A lack of non-league football on Boxing Day this year meant most of the choice was for Saturday afternoon or not at all. Whilst a fair bit of the North took their opportunity to play a game, it was slim pickings in the South with the National League and it’s Step 2 counterpart providing the most options.
I’m fairly lucky to have a few of those clubs around an hour’s journey away from me and a few on 3G surfaces as well, it’s that time of year where if you pick a grass option always best to have a plastic back up.
I did narrow it down to Eastleigh, Farnborough or Gosport, the latter the only game close below the top two levels in decent distance. With the possibility of watching Eastleigh’s opponents a few days afterwards it was off to Cherrywood Road.
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It’s been a very long time since I made my way to Farnborough, by my recollection over 20 years and the last a 0-0 draw for Barnet against Borough very early in Martin Allen’s first tenure.
Their opponents for the festive fixture were fellow strugglers Hampton & Richmond Borough, both sides in need of the points at the bottom end of the table and with Alan Dowson back for a second spell at the Beaveree hopes there have been reignited once again.
Despite some winter sun making an appearance for part of the afternoon, the temperatures were around what you’d expect for the time of year but having endured a very mild December no doubt a few were glad to be heading to the warmth at the final whistle.
The visitors were definitely the brighter of the two sides, using their two wingers to try and fashion chances seemed to be a tactic Farnborough struggled to cut supply lines but the balls into the box seemed out of sorts and there was little to separate the two sides leading to a blank half time scoreline.
The second half pattern didn’t alter too much either, but an opening goal did arrive on 54 minutes, Craig Fasanmande tapping in at the far post after the ball was headed back across to him. It didn’t however spark the hosts into life despite the firepower of Dom Poleon and Rakish Bingham on the pitch, both seemingly going through the motions.
A triple change for Farnborough seemed to stir things up but not in the right way, confusion over some positional play saw Hampton break and take advantage, the ball across the penalty area landing at the feet of Aaron Lacey whose deflected shot beat Jack Turner to double the lead.
Despite adding another striker in the shape of Shaun Jeffers the home side couldn’t find a way back into the game and the visitors picked up three valuable points in their quest to move away from the relegation zone.
Hampton were worthy winners in front over 1300 people and pulled themselves above their hosts on goal difference by the final whistle. I had predicted pre-season Farnborough would score a bucket load with Poleon and Bingham joining from Ebbsfleet along with ex-bee Mason Bloomfield, three players who know how to hit the net at this level.
But I also expected them to concede a fair few with seemingly recruitment more aligned with the top end of the pitch. Jeffers is also well versed at this level so to see them struggling to keep above the bottom four is quite surprising.
Hampton seem to be turning the corner; the return of Dowse has fired them a little and with a few new signings incoming such as Jordan Greenidge and Max Kretzschmar plus a couple of loan signings but a long way to go.
A word for Farnborough’s Billy Clifford, the one player I really turned up to see. I was surprised when he dropped down a level from winning the National League with Barnet, thought he was a better standard to be fair but I know they offered him a coaching opportunity as well.
He had a struggle to get in the game as Hampton were on him every single second but when he did get the ball in good areas his forward passes just weren’t being read at all, seems a waste when he could be using his quality at non-league’s top level.
