game again, which is how the half would end.
Johnson’s side reappeared for the second half with a bit more impetus and energy about their play and began to push Sittingbourne back into their half. That said, the pressure that was building was soon alleviated in an instant.
A searching clearance forward from the visitors seemed to hang in the air for an age before coming back into sight, travelling from the edge of the centre circle in the opposition half to landing on the line of the Farnham Town box. Pat Nash in goal was indecisive about coming to claim the ball, and Mitchell May had strode in behind Stepney. He took a glance behind him to position himself between the ball and Stepney who collided into his back before bundling him over.
The referee didn’t hesitate in awarding Sittingbourne a rightful penalty and was left with no choice but to show Stepney a second yellow card on 57 minutes, as the summer arrival from Raynes Park Vale saw his debut ended within the hour as he was sent for an early shower.
Having won the penalty, May stepped up to take it as Nash in goal was hoping to replicate last week’s heroics with his stop-kick save at Badshot Lea, but May sent him the wrong way, placing his left-footed effort in the bottom left corner to restore their one-goal advantage.
Despite being a man down, Paul Johnson threw on his attackers in reserve to go in search of an equaliser. Shay Brennan, Kai Tanner and Sanders all made their introductions in the final half-hour and it would be those three players who would come together for the game’s next plot twist.
11 minutes from time, Tanner collected the ball and crossed for Brennan who couldn’t quite make it stick but Sanders collected the loose ball. He drove into the box, squared for Brennan who laid it off for Tanner 12 yards from goal, and he struck a low, left-footed effort first-time in at the near post, through a cluster of bodies which left the ‘keeper unsighted as it flew into the bottom corner, and 10-man Farnham had grabbed their second equaliser of the day.
Into the final stages of the game and Farnham were throwing everything at it, knowing a draw would mean a Tuesday night trip two hours down the road into Kent for a replay. Jack Dean went tumbling over on the edge of the box under a dubious challenge which was waved off by the referee.
Sittingbourne were handed a free kick as we ticked into stoppage time and delivered a flighted ball which was headed across the box by Smith whose opener now felt like an age ago. Substitute Henry Sinai fired it back across the face of goal for May, unmarked at the back post, who tapped home to send the travelling fans into raptures as they were back in front with just seconds to play. All the work done by the Town players to drag themselves back in the game was undone in an instant.
Three minutes later and the game was wrapped up as another succinct counter-attack was finished off by May, thumping home in the middle of the box to secure his hat-trick and his side’s place in the First Qualifying Round. Farnham showed plenty of heart late on, but the lacklustre first half and the sending off early in the second perhaps gave them too much to do.
While our Emirates FA Cup journey ends there, our FA Trophy journey is only just starting. We welcome Erith Town to The Memorial Ground this coming weekend for our first-ever fixture in the competition! Tickets are now available online to pre-purchase.