Category: Football

Following a 1-1 draw in Gloucestershire, Farnham Town turned hosts for an FA Cup Second Qualifying Round replay against Cirencester. However, on the day, a 2-1 victory, for the visitors, through two by Harlie Price, saw The Town’s cup journey come to an end.

Darryl Sanders had the first major chance to put Farnham ahead. To the left of the 18-yard box, he opted for a long-range effort with the aim of finding the bottom-left corner, but couldn’t get the direction, and it went out for a goal kick.

Sanders did eventually find the opener thanks to Bobby-Joe Taylor drawing out Connor Johns past his left-side post before a pass across the goal left Sanders with an open goal, which he found to give the hosts the lead.

Farnham almost got an accidental second when Mat Mackenzie’s cross from the left wing didn’t find one of his teammates but forced Johns to go off his feet to make sure it didn’t dip underneath the bar. Lucky for the Cirencester keeper, it was the bar that was hit.

Sanders was involved again as he picked up a misplaced pass and played in Owen Dean, who was then one-on-one with Johns, but an intervention from a visiting defender changed the trajectory of the ball as it hit the post.

The equaliser arrived in the second half when Jamol Dare was able to bypass the Farnham defence, which forced Michael Eacott to come out. Eacott timed his dive brilliantly to deny Dare, but it came back to Price, who, from within the D, found the back of the net.

Farnham threatened to take the lead back after Rakish Bingham got a ball through to Owen Dean, who beat the offside trap. Dean then tried to backheel to Taylor but was intercepted, and the move ended with Sanders firing high over the bar.

Sanders had a golden opportunity to get his and his side’s second after linking up with Billy Clifford inside the box. Sanders received the ball on the left side and had a clear line of sight to the opposite bottom corner. He was very unlucky to see it come off the post yet again.

A double did arrive, but it was for Price and Cirencester. He got his first-time effort through the legs of his man, which seemed to leave Eacott unsighted as the ball swung past him into the bottom corner.

Once again, the post cruelly denied Farnham a way back into the game when it was the recipient of a flick-on from a throw-in, which took it beyond the incoming Owen Dean.

The full-time whistle then went to end Farnham’s FA Cup journey there, but there was a lot of luck that didn’t go the way of The Town, and for the moment, the posts at the Memorial Ground will not be in the good books.

Farnham Town Football Club have been riding a wave of success over the past three seasons. Since the start of the 2023/24 campaign, The Town have climbed a division every year, securing three consecutive promotions. The latest and most significant step came when Billy Taylor’s hat-trick inspired a 5–1 victory over Gloucester City in the Southern League Premier South play-off final, earning the club a place at Step Two of the non-league pyramid for the first time in its history.

What makes that rise even more remarkable is that there was a time when reaching Step Four seemed an impossible task, not because of performances on the pitch, but because of the state of the Memorial Ground. On two occasions, inadequate ground grading prevented the club from taking the promotions they had earned.

The 1991/92 season saw Farnham dominate the Combined Counties League, finishing 15 points clear of second-placed Malden Town. Their reward was promotion to Division Three of what is now known as the Isthmian League. Although the club’s application to join the league was accepted, The Town never played a match at that level. Instead, they were forced to resign from the league before the season began and return to the division they had dominated, as the Memorial Ground failed to meet the ground-grading requirements for Step Four. Through no fault of the players or management, the club missed out on the opportunity they had earned. Farnham would not make the step up until 2003, when they were finally promoted to the Combined Counties Premier Division.

A similar story unfolded just a few years later. After spending the 2003/04, 2004/05 and 2005/06 seasons in the Premier Division, Farnham were relegated back to Division One. They responded immediately by winning the league with 89 points, but history repeated itself. Once again, the condition of the Memorial Ground meant the club was denied promotion. The following seasons brought finishes of fifth, eighth and eleventh before Farnham finally returned to the Premier Division in 2011.

From then on, the ground-grading issues were finally behind the club, and Farnham established themselves at the level for the next six seasons. However, another difficult period soon followed. Relegation to the sixth tier in 2018 was followed by a fourth-place finish the following year, before the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons were curtailed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Farnham emerged from that period looking like a transformed club. Beginning the 2021/22 campaign in the Combined Counties Premier Division South, they built steadily, following up tenth- and sixth-place finishes by winning the league title in emphatic fashion in 2023/24 with 108 points. Promotion to the Isthmian League South Central Division brought no slowdown, as The Town amassed another century of points, 104 this time, to secure a second successive league title.

