Farnham Town are delighted to announce that we have agreed to terms for the signing of veteran goalkeeper James Shaw.
The 34-year-old goalkeeper has a long, storied history in Non-League Football, that began 17 years ago when he made his senior debut with Eastbourne Borough before having spells with Hurstpierpoint, Oakwood, Shoreham, Worthing United and Lancing early in his career.
James then joined Dorking Wanderers for the 2014/15 season and helped them to promotion from the Sussex County Football League, finishing the season as runners-up and securing their spot in Step 4 for the first-time ever.
In the following season, he signed for Horsham and was part of their Southern Combination Premier Division title-winning side, also earning promotion into Step 4.
From there, James had spells with Haywards Heath, Burgess Hill Town, Three Bridges, Hayes & Yeading United and Tooting & Mitcham United between 2016 and 2020.
In the summer of 2020, James joined National League South side Tonbridge Angels, appearing twice in the league and helping the Club reach the First Round of the Emirates FA Cup.
Spells with Barking, a return to Tooting & Mitcham, Hassocks and another return, this time to Burgess Hill Town would follow before James made the switch to AFC Whyteleafe in November 2023.
During an 18-month tenure, James would play a key role in AFC Whyteleafe’s recent rise, making 25 appearances over the course of the 2023/24 campaign, helping the ‘Leafe clinch the Southern Counties East Football League Division One title and promotion into Step 5.
In the following season, he would spend the first eight months of the season with AFC Whyteleafe, who would go on to win the Combined Counties Premier South title, before rejoining Hassocks in March 2025, helping them also claim promotion by winning the Southern Combination Premier Division title.
This past season, James would be the leading appearance maker for Hassocks in the Isthmian South East Division, starting 41 of their 42 league fixtures.
With a vast amount of experience in the game, as well as enjoying a lot of success with a number of his former sides, James is a welcome addition to the squad, providing cover for Michael Eacott between the sticks.
We’d like to warmly welcome James to Farnham Town and look forward to seeing him join the squad this summer for our pre-season preparations.