Farnham Town manager Paul Johnson was delighted with his side’s performance after they won 1-0 at home to Hungerford Town in their opening game of the season in the Southern League Premier South.

The hosts dominated possession and territory in their first match at Step 3 after back-to-back promotions, but had to remain patient until Bobby-Joe Taylor scored the only goal of the game on 70 minutes.

“We stepped up a level and I thought Hungerford might have a bit more about them,” said Johnson.

“The game was pretty much the same as last season and the season before that.

“Hungerford sat in and tried to frustrate us. They did that for large parts of the game, but a bit of quality always shines through and Bobby produced that.”

Johnson admitted Hungerford’s defensive approach was a compliment for his newly-promoted side.

“It's a massive compliment,” said Johnson.

“Hungerford are a good side. They were only relegated a couple of years ago and are a solid side in this division.

“You can see the difference at this level with the physicality of the game. I thought we came through that really well.

“It’s a perfect start. The first game is one where you want to get points on the board.

“I thought we carried on from how we finished last season. The boys are confident – long may it continue.”

Johnson praised his substitutes for the impact they made as Farnham searched for a breakthrough.

“It's a squad game,” said Johnson.

“The substitutes were really good – Owen Dean and Adam Liddle came on and caused Hungerford problems.

“We got the timing right on the substitutions. The boys coming off were a bit frustrated as they didn't get too many opportunities, but they put a shift in. We ground Hungerford down to get that opening.”