Although life in the Southern League Premier South proved more challenging, Farnham adapted impressively. A third-place finish secured a play-off spot, and a blistering performance at the Memorial Ground in May took the club to the highest level in its history.

The club’s relentless progress, despite facing increasingly demanding standards both on and off the pitch over the past three seasons, demonstrates that Farnham Town are now well equipped to compete at higher levels for years to come.

Today’s game between Worthing and Wealdstone sees the first time the two sides have met in the top tier of non-league football, as the Rebels are now at the highest level in their history. Despite never having played against one another in the National League, through all its different names, the two clubs share an underlying link due to their shared success in the 1984-85 season, causing that season to be the closest a match in the top division of non-league would get before the present day.

While the Stones were at the top of the non-league pile in the National League, then known as the Alliance/Gola League, and were FA Trophy winners, the boys in red had finished runners-up in the division below, the Isthmian Premier, for a second consecutive year. However, over the next 40+ years, a tie between the teams in step five of the whole English league system wouldn’t happen, as Worthing would embark on a turbulent few years that had a rather fiery beginning.

As the summer of 1985 approached, the mood amongst the Wealdstone FC faithful in Hillingdon couldn’t have been higher. Not only had they become champions of the fifth tier, but they had also earned the distinction of being the first to achieve the non-league domestic double of the league championship and FA Trophy. In contrast, those over 80 miles south had their smiles turned upside down when, after believing massive things were just around the corner due to the league and cup performance, they saw the main stand of the stadium they had called home for over 80 years burn down.

At first, it looked like the fire wouldn’t have much of an impact on the club, as it proved to be a catalyst for the modernisation of the whole stadium, and the Reds got to the last 16 of the FA Trophy that year. Yet it proved to be a false dawn. Firstly, manager Barry Lloyd left for Brighton at the end of the season, which then proceeded with relegation from the league that the Rebels had come so close to progressing out of two years running. The division for the 1987-88 season therefore being Division One of the Isthmian League.

The 1987-88 season turned out to be a rocky season for both clubs. Wealdstone were relegated from the Conference into the Southern Premier League, finishing 21st. At the same time, Worthing ended 13th in step seven. That wouldn’t be the worst it got over the following years, as the end of the 1991-92 campaign saw the Stones drop down to the Southern Premier League South division, but circumstances had it that the two would avoid each other again, not just because of geography, but because Worthing had suffered another relegation the previous year and only ended up finishing 12th in Division Two of the Isthmian League.

Geography wouldn’t be a barrier come 1995, as Wealdstone had ended up in the third tier of the Isthmian system, but, off the back of two promotions in only a few years, the Rebels had regained their place in Division One. The wait for a league meeting ended during 1998-99, and it was Wealdstone that secured the higher league position of third, compared to Worthing’s 12th. From then until 2002, the tables would turn, and it would be Worthing that would end higher.

The four years of direct competition would then end through off-pitch matters, as the league was split up into north and south, with Wealdstone going into the North and Worthing remaining in the South. The gap lasted just one year, as a second place for the Reds and success in the play-offs for the Stones meant they would see one another again in 2004-05. That would last until 2007, when Worthing would be forced to endure more time in the Southern Division One.

With Wealdstone becoming champions of the Isthmian Premier in 2014, the gap increased further. Worthing returned once more to the Premier Division for the 2016-17 season and were top of the table at the point where both the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons were abandoned due to Covid. There would be no such heartbreak in 2022, due to a title win by ten points and a place in the National League South. What came next was four years of top-four finishes, culminating in that famous last-day win over Ebbsfleet, which crowned Worthing National League South Champions and earned them a spot in the fifth tier of the English football league system for the first time ever, as well as a first meeting with Wealdstone at this level.

Credit: Farnham Town FC

Farnham Town’s preparation for the beginning of their first ever season in the National League South ended in perfect fashion. The Town earned a very respectable 1-0 win at the Memorial Ground against National League opposition in Eastleigh, with Rakish Bingham scoring the decisive goal, backed up by confidence in all areas of the pitch.

The Town began with pace and immediately looked to go forward, full of belief that the Step one side could be beaten. The work of Bobby-Joe Taylor created the first chance to take the lead, after he impressively found Owen Dean, but Dean couldn’t pose a serious challenge to Nick Townsend in the Eastleigh goal. Dean then became the creator for the next opportunity; off the back of some fluid movement, he delivered to Daryl Sanders, who was waiting in the box, but he only just found the wrong side of the post.

