FARNHAM TN 2, BEDFONT SPTS 5

A WEEK after beating Combined Counties League leaders Hartley Wintney, Farnham were themselves turned over by Bedfont Sports, a team they would have expected to beat with a full-strength side.

Farnham’s troubles mounted at the Memorial Ground. Already missing key forwards Mark Corbett (now with Walton & Hersham) and Matt Glass (Army commitments), they now face losing Jon Lancashire, probably for the rest of the season, and goalkeeper Matt Petts through groin injuries.

“To say it’s frustrating is an understatement,” said manager Paul Tanner who was also critical of his side. “They were lacklustre and weak and had no control of the ball. Bedfont totally deserved the three points.”

Jamie Read scored a hat-trick for the fast-improving Bedfont side, all his goals coming in the last 20 minutes as Town spurned an opportunity to get back into the game.

The early exchanges were even in difficult conditions and Bedfont scored the only goal of the half after 34 minutes. Farnham gave the ball away in their own 18-yard area and Julius Mngadi snapped up the chance.

For 20 minutes of the second half, Farnham looked more like their old selves, but then the impressive Mngadi set up new signing Leius Sinclair who doubled the visitors’ advantage.

Read opened his account four minutes later as Bedfont took a commanding three-goal lead.

Farnham responded by sending on Darren Wilson and James Thomas and the pair combined to give their side hope in the 75th minute. Thomas flighted in a corner and Wilson headed home strongly.

Bedfont looked nervy at that stage, but it was a brief spell of Farnham dominance. Instead, they conceded two more quick goals. King netted his second and then completed his treble as a free-flowing move found him unmarked to volley home Bedfont’s fifth goal.

Elliott Cardona converted an injury-time penalty to make the score a little more respectable, but this was a bad day at the office for Farnham who still need 12 points to be safe in the Premier Division.