TALK OF THE TOWN Farnham Town Football Club // Official Matchday Programme // Issue 03 // £1 Farnham Town vs Downton // Sat 19 Sept 2020 // Kick-Off 3pm FA Vase 1st Qualifying Round President P Cooper Vice President R.G. Bridger Chairman P Tanner Vice Chairman D Nelson Club Secretary J Lowe Treasurer T Butcher Matchday Secretary R King Committee Members M Morgan, J Parker, P Dale, E Cardona, D Wilson, P Smith, R Moore Programme Design & Edit JMA Programmes @JMAProgrammes [email protected] First Team Manager C Millard First Team Asst Manager A Sharratt Coach Gary Atree Physio Nathan Kim Sing Welcome back to the Memorial Ground for game safe before they struck with a late our Buildbase FA Vase game today with winner. I’ve no doubt though as we move Downton FC. We hope all the players, further in to the season that the match officials & supporters have a pleasant visit sharpness will return & we’ll start to (bar the result). I’d also like to extend a convert those chances in to goals. warm welcome to today’s match officials. Next Saturday sees us travel to early season Our most successful run in this competition pace setters Walton & Hersham who, bar a came several years ago when the team I somewhat surprising 0-0 draw away to Fleet managed reached the second round proper Spurs last Saturday, have won every other before (somewhat unluckily it must be said) game quite convincingly including a 9-0 going out 3-2 at home to Bridgwater Town. victory at home to Bagshot on Tuesday Hopefully we can go on a similar run this night. The Swans seem to have invested time round as the excitement really starts to heavily in their playing personnel during build as you take each small step closer to the lockdown and it will undoubtedly be the that Wembley appearance. No dount today’s lads toughest test of the season so far, so opponents feel the same way & we’ll be in fingers crossed our early season injury for a really tough game. I should take this crisis will have eased somewhat opportunity to let everybody know that, as Enjoy the game with our FA Cup game against Corsham, if the scores are level after 90 minutes it goes Paul Tanner straight to penalties to see who earns the right to host Petersfield Town in the next Chairman round. It’s been a mixed bag of results since I last wrote this column with 3 points against Kensington & Ealing Borough followed by a reverse away to Chessington & Hook United on Tuesday night in a game where we had more than enough chances to make the Good afternoon and welcome to the hoping the rest period after this match will Memorial Ground. allow several players to recover. We extend our welcome to the players, The FA Vase is one of those competitions officials and supporters from Downton FC. where you think you might have, if you are lucky, a decent chance of a nice little run Today marks a sufficient point in our and in doing so adding a few coins to the season. After today’s match we will have a coffers for the club. I know we are in for a weeks break from competitive football stern test today and we will need to be at which I believe will prove important to how our best to earn those coins! our season develops. The support we have received so far, Six games in 18 days after six months especially at home, has been a pleasant without competitive football is beginning to surprise. Please keep supporting your team take its toll on the players. We are and helping them to overcome the concerned and shocked with the number of challenges we will face this season. We injuries we have already encountered and in hope our performances will encourage more -particular the number of ankle injuries. For of you to travel to away games in greater our game at Chessington & Hook on numbers as well. Please keep pushing the Tuesday (I write these notes ahead of that club amongst your friends and within the game) we have 40% of our squad out town. injured all with ankle problems. Enjoy today’s Undoubtedly the firmness of the pitches game. certainly isn’t helping but I question the players choice of footwear. At a previous Colin club I enforced a ban on players wearing blades instead of studs. I may consider #UpTheTown something similar here to stop a reoccurring problem . What might seem a trivial matter actually could have a considerable impact on our season. I am Farnham Town Football Club is a senior level football club six of the Premier Division for three consecutive seasons, based In Farnham, Surrey, England. in 1998-99 they finished in 13th position, then 10th in 1999-2000 before suffering relegation from the Premier Established in 1906 through the merging of Farnham Division in 2000-2001 season. They bounced straight back Bungs (the Farnham Brewery) and the Farnham Star. The the following season but then endured four tough seasons club was one of the founder members of the London back in the Premier Division, with bottom four finishes Spartan League in 1975. They reached the Fourth Round of every season culminating in relegation back down to the FA Vase in the 1976-77 season and won the London Division One in 2005-2006. Again, the club bounced Spartan League Cup in 1978 . straight back and in 2006-2007 they won the Division One title under the guidance of Barry Bridger, but were denied At the end of the 1979/80 season Farnham Town left the promotion due to the Memorial Ground not meeting the London Spartan League and applied to the Combined desired grading by the league. The club then spent Counties League, their application was accepted and they another four seasons in Combined Counties Division One. finished 4th in their first season. The 1986/87 season saw Farnham take second place to Ash United in the league Farnham gained promotion from Combined Counties campaign. The glory days finally arrived in the 1990/91 Division One in the 2010-2011 season after finishing season when the club won the league title. In the 1991/92 second behind Worcester Park. In Paul Tanner’s first season, the Town got a clean sweep of the major trophies season at the helm he gained automatic promotion back to by winning the Combined Counties Premier League, the the Premier Division at the first attempt, which after only Dan Air Elite Cup and the Dan Air Challenge Cup. Having retaining four members of the side from the previous won the league, the club applied and were accepted to the year’s squad - who finished mid-table, was quite an Diadora League, however funds for necessary ground achievement. Paul Tanner’s side also won the Combined improvements could not be generated which resulted in Counties Fair Play Award for 2010-2011 after going the the club not having a league to play in for the 1992/93 whole season without having a man sent off, a record to be season. proud of. In a very successful year for the club on the whole, Dean Nelson’s reserve side finished second behind In 1993/94 Farnham Town were accepted back into the Mole Valley in the Combined Counties Reserve Division, Combined Counties League where they continue to ply their trade. From 1995-1998 Farnham finished in the top a record to be proud of. In a very successful year for the Invitation Cup where they lost to eventual winners Hartley club on the whole, Dean Nelson’s reserve side finished Wintney second behind Mole Valley in the Combined Counties Reserve Division, improving on fourth position the previous Luke Turkington arrived as manager in the summer of season. Farnham Ladies also finished second in their 2018 along with Lee Pollard as his Assistant. There was respective league to cap quite a remarkable season in little success in any of the cup competitions but in the Geoff Chapple’s final season as Chairman. In 2011, Ray league The Town made all the early running until hitting a Bridger took over as chairman from Geoff Chapple. sticky patch from mid-January until late February. The club recovered to finish the season strongly but with only 1 The 2015/16 season saw the club lift the Cherry Red guaranteed promotion place this blip in form ultimately Records Premier Challenge Cup whilst also reaching the proved costly. final of the Aldershot FA Senior Cup In the 19/20 season The Town were clear in 2nd place and The 2017/2018 was ultimately one of disappointment to looking certs for automatic promotion back to the the club. A good start saw the club go on its best FA Vase Combined Counties Premier Division before the Covid run in decades, the defeat of higher league opposition in pandemic struck and the FA decided to null and void the the County Cup and reaching 12th place on the back of a season. This decision saw Luke & his assistant move on to long undefeated run by early November. However defeat in try their luck at a higher level with Alresford Town. the last minute of the FA Vase 2nd Round to Bridgwater Town marked a significant turning point and the club An extensive search with many high quality candidates didn’t win a single league match between 8th November interviewed saw The Town appoint the experienced and and the season’s end.