The OHAFC 3rd XI overcame a resolute but unspectacular Old Suttonians side in the Preliminary Round of the Junior League Cup, eventually running out clear 3-0 winners on a cloudy day in west London. Set-pieces proved to be the deciding factor in the game, with the visitors scoring from a long throw just before the break and a corner just after. Another long throw yielded a third with just over twenty minutes remaining and the tie was settled.

The first ever meeting between an OHAFC side and the Old Suttonians SV was bound to be a closely-fought encounter, with the two sides enjoying identical records at the top of Division Four – the sides have both won five and drawn two in the League and are due to meet in that competition, again at Kings House, next weekend.

The first half here was accordingly tight, with chances at an absolute premium. There was plenty of honest endeavour and some decent football played, but too often the final pass was lacking. Both sides delivered a couple of threatening crosses but neither goalkeeper was tested by a semblance of a shot, Jon Sharples in the Harrow goal alert enough to a few over-hit through-balls as the hosts recovered from a shaky start to dominate the middle third of the half.

But towards the interval the Blues began to assert their authority on proceedings, with target man Alex Smith making a nuisance of himself both on the deck and in the air. Wide men Harry Bick and Luke Berry buzzed around, the former foiled by an alert piece of keeping as he raced through trying to reach a flick-on.

With the three Barrett brothers and Max Morgan all looking rock solid at the back for Harrow, a goalless first half looked an inevitability, but that prospect was ended a couple of minutes prior to the break when a long throw from Connor Barrett caused havoc in the Suttonians’ penalty area. The ball bounced around inside the box, was finally cleared but immediately lobbed back in and it was younger brother Callum who found himself in the right place at the right time, volleying into the roof of the net from close range for his first ever OHAFC goal, the hosts appealing in vain for offside.

Skipper Nick Kapoor had the luxury of introducing two quality substitutes at the break with both Cyprian Owen-Edmunds and Henry Bamford joining the fray. But they had barely touched the ball before the visitors had doubled their lead. Winning a corner almost straight from the re-start, Harry Bick delivered a low ball into the near post and Smith reacted quickest, producing a neat flick with his instep to send the ball flying across goal and in off the far post.

With a two-goal lead the Blues were in complete control and set about seeing out the game. Again, flowing football was hard to come by, with referee Alan Smithee, sporting an ‘interesting’ bright red hairdo, forced to intervene regularly, not least as the ball was continually impeded by the wires crossing the pitch.

The visitors should have had the game wrapped up as a series of chances fell to them in quick succession, Suttonians at one stage completely overrun at the back. Harry Bick had several opportunities to score, coming closest when his shot cannoned off the post, onto the keeper and back towards the goal, only to be grabbed right on the line. Smith could have added to his tally but fired wide and Charlie Bick did likewise.

But it was to be another long throw that finally killed the game, Connor Barrett launching another bomb into the box, again Suttonians made a mess of their clearance and Harry Bick pounced, firing in from a couple of yards out. As usual, he celebrated as if he’d scored the winner in the World Cup final.

The closing stages passed without incident, Sutton heads understandably dropping as they contemplated a first ever defeat as an Arthurian League side. But there was enough in the first half to suggest that next week’s League encounter will be far from a foregone conclusion.

After the game, news emerged that the OHAFC 3s had been drawn away to 3rd Division strugglers the Old Salopians 2s in the first round, the tie again to be played on the Kings House astroturf in early January.