Farnham Town FC
Memorial Ground
Mead Lane
Farnham
Surrey
GU9 7DY
Ground: 105
Date: Saturday 1st February 2020
Farnham Town 1-0 Eversley & California
Combined Counties League Division 1
Attendance: 66 (official)
Farnham Town - History
Farnham Town were founded in 1906 as a merger of local sides Farnham Bungs and Farnham Stars. They were initially members of the Surrey Intermediate League, winning the title in the 1929/30 and 1930/31 seasons. After World War 2, they joined the Surrey Senior League in 1947, leaving in 1962 but returning a year later. After their return, the club won successive titles in the 1965/66, 1966/67 and 1967/68 seasons before joining the Spartan League in 1971.
After finishing bottom of the league in the 1979/80 season, the club were transferred to the Combined Counties League. When the league split into two regional divisions for the 1981/82 season, the club were placed in the Western Division and finished 3rd. The club won back-to-back league titles in the 1990/91 and 1991/92 seasons, earning promotion to Division 3 of the Isthmian League. However, the club resigned before the season as they were unable to sufficiently upgrade the ground.
The 1993/94 season saw the club return to the Combined Counties League and their first two seasons back saw the club struggle near the bottom. Three top-half finishes followed, before the club found itself languishing in the bottom half for the next five years. In the 2002/03 season, the club were placed in the Premier Division when the league gained a Division 1.
After finishing bottom of the Premier Division in the 2005/06 season, the club were relegated to Division 1. They won Division 1 at the first attempt, but ground-grading issues denied the club promotion. They spent four more seasons at Division 1 level before finishing 2nd in the 2010/11 season to return to the Premier Division.
They spent seven seasons in the Premier Division - recording a highest finish of 8th in the 2012/13 season - before finishing bottom in the 2017/18 season to return to Division 1. Last season saw the club finish 4th in Division 1 to narrowly miss out on an immediate return to the Premier Division.
In the FA Cup, the club's best run saw them reach the 2nd Qualifying Round in the 1999/2000 season, beating Cobham and Selsey before losing to Herne Bay. As for the FA Vase, the club progressed as far as the 4th Round in the 1976/77 season, beating Reigate Priory, Fisher Athletic, Chichester City and Eastbourne Town before losing to Farnborough Town.
My Visit
Originally, upon returning to Guildford on Monday for University, I was going to head to Maidenhead United on Tuesday night for their County Cup match against Marlow. However, after a tiring and busy Monday, I ended up deciding against this, partially out of fatigue but also because I probably could not actually afford it. This proved to be a wise decision, as I noticed that the match ended up going to extra-time and penalties; I doubt I would have been able to get a train back to Guildford after that if I had gone.
This meant that, after a slow start to my footballing year, my next match would not be until yesterday. I had taken a cursory look on the Futbology App and online over Christmas to begin gauging my options, but I had this match slated in as first choice for a while. However, with it raining heavily on the day after my arrival in Guildford, I decided to prepare a list of back-ups to be safe.
Fortunately, as the week progressed towards the weekend, it became both drier and milder, so it didn't seem like my back-ups would end up proving necessary. And, with yesterday being mild and sunny, this proved to be the case. This allowed me to order my train tickets early and to get ready at a leisurely pace. With Farnham being one of my closest options from Guildford, I was able to have lunch at a normal time and did not need to head towards the train station until well after 1pm.
However, I ended up leaving slightly later than I had originally intended to, so this meant that I arrived at the station with just over five minutes to spare, having stopped to withdraw some cash on the way. This meant I was slightly rushed in collecting my tickets and getting onto the train, but other than that the journey towards Farnham was uneventful, being a simple twenty minutes on the train.
From the station, it was a fifteen-minute walk to the ground, which made me note that getting the 5:05pm train back to Guildford would be difficult if there was any notable amount of added time in the match. Either way, I arrived at the ground at 2:30pm, paying a steep £7 for admission (steep for Step 5 football, let alone Step 6 football) and an additional £1 for the last programme.