The visiting Spitfires couldn’t keep the flying Farnham out forever, and eventually, they didn’t. The Town relied on their ever-effective movement as a whole team. Taylor and Sanders were involved in the build-up, with the latter sending through Brandon Mason on the left side of the area. The defender crossed low into the six-yard box, which was met by the arriving Bingham, who beat Townsend to fire to the keeper’s left.

Farnham built on taking the lead, and sensing their guests were vulnerable, pushed for a second. Bobby-Joe took an effort from outside the box, but couldn’t get the height, pace or direction as Townsend happily watched it go out for a goal kick. After a rare attack from the away side, Bingham took the ball out of the Farnham area and his lob managed to put Owen Dean through, who beat his man but could only find the arms of the Eastleigh keeper.

The visitors had their first real period of success after the interval. However, Michael Eacott refused to be bested, rushing out to produce a wonderful save with his leg. Aaron Blair threatened once more for the team in blue, but Billy Clifford ensured Eacott wouldn’t be called into action.

Clifford’s clearance was taken on by Trey Koukapias, who found a way into the box and got round one of the Eastleigh back line, but the defender recovered to block the shot. Townsend couldn’t relax, though, as the loose ball was fired in by Taylor near his right post, forcing him into a reaction save.

The keeper was also made to produce a fingertip save to tip Billy Clifford’s long-range effort over the bar. The attacking presence was underpinned by a strong performance at the back, not least Eacott coming out to stop Blair getting a clear opportunity, taking a knock in the process.

Koukapias and Miles Obodo combined late on for one last attempt at doubling the advantage, but the young striker couldn’t find the target. However, he need not worry as the clock wound down.

When the final whistle blew, positivity radiated around the Memorial Ground, as a National League stalwart had been seen off, helping Farnham’s case that they can be competitive in a division that is three tiers above where the club were three years ago.

Credit: Farnham Town

History was made at the Memorial Ground as Farnham Town played their first ever National League South fixture, welcoming AFC Totton for an eagerly anticipated opening-day contest.

The Town started brightly and showed little sign of being overawed by the occasion. An early opportunity fell to Rakish Bingham after Daryl Sanders slotted a pass through to the forward, but his effort lacked the necessary power and the chance went begging.

Totton soon threatened at the other end and were handed a golden opportunity to take the lead when a foul inside the Farnham penalty area resulted in a spot-kick. Totton’s star striker ,Tony Lee, took responsibility from 12 yards, but Michael Eacott had other ideas. The Farnham goalkeeper guessed correctly and made an outstanding save, diving low to his right to keep the scores level.

The hosts continued to look dangerous when they won possession and broke forward quickly. Bobby-Joe Taylor came close with a shot inside the box, while another counter-attack saw Taylor and Bingham combine, although the latter was unable to get his attempt on target.

Eacott was again required to make a big intervention as Totton began to increase the pressure. The Farnham stopper reacted superbly to keep out another effort, ensuring his side remained in the contest.

However, the deadlock was eventually broken by a moment of real quality. A Totton set-piece caused confusion in the Farnham defence and, after the initial clearance was only partially dealt with, the ball dropped to Christie Ward. Ward controlled it with his head before letting it fall and on the turn, striking a magnificent volley that flew into Eacott’s right-hand corner, giving him no chance.

Farnham responded positively and continued to search for an equaliser. Brandon Mason found plenty of space on the left, while Taylor, Sanders and the Dean brothers provided plenty of energy in the attacking areas.

Those three ,Taylor, Sanders and Jack Dean, were significant again as the second half saw the Town enjoy periods of pressure as they pushed Totton deeper. They all looked to create openings, with Farnham repeatedly working the ball into dangerous areas.

The finishing touch, though, continued to elude the hosts. A number of attempts were sent over the crossbar, while Totton’s defence stood firm whenever Farnham threatened to break through.

Despite a determined effort right until the final whistle, Farnham could not find the goal their performance deserved and were forced to settle for a narrow 1–0 defeat.

While the result was disappointing, there were plenty of positives from a historic first appearance at this level. Farnham showed they can compete with National League South opposition and will now look ahead to a trip to Dagenham & Redbridge before welcoming Billericay Town to The Memorial Ground.

