Farnham Town boss Paul Johnson believes his footprint is starting to show in his side as they continued their good form with another two victories.
Town won 4-1 at Cobham in the Combined Counties Premier Division South on Saturday, before sweeping aside Isthmian League outfit Ashford Town 3-0 in the Southern Combination Cup on Tuesday night to make it four wins in a row in all competitions.
Shamal Edwards slotted home to give the visitors the lead at Ashford in the first half, before substitute Owen Dean struck twice after the interval to wrap up the win.
And Johnson was full of praise for both goalscorers.
“Shamal was a threat throughout the first half – he got in behind them at will and took his goal well,” said Johnson.
“Owen came off the bench and scored a really good header. He had a slight injury so it was a good chance to rest him before Saturday, but his attitude was spot on.
“It was a pretty comfortable night – they only had two chances.
“To beat a Step 4 side is another good confidence boost but we haven’t won anything yet and we’ve got another big game on Saturday.”
Tuesday’s win backed up the comprehensive victory at Cobham.
Town took the lead through Lewis Flatman’s audacious strike. The Farnham forward spotted the keeper off his line and scored from just inside Cobham’s half.
Shamal Edwards then claimed a hat-trick to seal an emphatic win.
New recruit Jordan Esprit made his first start at Cobham, while Luke Dunn came off the bench.
“Jordan is dual-registered with Bracknell, but he’s come here to get some minutes,” said Johnson. “Luke has come from Abbey Rangers. We’re now seeing a bit of our footprint on how the side will look moving forwards. We know up top we’ve got goals in us to win games, although we’re not quite there with the defence yet. It’s the Kevin Keegan style of attacking football.
“It was dominant and we should have scored eight or nine. It was easy for us at times, but in tighter games we need to take those chances and be ruthless. Jordan should have had four goals himself.
“We’ve worked with Sham before and we know his strengths. He’s got a lot of doubles for us, but that was his first hat-trick.
“Lewis has got the ability to better his goal. I’ve seen him do it before. He caught it sweetly and it went in without bouncing.”
Next up for Farnham is a trip to high-flying Jersey Bulls on Saturday afternoon (3pm), and Johnson is looking forward to the test.
“We expect a tough game against Jersey – they are a good footballing side,” he said. “They pass it around well, and I expect there will be a good crowd. We’ll go to Jersey and look to spoil things for them. We go on Friday afternoon and get back on Sunday afternoon, so it is a good chance for the players to bond with each other off the pitch.”
Farnham could face Badshot Lea in the Aldershot Senior Cup final after the two teams were kept apart in the semi-final draw.
The Baggies have been drawn at home to the winners of the quarter-final between Frimley Green and Alton. Farnham will travel to the Army Rep XI if they win their quarter-final at Westfield.