Farnham Town 4, Epsom & Ewell 1

Farnham Town extended their lead at the top of Division One of the Combined Counties League to three points following their triumphant victory at home to Epsom & Ewell on Saturday.

Epsom did try to force their way back into the game in the second half, but the home side secured victory with an additional two goals.

Going into the game, Epsom caretaker manager Simon Funnell would have wished for an easier test for his first game in interim charge, with the table-toppers proving clinical with their finishing in front of goal.

Early on, Farnham were the first to have a taste of goalmouth action when a set piece by Tom Smith from the right found its way to the back post but was headed clear. And Epsom almost caught out Town on the counter attack but there blushes were spared by the offside flag.

But they continued to unnerve Farnham goalkeeper Stuart Norman, as a shot from distance struck the side netting.

At the other end, Kay Conteh rattled the crossbar as he rose to meet a corner by Muctaru Conteh, but somehow Epsom scrambled the ball clear away from danger.

This seemed to really spark the game into life and the standard of football noticeably picked up as the game approached the closing stages of the first half.

And it was Farnham who went into the half-time break with a 1-0 lead when Elliot Cardona found Nick Medcraft, who turned and slotted it low into the bottom corner.

Seven minutes in the second half, the hosts doubled their lead. After Stevan Betancourt went into the book for stopping a promising Farnham attack, Smith swung in a free kick that bounced out to Ryan Esprit, whose effort whistled past the Epsom goalkeeper.

And it was soon 3-0. Debutant Jayden Englefield marked his Town debut in fine style, proving to be cool and composed with his finish, with Esprit providing the assist.

Epsom pulled one back shortly after but it proved to be nothing more than a consolation goal. Robert Hendry was the source of Epsom’s only goal of the afternoon, firing a low shot past Norman.

And Farnham took total control by turning three into four as Medcraft got his name on the scoresheet for a second time with 18 minutes left on the clock, lobbing Epsom’s Conor Young before wheeling away to celebrate.

With the clock continuing to tick down, Epsom would have felt that time was against them. They did, however, have the ball in the net late on, but it was ruled out for offside.

Both sides then had a couple of decent chances in the final minutes. First, Sean Evans burst forward, sprinting off the shoulder of the last defender only to see his effort stray just wide of the left post while Farnham’s Cardona saw his effort parried. At the other end, Tom Smith did well to track back and pull out a superb block from Bobby Bennett’s shot that deflected behind for a corner.

Epsom would undoubtedly have felt a little hard done by having gone into the break just one down, with Farnham pulling three out of the bag in the second half. The away side certainly endured a tough challenge against a top-of-the-table Farnham side who bounced back with a well-deserved win following a much-improved second-half display.

On Saturday, Farnham Town host AC London at The Memorial Ground (kick off 3pm).

Farnham Town: Norman, Meaton, Smith, Phillips, K Conteh, Harper, M Conteh, N Medcraft, Cardona, Englefield, Esprit.