The 2026/27 season is properly under way, and what a start it has been. Across every age group at Farnborough Juniors, our teams have come out of the blocks looking sharp, organised and, above all, like they are enjoying their football.
Pre-season always tells you something, but nothing tells you more than those first few league fixtures. New squads settle, new players find their feet, and formations that looked neat on paper have to survive contact with a real opposition on a Saturday morning. Watching our sides handle that so well has been the best part of the last few weeks.
What stands out is not any one result. It is the way the teams have gone about it. Players are pressing together, defending as units, and looking up for a pass when the easy option is to hoof it. Goalkeepers have come for crosses they might have left last year. Defenders are stepping out with the ball at their feet. Those are the habits that turn a decent side into a good one over a full season, and they are already showing.
The awards cabinet is filling up
Our Player of the Match trophies have been well earned and widely shared, which is exactly how it should be. Different names each week, different reasons: a defender who did not put a foot wrong, a keeper who kept his side in it, a forward who chased every lost cause, a substitute who came on and changed the game.
Celebrate the referees
In addition to the players, FJFC have seen a number of new U18 referees take up the whistle, in charge of games across the age ranges. This obvious comes with some trepidation, but they have all handled their matches brilliantly and supported by the coaches and players.