The OHAFC 1st XI continued on their inexorable charge towards promotion from Division One with a comfortable 2-0 win over fourth-placed Wellington on Saturday. The game, played on Harrow School's astroturf facility due to neither team’s pitches being fit for purpose, was as one-sided as any the Blues have played this season with Fraser McGuiness in goal barely having a save to make during the ninety minutes. At the other end there was some frustration, with a number of missed chances early on, including a rare failure from the spot from David Lederman. But two long throws produced a goal in each half and ensured the Blues extended their lead at the top of the table to a healthy eight points.

Conditions on the Hill were perhaps not as bad as most players were expecting, but the low sun was a nuisance for the Harrow defence in the first half and the astroturf surface, now shorn of much of the grass fibres, causing the ball to slow up making running with it and judging passes tricky.

Despite this, the hosts started the game at pace and were soon causing problems for the Wellington rearguard. Hill and Poulter controlled the central midfield and wide men Lederman and Breeden provided plenty of support to the new regular strike pairing of Hoffen and Gilbert.

With Wellington unable to get out of their own half, chances were soon being created: Hoffen drilled wide with a left-foot effort, Lederman narrowly missed with a right-foot curler and then skied another effort after a flowing team move. Hill did likewise after another excellent move and Gilbert somehow turned his effort out for a throw-in after being surprised at the ‘keeper’s fumble. Several times the lead should have come from set-pieces – using the wind Lederman delivered a number of dangerous balls into the box, with both Sert and Milln missing from close-range when a goal seemed certain. Typically, the one occasion the side did put the ball in the net it was incorrectly ruled offside: Lederman clipped the ball into Hoffen who twisted to fire a left-foot volley into the bottom corner but the linesman’s flag rose – wrongly, as he was later to admit.

The best chance of all came from the spot however after Alex Breeden was clearly tugged back as he ran into the box down the right hand side. With a near flawless record over the last twenty years Lederman stepped up confidently but saw his moderate effort well saved by the ‘keeper low down to his right. Despite spilling the ball any hopes of scoring from the rebound were dashed when referee Alan Higgs ruled a number of Harrow players had encroached prior to the kick being taken.

The Harrow dominance was briefly punctuated when a long ball over Milln saw Wellington register their first attempt at goal but the rangy striker screwed his shot wide of the far post and McGuiness remained untested.

The growing frustration at the lack of a goal to show for their enterprising football was alleviated on the half-hour mark when Fred Milln superbly flicked a long throw from Poulter over the ‘keeper and into the far top corner.

The goal relaxed the hosts and they continued to dominate, with the back four of von Hirsch, Sert, Milln and Lalude looking rock solid and more than capable of extending the side’s run of clean sheets to a fourth consecutive game. At half-time Alex Smith replaced Gilbert up front, skipper Poulter having already replaced himself with Fred Richardson in central midfield.

In a repeat of the previous week’s fixture at Bradfield, the second half performance from the Blues failed to match that of the first. Wellington were incapable of mustering a fraction of the pressure that Bradfield had done, but the flowing football of the opening forty-five minutes stalled somewhat as players began to take too many touches and the front pairing of Smith and Hoffen failed to hold the ball up as much as they should have done.

Nevertheless, there were still some excellent chances spurned to make the game safe: Hoffen spun at the far post but miscued his left-foot volley wide, Breeden somehow headed wide at the far post after an excellent cross from von Hirsch and Hill went close with a rising drive that flew a yard over the bar.

Although there was only a goal separating the sides there was little need for the Blues to panic, with McGuiness practically a spectator in goal.

The clinching goal again came from one of Ed Poulter's long throws, Smith flicking on for Breeden to turn in at the far post with a scruffy finish ten minutes from time.

Despite the surprising lack of quality from a side sitting fourth in the table prior to kick-off, the OHAFC 1st XI continue to produce complete performances. Even missing the proverbial hatful of chances, the back four look such a well-drilled unit that goalkeeper McGuiness came off the pitch remarking that it was one of the most boring games he’d ever played in. The team has now conceded four goals in eleven League games and five in the thirteen League and Cup matches played to date: a fantastic achievement.

The squad are fit and confident and with the likes of Molloy and Firoozan to return, confidence is high ahead of next week’s Dunn Cup quarter-final with Salopians.