Match Preview: Southern League Premier South
Basingstoke Town vs Farnham Town
When: Saturday 1st November 2025 Kick-off 3pm
Where: Winklebury Centre, Winklebury Way, Basingstoke. RG23 8BF
Farnham Town (The Town), 2025-26 League Position 10th
Following three games against Dorchester Town losing two, with the other abandoned, we now face last season’s Isthmian South Central Division Champions, Farnham Town, who won the league twenty points clear at the top.
Our Opponents
The Town are managed by Paul Johnson, who took over in charge in February 2022, having previously spent eight years at Bedfont Sports. Johnson, brought his management team from Bedfont with him.
Farnham Town now sit in tenth place following back-to-back league losses, their only two of the season. They have a played a number of FA Cup & FA Trophy matches, including a Nationally televised game against Sutton Utd, losing in a replay. Their FA Trophy adventure continues, as they advanced via penalties against Bishops Cleeve, last Saturday. With all these cup games, their league record sits at Pld 11 Won 4 Drawn 5 Lost 2 and 17pts. Their away record sits at 2 wins and 2 draws.
Their leading goal-scorer is striker Ogo Obi, with seven goals on the season, and who we have come across at previous clubs such as Hanwell Town, where he spent two seasons after leaving Hayes & Yeading. He them moved up to play for National League sides, Hemel Hempstead, Slough Town & Maidstone Utd. Last season, he scored 27 times for Wingate & Finchley before joining Farnham in July. Another striker we have crossed paths with is Great Evans, who has six goals, and is in his second season with the club after leaving Bracknell Town. Evans, has also played for clubs such as AFC Wimbledon, Hayes & Yeading United, Leatherhead, Harrow Borough, Kingstonian & Hungerford. Owen Dean, also has six goals, and apart from a short spell away at Badshot Lea, Dean is a fan-favourite labelled as ‘One of Our Own’ having come through the Farnham Town Development Team.
Farnham’s midfield, also contains a number of goal-scorers, starting with Bobby-Joe Taylor (five goals), joining from Dorking Wanderers in the summer of 2025, on a one-year contract. A vastly experienced player in full-time football, he has almost ten years at Step 1, at Maidstone United, Aldershot Town, Dover Athletic and Bromley. Mat McKenzie (six goals), broke through as a teenager at Redhill in the Combined Counties Premier South before moving on to South Park. He then joined Hanwell Town, in the summer of 2022, and spent three successful seasons there. Another ex-Bedfont Sports/Bracknell player is Daryl Sanders, who also has six goals, and is in his third season with the club. Harry Cooksley, joined from Hartley Wintney in May 2023. Having spent time at Reading U18, QPR U18’s, he has since played at Aldershot Town, Farnborough and a stint in Austria for FC Pinzgau. One more know player is Tom Leggett, who played for Stoke back in 2018. He has since played for Gosport Borough, Farnborough & was Player’s Player of the Year at Salisbury in 2023/24, where he joined Farnham from this season.
In defence they have Owen Dean’s brother, Jack, who joined from Bracknell in May 2023, and was part of Farnham’s back-to-back title winning seasons. Regarded as a combative full-back who loves a big tackle. Left back Brandon Mason, joined the Club on a free transfer from National League South side St. Albans City, signing a contract until the summer of 2026, having come through the ranks with Watford, making a handful of Premier League appearances as a teenager, then part of the Coventry City’s successful promotion squad to the Championship in 2019/20. Centre-back Ryan Kinnane, a tall and dominant defender, joined in the summer of 2023 after captaining Berkhamsted to Step 3 by winning the League and Cup double, and was named Farnham Town’s captain for 2023/24. His other previous clubs include Hemel Hempstead and Hanwell Town. Joe Jackson, is a versatile player who can play a number of positions, and joined from Hanwell Town in August 2023. Max Meaton, is another full-back, who has completed eight seasons at the Memorial Ground. In goal will be the well-known Mark Eacott, who left Bracknell, after the Robins signed Farnham’s keeper Zaki Oualah, the week before.
Our Basingstoke Town Side
Our loss to Dorchester in the league was a much more spirited performance, going down to a late loss, which was then followed by two further match-ups against Dorchester in the FA Trophy, which ultimately did not go our way in the end and our involvement in both FA competitions is at the usual early end. We now return to league action as we host Farnham Town.
Following other league games being played, we sit in thirteenth place, our record at Pld 13 Won 4 Drawn 3 Lost 6 and 15pts. There has been two changes to our strikeforce since Tuesday’s game, as Bradley Wilson was first to announce his departure from the club. This was then followed by the unsurprising news, that Charlie Austin will also not be returning to the Basingstoke squad, when he regains fitness? This leaves Cheick Lysalla, back from being cup-tied, and Liam Ferdinand as the two recognised strikers, plus George Reid’s, attacking wing-play upfront. Robbie Gallagher and Remy Bennison are still sidelined at the moment.
With Josh Green still absent, but hopefully expected back sooner than initially believed, the midfield will likely be led by James Dickson (who also appeared to take a knock Tuesday), Ben Cook, who could once again captain the side, but he took a knock Tuesday as well. D’Andre Brown, has put in some strong performances recently, and last week’s signing Dara Dada, will compete against what is expected to be a strong Farnham midfield. Connor Barratt is also an option, and depending on the injury situation, could even get a start.
Billy Upton, who failed a late fitness test Tuesday, will want to be part of tomorrow’s starting line-up, so expect him to recover his captain’s armband. Other centre-backs Jack Ball and Scott Armsworth, will also be in consideration, assuming Scott’s red card will not take place till next week. Joe O’Loughlin will continue to impress on the left, whilst it was noted by a number of fans, that Markus Johnson-Schuster, was one of a few who noticed his good play Tuesday evening. In goal will be Simon Grant.
We face a Farnham side that is full of players we have played against over the last few seasons, so I assume we will have planned to deal with them.
Despite all the current going-ons, the players will need your support, tomorrow afternoon.
Let’s Go Stoke !
Match Preview by Martin French..
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