Credit: Farnham Town FC

Farnham Town suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat against Dagenham & Redbridge on Friday night,but the scoreline didn’t tell the whole story, as once more, Paul Johnson’s side did not roll over, as they made their first away trip in the National League South.

The Town made the trip to Victoria Road knowing they faced a significant test against an established former football league side. As the fixture was moved to the Friday night, it also gave the club a first taste of this level of football under the lights. 

There were two changes to the Farnham side, with Tom Leggett coming into the team for Jack Dean and new signing, Jack Spong, making his first start following his arrival from Worthing. 

Farnham started brightly and created several opportunities during an entertaining opening period. Bobby-Joe Taylor was a constant threat, repeatedly causing problems with his movement, as the visitors showed little sign of being overawed by their opponents. 

The Town came particularly close when a dangerous delivery from the far side was headed off the line, but goalkeeper, Nathan Ashmore, would still be forced into a number of important saves as Farnham continued to press.

Against the run of play, however, Dagenham took the lead in the 31st minute. Kane Crichlow kept the ball alive despite being challenged and brought down, hooking it around the corner, while on the floor, into a dangerous area, where Harry Beautyman reacted quickest to fire into Michael Eacott’s left corner, putting the hosts ahead. 

Farnham refused to let the setback disrupt their momentum. Taylor remained heavily involved, while Sam Graham and Owen Dean helped the visitors maintain their attacking threat.

The pressure almost produced an equaliser before the interval, but Ashmore against stood between Farnham and a goal. However, the Town went into half-time behind, despite having shown plenty of attacking intent.

The second half continued in the same vein, and Farnham eventually got the reward their performance deserved.

Firstly, Rakesh Bingham did well to make his way through two of the Dagenham back line and force Ashmore to go off his feet to make the save.

Then, in the 82nd minute, Ashmore attempted to dribble out from the back but lost possession, allowing Sam Evans to pounce on the error and roll the ball into an empty net to make it 1-1.

With momentum firmly behind them, Farnham looked capable of completing the comeback. Instead, Dagenham immediately responded. 

Archie Tamplin produced a moment of quality, taking a touch on the edge of the box before curling his effort beyond Eacott into the side-netting.

Farnham continued to push until the final whistle. Daryl Sanders came agonisingly close with a powerful effort that flew narrowly wide, while a further attack saw the visitors denied by another excellent save and a crucial clearance off the line.

Despite the disappointment of defeat, Farnham can take considerable encouragement from their display. They competed toe-to-toe with a side possessing considerable National League South experience and created enough chances to take something from the game.

The result leaves the Town still searching for their first league points at Step Two, but their performance at Victoria Road demonstrated that they belong at this level. With the margins proving so fine on the night, there was plenty for Johnson and his players to build upon.

Credit: Farnham Town FC

Farnham Town secured a valuable 2-1 victory away at high-flying Horsham at the Fusion Aviation Community Stadium last Saturday, thanks to a double from Owen Dean inside the first 45 minutes.

The Hornets started brightly, with Harvey Sparks causing problems down the left. His early effort struck the post before Reece Meekums found space on the edge of the Farnham box. Meekums’ effort was straight at Michael Eacott, who did well to palm the ball away and prevent the hosts from taking an early lead.

The Town soon created an opening of their own. Darryl Sanders found Sam Evans inside the box, but the Farnham forward could not make a clean connection with his effort as the opportunity went begging.

Horsham continued to threaten and came close again as an inswinging delivery found the free player at the back post, but Eacott produced another excellent save to keep the scores level.

Farnham eventually broke the deadlock through a clever corner routine. Bobby-Joe Taylor played the ball short to Sanders, who then found Jack Spong in space on the edge of the box. Spong’s left-footed strike appeared to hit the crossbar twice before Dean reacted quickest to nod the rebound over the line.

 Horsham almost responded immediately. Ashley Nadesan flicked the ball on to Charlie Hester-Cook, who drove into the box before getting a shot away across goal. Lying in wait was Jamie Yila, but he could only find the side netting/

The Hornets continued to apply pressure and eventually found their equaliser. Another corner was cleared towards James Hammond and he struck a superb first-time volley through a sea of bodies and into the bottom corner. Eacott was unsighted and had no chance to react in time.

Farnham remained dangerous on the counter-attack and nearly restored their lead when a quick string of passes released Owen Dean down the right. He picked out Taylor inside the box, but his effort was saved by the feet of Sam Howes.

