The OHAFC 3rd XI continued their magnificent run of form that has seen them lose just one of their past 19 Arthurian League matches with a comprehensive dismantling of the Old Haberdashers on Saturday. Star of the show was the side’s leading scorer over the past decade, Alex Smith helping himself to four more goals in the 8-0 drubbing, in the process taking his tally to 49 goals in just 47 appearances. The win keeps Nick Kapoor’s men top of Division Four on 14 points, two clear of the Old Stoics whom they face in a fortnight’s time.

It took the Blues a while to find their stride on Saturday, with bottom of the table Habs resisting for the first twenty minutes, despite the hosts dominating from the outset. But once the floodgates were opened, it quickly became clear there were goals to be had.

Tommy Faber opened the scoring after twenty minutes, beating a couple of defenders down the left before finishing at the near post. The goal allowed the Blues to settle and within ten minutes they had scored twice more to confirm the comfortable nature of the remainder of the game. Smith opened his tally with a simple finish from a through ball before he then pounced on a rebound following a Callum Barrett effort.

Five minutes into the second half the striker completed his hat-trick following excellent work from youngster Nick Blinoff, who beat two men down the left before crossing for Smith to finish into the bottom right corner.

By now Habs were a well beaten outfit and they were to concede four more goals in the last half hour. Charlie Bick scored the fifth, closing down a defender to rob him of the ball and drilling it into the bottom corner, before an own goal summed up the visitors’ afternoon – Nick Kapoor’s effort following a corner deflected in past a disconsolate Haberdashers’ keeper.

Alex Cadisch opened his account for the season with the side’s seventh, finishing at the second attempt after he had been played in down the left. And the best was saved until the end with a fine team goal rounding off the scoring, Benjy Sewell crossing from the right first-time for Smith to finish into the bottom corner.

The 8-0 win represented the biggest margin of victory for the 3rd XI in a League game since the side’s reformation in 2012. Whilst Smithy grabs the headlines for his goalscoring exploits, credit must also go to the back four and goalkeeper Jon Sharples, making his first outing of the season between the sticks, for the way they maintained their concentration throughout, helping to produce a first clean sheet of the season.

The side now have a week off before returning to League action with a trip to Eastbournians in Barnes next weekend.

*Thanks to goalscorer supreme Alex Smith for his help with this report