The OHAFC 1st XI came from behind to beat fellow Premier Division strugglers the Old Salopians 3-2 on Saturday, in the process securing their first win of the season and a jump into the heady heights of seventh place in the table – their highest since midway through the 2014/15 season.

Once again skipper Ed Poulter was forced to ring the changes with three players making their first appearances of the season: Giles Newton started at right-back, Jesse Duah, who has impressed up front for the 3s, made his 1st XI debut on the left wing and Matt Bailey made his club debut from the bench, alongside the returning Alex Gilbert, who was back after a two-game absence.

Although weather conditions were tricky in Chiswick, with a heavy drizzle falling throughout the afternoon, the Salopians’ astroturf surface is a good one, as evidenced by the Harrow 2’s, who had beaten the Salopian second string on the same pitch the week before.

The first half was an open affair played at high pace with Harrow having the better of things. As has been the case for both sides this season, creating chances proved troublesome and neither ‘keeper was seriously troubled. The best chance of the opening spell was a long-range effort from Harry Hoffen that narrowly missed its target.

Shortly before the break the Salopians took the lead thanks to a huge slice of luck: as Harrow retreated the Salopian skipper carried the ball forward from midfield and struck a powerful shot that flicked the shoulder of the Harrow captain and looped agonisingly over a stranded Emre Sert in the Harrow goal.

Despite this unfortunate setback the Blues came out strongly for the second half and once again looked the better side. Jesse Duah replaced Hoffen up front with Alex Gilbert coming onto the left wing and Matt Bailey switching with Owen-Edmunds on the right. Harrow continued to press but again struggled to test the Salopian ‘keeper. The turning point of the game arrived just after the hour mark when referee Richard Melvin twice booked a Salopian in the space of five minutes, firstly for dissent, then for a late challenge on Gilbert.

It took barely five minutes for the visitors to make their numerical advantage tell, Alex Gilbert equalising with a low strike into the bottom corner. When first Owen-Edmunds, from close-range, then Alex Breeden scored in the space of ten minutes it appeared as though the Blues would have a comfortable fifteen minutes to see out to earn their first win of the campaign.

But the hosts halved the deficit when a free-kick on the halfway line was pumped long into the Harrow box and the resulting knock-down was thumped into the roof of the Harrow net. Harrow didn’t panic however and managed to keep the well in the closing stages, creating several chances to put the game to bed. The Salopian ‘keeper made one excellent save to deny Owen-Edmunds his second but it didn’t matter, the visitors held on to earn three valuable points.

Once again the side performed well with Jesse Duah especially impressing on debut. The win lifts the side into seventh in the table but the team now has two more crunch fixtures to come with trips to sixth-placed Marlborough and eighth-placed Lancing in the next two weeks.