It was, unfortunately, almost a case of history repeating itself on Saturday afternoon, as the OHAFC 2nd XI once again came unstuck against a talented Old Westminsters side and, despite dominating the first quarter of the match, ended well beaten in the pouring rain on Harrow Hill.

When the sides met for the first time last season in the shadow of Canary Wharf, the Blues began the better side and were the wrong side of the post away from taking the lead. Minutes later Westminsters capitalised on some profligate Harrow defending and ended up strolling to a 5-0 victory courtesy of some lethal finishing.

Saturday’s Division Two game, played in consistent pouring rain on the Hill, was eerily similar. This time, however, Harrow can count themselves even more unfortunate to have finished the afternoon with nothing to show for their efforts.

In a dominant opening spell, Geoff Taunton-Collins’ men pressed their opponents high up the pitch and clearly unsettled them – the pink shirts (a much darker shade of pink this season, almost verging on fuchsia) appeared discombobulated, their usual crisp passing encouragingly wayward.

The hosts made good use of their wide players, with Cyprian Owen-Edmunds looking lively down the left and young Luke Berry making some twinkle-toed runs down the right. He arrived in Saturday’s squad following excellent scouting reports from the 3s and was involved in the build-up to a gilt-edged chance for Owen-Edmunds, feeding Alexi Pittalis who in turn slipped the ball through for the left winger to run onto. Faced with just the keeper to beat, Cyprian opted for a dinky chip and was unlucky to see the ball run just wide of the post.

If that was unfortunate, the series of near misses that followed a corner from the right shortly afterwards was extraordinary. The ball was cleared to the edge of the box and turned back in on the volley by Lederman, the ball arcing over the keeper but cannoning back off the bar. It fell invitingly to Taunton-Collins, but his point-blank effort was somehow cleared off the line. Milln, making his first OHAFC appearance of the season, had the final chance, but his volley was awkward and he could only skew the ball wide of the far post off his thigh.

Westminsters were hanging on and the woodwork again came to their rescue following a trademark sprint down the right wing from the skipper. Taunton-Collins out-paced his marker and delivered an inviting ball across the box for Owen-Edmunds at the far post, alas his first-time effort again beat the keeper but flicked off the outside of the post.

At this stage it was one-way traffic, with Harrow keeper Kyri Pittalis in danger of freezing to death through lack of action. But all that changed in a bizarre period prior to half-time that saw the visitors take advantage of some further good fortune to take a stranglehold on the game.

From practically their first attack of the game the right-winger cut inside and fired in at the near post via a slight deflection off the lunging Woolley. If it was debatable whether or not Pittalis could have saved the original shot, there was no doubting his lack of culpability with the second soon afterwards. Another low shot was fired in from the edge of the box, but as he dived to collect, the ball hit a drainage channel running across the goal and bounced three feet into the air, leaving him with no chance.

From nowhere Westminsters were two goals to the good and, to their credit, they took full advantage of their good fortune, stirring into life to overrun a shell-shocked Harrow side. The ten minutes prior to the break was one-way traffic in the wrong direction. Another quick counter should have been cut out but again the ball fell kindly for the visitors allowing a free run on goal for an attacker.

The fourth goal, with the final attack of the half, was quick, incisive and finished beautifully, Westminsters’ best player advancing on goal before dinking the ball expertly over Pittalis into the far corner.

At 4-0 down there was little skipper Taunton-Collins could do at the break other than encourage his troops to win the second half.

The half started in scrappy fashion, with a number of somewhat contentious decisions irking both sides. Indeed, despite the dire conditions, there had been little work for referee Tini Kaja in the opening forty-five minutes, but he suddenly found himself forced to make a series of calls and the game was punctuated repeatedly with the shrill of his whistle.

A tiring Luke Berry was replaced with Oliver Acar, another young wide player, and he immediately looked at home, riding challenges and initiating several attacks down the left. Harrow struggled to create many chances through open play, but managed to force a number of corners and free-kicks. These were well defended by the visitors until, with twenty minutes remaining, a stray arm blocked a header from Milln at close range and, to Westminsters’ obvious frustration, referee Kaja pointed to the spot. Lederman sent the keeper the wrong way to reduce the arrears to three.

The hosts then enjoyed an excellent spell of almost unceasing pressure on the Westminsters goal, but try as they might, they could not force a way through a well-marshalled back four. Frustrations began to grow as a result, with the referee again called to intervene on several occasions in order to restore order.

As time ticked down and it became clear there was to be no way back for the Blues, they suffered one final indignity when a quickly-taken free-kick sent a Westminsters forward clean through on goal and, to some bemusement, the sight of goalkeeper Pittalis slowly jogging across his box with his back to play. Hearing the frantic warning cries from his teammates, he swiftly turned to face play but it was too late, the striker comfortably rounding him and rolling the ball into the empty net.

The 5-1 scoreline was harsh on the hosts, who in spells in both halves were clearly the better side. But they were made to pay for their profligacy in front of goal courtesy, once again, of some clinical finishing from Westminsters, whose chance conversion rate must be among the highest in the League.

Young wide players Berry and Acar both enjoyed excellent debuts for the 2s and look more than capable of playing at this level. It was also encouraging to see the return to action of Fred Milln and Alexi Pittalis, two key players going forwards this season. And a further welcome return came in the shape of barrel-chested left-back Jonathan Best, who has now returned from France permanently and, fiancée permitting, could see plenty of action this season.

The side now turn their attentions to a newly-promoted side in the shape of Old Citizens, who visit the Hill next Saturday. It should prove another stiff challenge, with the visitors having won all three of their games to date and conceding just two goals in the process.