After taking a moment to put on my hat and scarf (as it had already started to get colder at this point), I did as much of my usual circuit of photos as the ground's layout allowed, before positioning myself by the turnstiles in the hope that the team sheet would be filled out before kick-off. Fortunately, it was, and after I got a photo of it I moved across to the other side as the match kicked off due to the low sun shining directly into my eyes on the near side. For the second half, I sat in the main stand overlooking the pitch.
The form guide and table suggested that only one outcome was likely here, with it seemingly just being a matter of how many Farnham could score. However, in the back of my mind I was aware of the fact that February has been a month of poor games in both my years of University so far, so I was wary of this match following that trend.
Here's my report on a poor match which saw Farnham labour to victory against a hard-working but limited Eversley & California side:
Eversley & California almost took the lead within the first minute of the match after earning a free kick on the edge of the box, but the chance was wasted. After this, the opening exchanges were fairly even as Farnham probed to find a way through a compact Eversley & California defence, while the away side sought to contain their opponents and score on the counter.
This meant the match remained at an impasse for a while, but as the match progressed Farnham started to take control, comfortably sweeping up the away side's attempts to attack while constantly pushing forwards. However, their first half-decent chance didn't come until the 28th minute, when Matt Glass shot wide on the half-volley after a ball over the top. Seven minutes later, the home side made their pressure count and took the lead, Glass beating the offside trap and then passing across goal for Charlie Oakley to tap in.
Farnham remained in control as the second half began, but they continued to struggle in front of goal: they were able to transition from the defensive third to the attacking third with ease, but every time they reached the final third their decision-making let them down, allowing Eversley & California to get back and defend. In the 57th minute, Oakley should have scored his second with a free header at the far post, but he somehow put it well over the bar.
In the 68th minute, Eversley & California were reduced to ten men after Dale Small - who had defended valiantly up to this point - fouled a Farnham attacker on the edge of the box and was judged to be the last man by the linesman. After a delay to get the player to leave the side of the pitch, the free kick was taken by Ross Drury; he shot low beneath the wall, but it was an easy save for Eversley & California keeper Liam Vaughan.
Farnham having the man advantage did little to change proceedings, as they continued to be profligate in front of goal. They did start pushing more and more men up the pitch in search of a second, match-winning goal, but this left space for Eversley & California to attack on the counter. Despite this, the best chance still came the home side's way in the 82nd minute with a free header from a cross, forcing Vaughan into an excellent close range save.
So, it is already looking like February this year will follow the pattern of the previous two years, as this was not an enjoyable match to watch at all. Farnham had plenty of chances to increase their margin of victory, but they rarely looked like they would score. As for Eversley & California, they worked hard to try and get something out of the match, but I don't think the Farnham keeper had a save to make.
Because of the stoppage time in the second half, I ended up just missing the 5:05pm train back to Guildford, meaning I had a 30 minute wait for the next one. To pass the time, I crossed the road and went to a fish and chips shop close to the station, ordering some whitebait and a sausage and eating them on the platform while I waited for the train. The journey back to Guildford took twenty minutes again and, after stopping at Sainsbury's on the way back to the house, I got in at around 6:25pm.
Up next is hopefully going to be a long-overdue visit to Leatherhead next Saturday, as they take on Bishop's Stortford. It's a ground I've been looking forward to visiting for a while, and that match is the perfect opportunity for it with former Norwich striker Jamie Cureton likely to be playing for Bishop's Stortford.
The Ground
The Memorial Ground is a quirky, characterful ground which is looking a little worse for wear in some places. There is cover on two sides of the ground, with the main stand positioned on the hill behind the near goal. This stand contains around 50 seats (some of which are damaged) and provides an excellent view from above the pitch.
The rest of the ground is flat, with an additional area of standing cover on the far side. Some benches inside this small stand offer seating, but it is mostly used for standing. Directly across from this, a new stand seems to be being built, with the sides and back in place.
That aside, the rest of the ground is open hard standing, though the area behind the far goal is out of bounds to spectators. The clubhouse is located within the car park just outside the ground. The ground has an official capacity of 1,500.
Photos
No comments:
Post a Comment