Saturday 20 January

Nationwide Conference South

Farnborough Town 1 County 0

An indifferent performance, and impotency in front of goal, saw The Exiles slip to a single goal defeat at troubled ex-conference club Farnborough Town. 

County fielded a strong side with Darren Garner replacing Nathan Davies who was withdrawn from selection with a groin injury. 

In a dour first half County struggled to get into their stride. The home side coped far better with an extremely heavy pitch which had weathered torrential rain in recent weeks.

Farnborough had the best of the early chances. Damon Searle had to be alert to divert a deep cross away from the outstretched boot of Michael Charles, and Steve Jenkins was forced to make a last ditch block to prevent an angled shot from Steve Laidler squirming in at the near post. Laidler had beaten the offside trap to round Mark Ovendale with Charles, the intended target for the through ball, being in an offside position and interfering with play. The poor judgement of the officials was to contribute to County’s downfall in Hampshire.

County’s best chances fell to Julian Alsop, who blasted his shot high over the bar from John Brough’s header down from a Damon Searle cross, and Lee Collier who was impeded by a badly positioned referee as he shaped to shoot on the edge of the box.

The home side took the lead right on the stroke of half time. County were untypically hesitant in defending a high and deep cross from the right from Ben Townsend. The umarked eighteen year old Nic Ciardini had time to control the ball and beat the exposed Mark Ovendale at the far post. 

County dominated the play in the second half but wayward passing and poor finishing cost them dear. Farnborough were reduced to ten men early in the half when Michael Charles, having had a rush of blood, fouled Ian Hillier and then deliberately hand balled in an attempt to create a goal scoring opportunity, and was given two yellow cards in as many minutes.

County simply could not score. The home goal had a charmed life but County were guilty of wasteful finishing. Ian Hillier had a close range header cleared off the line and Lee Collier’s mishit goal-bound cross was tipped over the bar by the backtracking Kevin Scriven.

With the introduction of Matt Green County changed their formation to 3-4-3 but could not unlock the home defence. Green had three gilt-edged chances to force a draw and even win the game but failed to hit any of his three shots with precision and power. Even the presence of Mark Ovendale in the home box for the last corner of the game in a frenetic closing period could not force the outcome the promotion hopefuls sought.

Craig Hughes had two penalty appeals denied in the match. One for a foul in the first half;  the other for a blatant hand ball in the second as a home defender prevented him from meeting a cross with an outstretched arm. The latter decision summed up a frustrating day for County.

County truly “snatched defeat from the jaws of victory” and must regroup to make up ground on the pace-setters in the division.               

Line Ups:

County: Ovendale, S Jenkins, Searle, Garner (L Jenkins 80), Brough ©, Hillier, Bowen (Toppar 88) , Collier, Alsop, Hughes, Evans (Green 71) Subs Not Used: Edwards, Giles

Farnborough: Scriven, Townsend (Gasson 68), Hankin ©, Burton, Whisken, Laidler, Pattison (Garness 40), Ciardini (Pestle 85), Hodgson, Charles, Harkness Subs Not Used: Graham, Pym

Scorers:

Farnborough: Nic Ciardini (45)

Cautions:

Farnborough: Laidler (foul) and Hankin (foul)

Dismissals:

Farnborough: Michael Charles (for successive cautions for a foul and a deliberate handball)

Officials:

Referee: S Child 

Assistants: I. Jempeji and L. Walsh 

Attendance:

577

Conditions:

Very heavy pitch, dry and sunny

Man of the Match:

Reporter’s County Man of the Match: no candidate

Reporter’s Farnborough Man of the Match: Steve Laidler

Match Rating:

2/5

© Colin Jeremiah