The 2023/24 season was so successful for the Town it’s actually hard to remember all of the accolades and history the Club achieved along the way.
Securing promotion to Step 4 for the first time in our 118-year history, doing so without losing a single league game, and breaking the record for most consecutive wins to start a league campaign to name but a few. However, our performances in cup competitions also deserve their flowers.
Back in September, the Club equalled their best-ever run in the Emirates FA Cup reaching the Second Qualifying Round following wins against Harefield United, Crowborough Athletic and Flackwell Heath before falling to a 2-1 defeat to eventual Southern League Premier South champions Chesham United – but this year they’ll be fancying improving on that.
Following a gruelling month-long pre-season, Farnham Town would finally open their 24/25 campaign in the Extra Preliminary Round of the Emirates FA Cup and again on their travels, making the two-hour trip into Kent to take on Tunbridge Wells of the Southern Counties East League Premier Division.
With six new arrivals over the summer, four of them would be rewarded with debuts in the opening game from the start. New No.1 Marcin Brzozowski assumes the role between the sticks, George Butler takes up his position at left-back, Joel Rollinson supports Darryl Sanders in attacking midfield and Shay Brennan leads the line in attack. Fellow striker Duarte Martins would settle for a spot on a small bench made up of just three players with a couple of absentees, including new central defender Jordan Stepney who was carrying a lingering ankle complaint.
A strong travelling contingent of about 40 Farnham fans made the journey down for the game to support their team but even the most bullish of fans would acknowledge that the Town were under the kosh early and often in the first half as Paul Johnson’s side were slow out of the blocks and looked to struggle to adapt to the pitch conditions which if described as farm-like would be generous.
Tunbridge Wells enjoyed a lot of success down their right-hand side as Regan Corke would often use his pace and trickery to find a way past Butler and Joe Jackson down that flank for Farnham. It would be the hosts who would force the first save as Corke skipped past Jackson to deliver a cross into the box for Festos Kamara who would swivel and shoot only to see Brzozowski beat it away.
Chances were few and far between for the Town in the early exchanges, and perhaps their best opportunity was from a set piece as Harry Cooksley’s free-kick was knocked down by Jack Dean into the six-yard box for Sanders, but his deft flick beat both Sean Foster in the host’s goal and the crossbar.
Kicking up the hill in the first half, the Royals were certainly more in-tune with the conditions as the home side, with direct long balls a theme of the first half. A simple ball over the top into the right channel set Corke in behind, and the upward slope caused the ball to check up as Brzozowski came rushing out. Corke lifted the ball over the Farnham ‘keeper into the box looking for the striker Jacob Feasey but Ryan Kinnane was there to clear the lines.
Tunbridge Wells continued to grow in confidence and worked the best opportunity of the game shortly after when Kamara carried the ball wide around the left and clipped a flighted ball across the face of goal which sailed over all the Farnham players looking for Feasey at the back post, but he couldn’t guide his header into the empty net.
It would be another set piece that would give Farnham their best opportunity to open the scoring as Cooksley’s corner finds Kinnane at the back post as it often does. His header looks to be creeping inside the post but is smothered and cleared off the line.
Another searching ball forward from Tunbridge Wells caught the left side of the Farnham defence napping as Corke managed to breeze past Butler and Jackson to latch onto the ball but saw his right-footed effort flash across the face of goal as Brzozowski was rooted to the spot.
On 25 minutes, the Royals were able to secure a deserved lead and again Corke was at the heart of it. He collected the ball wide on the right, took aim at Jackson and beat the Farnham defender to deliver a low cross into the box which found their captain, James White, unmarked and he thumped his finish into the roof of the net from on a few yards out, and the Town would need to come from behind if they were to progress in the Emirates FA Cup.
The goal seemed to actually settle Farnham down after what was a fairly erratic and flustered opening half hour. The Town were awarded a free kick on the right side of the box which Sanders sized up, but his curling effort was just the wrong side of the post and found the side netting.
Tunbridge Wells would leave the game thinking it was a real opportunity missed, especially as they think back to how they should’ve doubled their lead. Again, a long ball down the right channel proved troubling for the Farnham defence as this time it was Kamara latching onto it. He delivered a cross for Feasey in the box who met it well with his head, angling towards the far corner but it struck the post and eventually cleared away – inches away from a second.
Feasey’s miss would be compounded moments later as Farnham did find a way to get back into the game. Sanders delivered a drilled switch over to Jack Dean just inside the right edge of the box. He drove for the byline and cut it back into the six-yard area for Rollinson who flicked it on towards the back post where Mark Waters was waiting to prod home from close range and level the scoring, and 1-1 is how it would remain going into the break.
Farnham came out for the second period as if a fire had been lit under them, and I’m sure the management team would’ve had some choice words for them after a lacklustre opening 45. Brennan got his first sight of goal as Cooksley delivered a deep cross for the striker, but he couldn’t guide his header on target.
Ten minutes into the second half, Farnham produced their best move of the game as Waters drove forward from the back playing it forward into the feet of Rollinson. He then sent it forward first-time into the path of Owen Dean driving into the box. He clips it back across goal for Sanders unmarked with an open goal at his mercy but he gets the finish all wrong, bouncing off the heel of his left boot and going back whence it came.
Chances kept coming for Farnham and they kept being squandered. Sanders this time turned provider down the right flank, crossing for Brennan whose header looked to pick out the left side of the net but was always angling just wide with the spin of the ball.
Shortly after the hour mark, Johnson made a pair of changes introducing Kai Tanner for George Butler at left-back, and Lewis Flatman for Joel Rollinson in attack and almost immediately, the Town had completed their comeback.
A quick counter from Farnham saw the ball played into Tanner down the left side, he slid it inside to Sanders who looked to prod it forward into Brennan, it’s half-cleared to the edge of the box but it sat up nicely for Owen Dean who fires a right-footed volley low into the bottom right corner of the Tunbridge Wells net, and the Town were finally ahead.
Farnham went searching for the dagger as the hosts looked to be out on their feet after a tremendous first-half effort, and Owen Dean again the man to come close as his driven effort for the bottom left corner this time was deflected behind for a corner.
As we fell into the last ten minutes of the game, Farnham looked more and more in control and could’ve easily sealed the game with a pair of Cooksley free-kicks on the left edge of the box just minutes apart. One delivered high, one delivered low, both into the near post and scrambled off the line by the Royals.
Deep into stoppage time, the game was finally laid to rest. A goal kick from Brzozowski was knocked down by Flatman into Sanders in a pocket of space. He lifted the ball over the defence for Duarte Martins to latch onto after being introduced off the bench. He took a touch to compose himself before rifling the ball in at the near post for Farnham’s third and a debut goal.
The final whistle would sound shortly after and having been given a scare in the first half, Farnham Town would progress into the Preliminary Round of the 24/25 Emirates FA Cup courtesy of goals from Waters, Owen Dean and Martins, setting up a home tie against Sittingbourne in two weeks time.