A Tough Night For Parkway As Farnham Capitalise
Farnham Town vs Parkway | Match ReportFresh from an important away win at Weymouth on Saturday, a result that offered both belief and breathing space, Plymouth Parkway set out on the long trip to Surrey two days before Christmas to face one of the Southern Premier League South’s form sides.
In the end, the scoreline was heavy. Yet for long spells on a cold December evening, there was enough in Parkway’s performance to suggest this contest might have unfolded very differently, were it not for a handful of pivotal moments that swung decisively in Farnham Town’s favour.
 Farnham TownPlymouth Parkway 
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Chris McPhee was forced into further changes as injuries and unavailability continued to disrupt continuity. Callum Hall, Jack Veale and Rio Garside were all unable to travel, with Taylor Scarff taking on captaincy responsibilities in Rio’s absence. There were returns to the starting eleven for Will Sullivan, Ryan Brett and Farren Simons, as Parkway looked to build on the momentum of the weekend.
Farnham’s start to life at Step 3 has been widely admired, promoted this season, unbeaten in eight, and firmly among the division’s leading pack. But in the opening exchanges, on a difficult surface, there was little to separate the sides.
Parkway matched their hosts well in the first ten minutes and adapted quickly to the conditions. Farnham, neat and composed in midfield, began to grow into the game and forced Isaac Finch into two excellent interventions in quick succession, first reacting sharply to deny skipper Ryan Kinnane, before pushing Bobby Joe-Taylor’s fine effort over the bar.
After that early flurry, the match settled into rhythm. Farnham moved the ball nicely and played with the confidence of a side used to controlling games at this level, with Joe-Taylor, Harry Cooksley and Darryl Saunders combining intelligently. Yet Parkway were not overrun. Scarff and Brett laid an important foundation at the back, Louie Cayless found space in promising areas, and Love-Holmes worked tirelessly as the focal point in attack.
But as has too often been the case this season, Parkway’s hard work was undone by a moment of hesitation.
A looped ball into the area seemed manageable, but a miscommunication between defender and goalkeeper left Mikey Williams expecting a call, and the ball left untouched. Saunders reacted quickest, arriving between man and keeper to improvise a clever finish that put Farnham ahead and left Parkway momentarily stunned.
The second goal followed ten minutes later, and again it came from a familiar source of frustration, a set piece. Kinnane arrived from close range to nod home, giving the hosts a two-goal advantage at the interval that felt harsh on Parkway’s application and competitiveness across the half.
The pattern continued after the restart. Farnham were assured in possession, but Parkway began to find moments to apply pressure and search for a route back into the contest. McPhee introduced Rocky and on-loan Jack Endacott, and the visitors briefly looked capable of changing the tone of the evening.
Then came the match’s biggest talking point.
Already booked, Mikey Williams skipped away from his marker and slid a through ball into Rocky, who returned it to Williams as he surged into the box. Williams rounded the goalkeeper and went to ground under contact, but instead of awarding a penalty, the referee judged it simulation and issued a second yellow card.
Parkway were suddenly down to ten men for the final half hour, and left feeling aggrieved at what appeared, on replay, to be a genuine foul.
To compound matters, Farnham made their advantage count almost immediately. Bobby Joe-Taylor produced a moment of real quality, finding the roof of the net with a superb strike from 18 yards to make it three.
At that point, the scoreline began to reflect not so much Parkway being carved open, but a side punished repeatedly for key moments, two lapses, a controversial decision, and a piece of brilliance from the hosts.
Farnham, with the numerical advantage, played with intelligence in the closing stages and managed the contest well. McPhee used all five substitutions, including giving valuable minutes to Shane White as he continues his return from injury. But Parkway’s evening ended with a fourth goal, as Owen Dean got the decisive touch from a whipped ball into the box to add further gloss to the result.
Farnham were deserving winners and showed clearly why they sit among the division’s leading sides, but Parkway will travel home with a sense that the game’s narrative was shaped by moments that went against them, some of their own making, others more debatable.
The victory moves Farnham up to third, while Parkway remain one place above the relegation positions. Attention now turns quickly to the return home to Bolitho on December 27, where an all-Devon fixture against bottom club Tiverton Town carries significant importance as the festive ramps up.
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