The OHAFC 2nd XI produced one of their worst displays of what has been, until this point at least, a hugely successful season but still had just enough about them to see off a spirited Alleynians 2s side to sneak into the Junior League Cup quarter-finals.

Such was the nature of the hosts' performance on Saturday that apart from the two occasions that produced the winning goals, they were barely able to advance from their own half, Alleynian bodies swarming all over the Blues in every part of the pitch.

With skipper Geoff Taunton-Collins in the States on business, Max Curry took over the reins and led a strong side into this last 16 tie. The team were given a further psychological boost prior to Saturday with the knowledge that the OHAFC 3s had only a week earlier defeated the same team 5-3 on the Hill.

But any thoughts of a stroll to victory in the warm spring sunshine were banished within a few minutes of kick-off when the visitors took a surprise lead. Stand-in left-back Ali Buckley attempted a through-ball that fell short of its intended target and one long ball forwards cut the Harrow back four apart, the centre backs Orr-Ewing and Pratt barely in the same post code. The striker ran on to comfortably beat Walsh in the Harrow goal.

Alleynians tails were up and for the rest of the half the game followed a familiar pattern: intensive harrying and closing down of any Blue shirt in possession by the visitors accompanied by incessant vocal encouragement from both the players and their supporters on the touchline. This all amounted to an extremely uncomfortable forty-five minutes for Harrow, who barely managed to string three consecutive passes together.

Fortunately, one of only two attacks by the hosts resulted in an equaliser, John Portal rampaging through a couple of tackles in midfield before slipping the ball through for Gbeminiyi Soyinka to run onto and finish into the far corner, sparking joyous celebrations that contained more than a tinge of relief.

With options on the bench limited, there was little for Max Curry to do at the break other than urge his team to try to up their intensity and workrate to match that of the opposition: something they had palpably failed to do so far.

But there was to be no respite, even as the game wore on into the closing stages. The Alleynian midfield continued to run with an almost demented zeal, flying into tackles and blocks and ensuring no Harrovian enjoyed more than a split-second of time on the ball.

Fortunately, the visitors were not as adept going forwards and lacked either the pace or guile to really trouble the Harrow defence. Orr-Ewing and Pratt were continually tested with the ball never spending much time away from the Harrow penalty area, but in goal Walsh was rarely troubled, one decent save from a first-half shot aside.

With extra-time looming, a less than enticing prospect for a struggling Harrow team, the game turned in the closing quarter of an hour. A punt forwards from Max Curry found Soyinka on the charge again and again he produced a clinical finish, rolling the ball into the far corner and giving his teammates a flutter as he wheeled away to celebrate long before the ball had actually found the net.

Moments later and the visitors hopes were dealt a terminal blow when another long ball from the back caught the Alleynian defence square and, as Soyinka looked for his hat-trick, he was hauled down fifteen yards inside the visitors' half. Referee Tony Anderson had no choice and produced a red card.

Alleynians' two best efforts after that both came from free-kicks, both from a similar position and both curled just wide of Walsh's post.

Harrow had somehow scraped through one of their toughest tests of the season to earn a place in the last eight and a trip to Division Two side Westminsters. There is unlikely to be much complacency going forwards.