The Town would not be denied a second for a long time, though. After defending another Horsham corner, they broke quickly, with Dean finding himself through on goal. He took a sole touch before confidently finishing one-on-one with Howes to restore his side’s lead just before the break.

Dean almost completed his hat-trick immediately after the restart. He raced into the box and got his effort away, but Howes managed to tip it wide.

Dean was involved again as Farnham went close yet again, he brought the ball down at the back post before Sanders headed towards the opposite side, but instead it came back off the woodwork.

The Hornets continued to push for another equaliser, with Yila and Hester-Cook both threatening as the second half progressed. Farnham remained dangerous on the break, but now were increasingly finding themselves having to defend their slender advantage.

There was late controversy when Horsham appealed for a penalty after Jack Dean tangled with Yila. The referee waved away the protests and gave the visitors a goal kick. 

The hosts threw everything forward in the closing stages. A final delivery into the Farnham box caused chaos, with the ball ricocheting around the six-yard area and briefly threatening to fall kindly for them, but nothing came from it. 

The full time whistle then went and confirmed a hard-earned victory for the Town, with all the plaudits falling onto Owen Dean, whose double made the difference to secure victory and the points in Sussex. 

Credit: Reuters

Original – https://www.vavel.com/en/football/2025/05/29/premier-league/1224276-how-much-does-spurs-europa-league-glory-save-their-2425-domestic-season.html

Tottenham Hotspur finally ended their 17-year trophy drought in the Europa League final against Manchester United. Spurs were very much the underdogs, with many expecting the Red Devils to come out on top. Instead of Bruno Fernandes, however, it was Heung-min Son who lifted the trophy above his head.

Brennan Johnson has been a shining light for Spurs this season, and thanks to his 42nd-minute strike, his name will forever be etched into the hearts of Spurs fans everywhere. There were still a few minutes of the first half and the entirety of the second half left for those in Bilbao and back home to endure before they could finally say they had seen their club lift a trophy after a near-20-year wait. Manchester United were unable to level the score, and the Europa League trophy headed to North London.

As quoted by NBC Sports, then-Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou said: “I can’t put it into words to be honest. I know I’m at an amazing football club with amazing supporters. It’s no secret it’s been a tough year, but I’ve just had this things inside me the back half of the year — one focus, one target. I just felt this was it. To achieve it today… I know what it means to the club, it’s had the tag of a nearly team for a long time. The only way you break that is by winning things, and we did that today.”

When this season is brought up, Spurs fans can breathe a sigh of relief, as they can forever point to this exact moment rather than having to dwell on their disappointing domestic campaign, from which their European success ultimately bailed them out.

An unfortunate reality

After what was undoubtedly the club’s greatest night in a long while, Spurs crashed back down to earth and were beaten 4-1 by Brighton on the final day of the Premier League season. The campaign as a whole showed that this result was no one-off, and fans have to accept that, domestically, it was a season that fell well below expectations.

They splashed the cash in the transfer window, spending £175 million, with £105 million going towards the additions of Dominic Solanke and Archie Gray. Given the money spent, the pressure was already high.

They began their season with a disappointing 1-1 draw against newly promoted Leicester but bounced back with a 4-0 thrashing of Everton. The start of September was a disaster, with Spurs suffering consecutive defeats against Newcastle and their noisy neighbours Arsenal. The recovery, however, was impressive, as they secured back-to-back wins against Brentford and Manchester United, scoring three goals in both games.

Only one league win came their way in October: a 4-1 victory over London rivals West Ham. That result was overshadowed by defeats to Brighton and Crystal Palace. November saw Spurs record one of their most impressive wins of the season, a 4-0 victory away at Manchester City, which was a welcome change from the previous week’s defeat at home to newly promoted Ipswich Town.

December severely damaged their season. Of their seven league games that month, Spurs won just once — a 5-0 away victory over Southampton at St Mary’s Stadium. In hindsight, however, even that result was not particularly impressive. They suffered five defeats that month, alongside a 1-1 draw with Fulham.

Things got even worse at the start of 2025. They suffered another defeat in the North London Derby before losing to Everton and Leicester.

February provided a brief recovery. Spurs completed the league double over Manchester United and exacted revenge on Ipswich but fell to defeat against the blue side of Manchester. After that, it took Spurs until 6 April to record another victory. Beating Southampton for a second time was no particular feat, but it did condemn the Saints to the Championship for the 2025/26 season.

That would prove to be Spurs’ final league win of the campaign as they slumped to a 17th-place finish.

