FARNHAM TN 4, HARTLEY WINTNEY 2

SERVING soldier Matt Glass shot down Combined Counties League leaders Hartley Wintney by scoring all four of Farnham Town’s goals at the Memorial Ground.

“Best result and best performance after a strange week,” said Paul Tanner after Town had inflicted only a third defeat of the season on The Row.

The Town manager put out a much-changed side and had to come to terms with losing his leading scorer, Mark Corbett, who has moved up a grade by signing for Walton & Hersham.

The England beach football international was not actually missed, with Glass in such superb form, but army commitments make him an irregular starter and now Farnham will be missing the striker for three more weeks.

Farnham look secure in 14th place, but the realistic Tanner considers that fourth from bottom wouldn’t be a bad result, given the difficulty of fielding a settled side and that the season has been disrupted by so many postponements, with the Memorial Ground particularly prone to being waterlogged.

“I feel we’re going in the right direction and we have some winnable games coming up,” said the manager. “We’re unbeaten in six games (five won) and I was delighted with the players who came in and did a job against the leaders.

“Matt’s goals apart, I felt we were in control against them. Dominant would be the wrong word, but even when we went behind, I thought we were controlling possession and having decent opportunities.”

Despite the home side’s bright start and a couple of half-chances, The Row took the lead after 30 minutes and you feared the worst for Farnham against a team who, last month, reached the fifth round of the FA Vase before losing to Hereford.

Town briefly lost their shape at the back and Dean Stow made them pay with a rocket shot from just inside the box that flew into the top of the net, giving Matt Petts no chance.

Farnham remained calm, however, with the experienced John Lancashire holding the ball up well in midfield and looking to utilise the extra pace of Glass.

On 44 minutes, Town scored a timely equaliser. Jack Dillon’s neat pass found Glass making one of his darting diagonal runs and he went through to slide the ball past former Alton Town keeper Craig Atkinson.

Hartley Wintney looked vulnerable against the speedy Glass, but no-one expected them to concede two more near carbon-copy goals – yet that is what happened in the space of two minutes around the hour-mark.

First, Tom Smith, promoted from the reserves, got a first-time touch to Max Meaton’s cross and Glass was away again, darting through to beat Atkinson in a one-on-one.

Doubling back, checking, electric acceleration, Glass had The Row defence all at sea. This time, it was Steve Ramsden – also called up for first-team duty – who slipped the striker through and again Glass finished clinically past the goalkeeper; 3-1 and his hat-trick.

With 15 minutes to go, Town put the game to bed when Lancashire, sent clear by Matt Graham, was pulled down by Liam Eagle. The defender was sent off and Glass rifled the penalty into the corner for his fourth goal.

The league leaders never gave up and top scorer Sam Argent scrambled the ball home to make the score more respectable.

But apart from the two goals, Petts had only one serious save to make in Farnham’s goal, such was the excellence of central defenders George Spiers and Lee Marker. The Row were simply outplayed on the day.

Farnham: Petts, Meaton, Marker, Spiers, Graham, Smith, Ramsden, Stains (Macallam 45), Dillon (J Sowden), Lancashire, Glass. Sub (not used): Wilson.

Hartley Wintney: Atkinson, C Eagle, Walsh, Parfitt, Noakes, L Eagle, Stow, Paris, Argent, Hollamby, Everiss. Subs: Maddock, King, Duff, Akinwande, Brownlie.

Mark Corbett provided an assist for Walton & Hersham’s goal, but could not save his side from a 3-1 home defeat against Hythe Town in the Ryman League Division South.