FARNBOROUGH FC
STADIUM
With a capacity of 7,000, Cherrywood Road played host to Farnborough Town FC before they became Farnborough FC. Located in Hampshire, the ground was originally called The John Roberts Ground, but the name was rarely used as fans referred to the stadium as Cherrywood Road. Famously, the stadium was once called Paddy Power Park, after a sponsorship with the gambling company.
LAST SEASON’S MEETINGS
Farnborough 0-1 Chelmsford City (27th September 2022) – A midweek trip to Hampshire brought an impressive goalkeeping display by Arsenal loanee Ovie Ejeheri. An early penalty save set the theme for Farnborough, as they could not find a way past the Nigerian. It was a third clean sheet in a row for the Clarets before a smash and grab striker from Harry Lodovica secured the points. With 5 minutes to go, Jazzi Barnum-Bobb fizzed the ball in and Harry was able to turn his effort goalwards and beyond the keeper.
Chelmsford City 3-2 Farnborough (7th April 2023) – The season was continuing with drama, and the game in Essex emphasised this point. 2 playoff pushers, a win would be vital for either side. Mason Bloomfield was able to capitalize on an early mistake, as inside the first 10 minutes, he gave Farnborough the lead. The Clarets pushed the Yellows, seeing Dave Winfield head home just before half time to equalise. It was a quick start to the second half as Bloomfield doubled his tally before Folivi struck back and levelled. He was the hero extremely late on, as Simeon Jackson set him free on the counter. Folivi was composed as he managed a chip over the keeper to send Clarets fans wild and wrap up the 3 points.
A FEW CLUB LINKS
Scoring a brace against the Clarets in Essex, Mason Bloomfield had been a Claret before. He played once for Chelmsford whilst on dual registration in 2015. His Farnborough career has saw him score 11 goals in 21 games. However, he has since joined Hampton & Richmond for the upcoming season. A Claret legend is also with Farnborough. Ricky Holmes joined Chelmsford in 2005 and, over a 5-year period, played north of 150 games scoring over 50 goals. His career saw him play for numerous football league sides, as well as being a Sheffield United player during their Premier League campaigns. He joined Farnborough in 2021, playing over 50 games and being a coach, before recently deciding to move on.
THE MANAGER
Since 2011, Spencer Day has been in charge of Farnborough. He has overseen the club being sent down and has helped to bring the rise of Farnborough back to the National League South. His only previous managerial experience was Chertsey Town, who he managed for 4 years. His spell saw him finish runners up with them in the Combined Counties League Premier Division 2 years in a row.
2022-23 SEASON
After promotion back to the South, Farnborough looked to kick on as, alongside Worthing, they pushed for the playoff spaces. In the end, their end of season form cost them, as they dropped to 12th place. However, in the FA Cup they have a day to remember after they beat League 2 side Sutton United 2-0, to progress to the 2nd round. Hollywood’s Wrexham were their opponents, as they were defeated 4-1.
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