Their success on 21 May went some way towards masking the nightmare that was Tottenham Hotspur’s 2024/25 Premier League campaign. Maybe, just maybe, their league position can now be locked away, the key thrown away with it and, as the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium faithful will hope, never brought up again.

Credit : IMAGO/Uk Sports Pics Ltd

Original – https://www.vavel.com/en/football/2025/05/30/premier-league/1224371-just-how-much-of-a-disaster-was-manchester-uniteds-2425-season.html

The 2024/25 season will not be one that Manchester United fans look back on favourably. For the first time since the inception of the Premier League, the club finished outside the top ten. Back in their prime, anything less than a Champions League finish would have been a travesty, but given the club’s current position, such a finish would now be seen as a pipe dream.

It wasn’t only domestically that they struggled. Although they made it to the Europa League Final, they failed to live up to expectations as favourites in Bilbao and fell to a 1-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, meaning any chance of a saving grace for the season had gone up in smoke.

In light of this, and the precarious position both he and the club found themselves in following the defeat, Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim held his cards close to his chest when discussing the damage caused by the loss. As quoted on the club’s official website, he said:

“It’s in the future, I’m not going to talk about the future. This loss, the pain of losing this match. I can see it was clear, we were the better team but then we managed not to score again, so it’s very hard to win football matches but the guys tried everything to win the game. In the future, we will have time to assess everything.”

Amorim also tried to be as honest as possible when discussing United’s hopes for next season, continuing:

“I think I was always really honest with you guys. We didn’t perform perfect today, but we were better than the opponent, and the opponent also played. In the second half, we try everything – with the central defenders, with the players wide, crosses going inside the box. I think I’m really honest with you guys, so I expect the same and there are some days where I said we were really poor. I think today was not the day. We were not perfect. We have a lot to improve, but I am always honest with you guys.”

United went some way towards reshaping their squad during the transfer window, allowing players such as Jadon Sancho and Antony to leave on loan, with both seemingly considered detrimental to the club.

In terms of expenditure, United spent £246.30 million, with the biggest arrivals coming in the form of Leny Yoro, Manuel Ugarte and Matthijs de Ligt. The club’s most lucrative purchases were defenders, suggesting that then-manager Erik ten Hag had identified one of the roots of their problems.

However, that didn’t work either, and it ultimately spelled the end of the Dutchman’s tenure at Old Trafford. Despite delivering two more domestic trophies to the cabinet, his sacking, the departure of his backroom staff and the cost of bringing in Amorim reportedly cost the club more than £20 million.

This went some way towards leaving United either distracted or financially restricted, if not both. As a result, they failed to significantly improve the squad in January and were unable to turn their season around.

There was as much chaos on the pitch as there was off it. By the end of 2024, United had recorded just six league victories. Granted, one of them came against their great rivals from the blue side of Manchester, but it was hardly the form of a club with a credible shot at the European places, let alone the dominant United teams that preceded them and that many of the Old Trafford faithful remember so well.

They had five more months from that point to turn their season around, but little changed. They recorded even fewer victories in the second half of the season than the mediocre tally they had managed in the opening months, adding just five more wins.

United ended the season in their worst-ever Premier League position, finishing 15th. In what would previously have been considered a normal season, with 40 points traditionally viewed as the threshold for avoiding relegation, the Red Devils would only just have beaten the drop with their tally of 42 points.

PARKWAY DISH OUT PUNISHMENT

Plymouth Parkway restricted Sholing to just 20 minutes of dominance before going up a level with three goals to secure the three points.

Sholing were on top early on. In fact, It took until the 21st minute for Sholing keeper, Jack turner to be challenged but it wasn’t much of one. A little dive was all that was needed for it to go straight into his hands.

Seven minutes later, against the the run of play, the visitors took the lead. Andrew Neal’s touch got him round his marker and he found Turner’s right hand corner from just outside the box.

It was in the same corner where a cheap second was scored. Rio Garside was left free, and from close range, found the target before Turner could react. It was that two-goal lead that Parkway went into half-time with.

The Boatmen did get back in the game thanks to a familiar name, Daniel Mason. The number nine, with the goal behind him struck a half volley into Aaron Dearing’s near right post.

They weren’t back in for long. On the right side of the Sholing box, Jensen Ireland received the pass which left Turner struggling and allowed him to find the open goal to restore the two goal lead. That strike would earn them the victory. The result leaves the Boatmen 16th in the league while Parkway are still riding high in second.