Rested Farnham return against Braintree after two-week break

Thursday 22 October 2026 · By Ralph Coggeshall

Farnham Town will play their first game since 10 October when Braintree Town visit on Saturday, and manager Paul Johnson hopes the break has given his squad a chance to regroup.

Johnson described the two-week gap as “a blessing in disguise” in an interview with the Farnham Herald last week. “It’s great timing for us to reset and reassess,” he said. “The injury list is worrying.”

Johnson had hoped that Jack Spong, who had ankle ligament pain, and Sam Hutchinson, who had a hamstring problem, would be back for the Braintree game. The club had not published an update on either player by Thursday.

The break also gave Farnham’s new signings time to settle in. Former Chelsea defender Marcel Lavinier joined on 14 October, after George Alexander arrived from Hornchurch and Jordan Alves from Aldershot Town on 9 October. All three could be involved on Saturday. Sam Evans has left the club to join Kingstonian.

Farnham’s last game was a 2–1 home defeat to Salisbury on 10 October, watched by 1,508. That left them 11th in the Enterprise National League South, on 17 points from 11 games, with five wins, two draws and four defeats. They are three points outside the play-off places, with 17 goals scored and 16 conceded.

Saturday’s opponents are in poor form. Braintree have lost five games in a row in all competitions, including their last four league matches, and they have conceded 27 league goals. They are 20th, on 10 points, and the game will be the first competitive meeting between the two clubs. Kick-off is at 3pm BST.

It is the start of a busy spell for Farnham. They travel to Chesham United on Tuesday 27 October at 7.45pm, then to Dover Athletic on Saturday 31 October at 3pm. Both kick-off times are GMT, following the clock change on Sunday 25 October.

There is also a rearranged league game at Chelmsford City on Monday 2 November, with a 7.45pm kick-off, before Farnham host Tonbridge Angels on 7 November. That makes five games in 15 days, so the depth provided by the new signings could prove important.

The break may have come at the right time, but Johnson will want his side to hit the ground running. A win over Braintree would lift Farnham towards the play-off places and set them up well for a demanding run of fixtures.

Johnson’s side have shown they can compete with the better teams in the division, having pushed Salisbury close in their last outing. If the returning players and new arrivals can make an impact, Farnham have every chance of climbing the table before the winter.

Sitting in mid-table after 11 games is a solid platform, and the coming weeks offer a chance to build on it.