The OHAFC 1st XI’s inconsistent run of form continued on Saturday morning as they suffered a disappointing 3-0 defeat at home to the Old Chigwellians on a windy, rainswept Harrow Hill. A much-changed Harrow side battled hard into a strong wind in the first half and remained on level terms after half an hour. But two slight defensive lapses five minutes apart were ruthlessly punished by the visitors and despite playing with the wind behind them in the second half, the Blues never looked like clawing their way back into the game. A late third for the visitors was added on the break as the home side pushed men forwards. Defeat leaves the OHAFC still in eighth in the table but now only two points ahead of the Old Radleians, who stunned the second-placed Old Ardinians by coming back from a 4-1 deficit to record a remarkable 5-4 win down in Whitton. The two sides meet on the Hill next Saturday in a vital fixture that will have huge ramifications for the two teams’ chances of staying up come the end of the season.

With availability again a struggle for skipper Dan Firoozan, the late postponement of the 2s fixture at home to Brentwoods 3s (the visitors unable to field a side) at least allowed wingers Miles Kellock and Tristan David to make themselves available, the pair forming a promising front three with the livewire Will Payne, who is still working his way back to full fitness following a lengthy bout of pneumonia. Alex Fraysse made his first appearance for the 1s in goal, in the process becoming the first and, almost certainly, only player to represent all three Saturday sides and the Vets this season. Felix Majumdar and Zane Khan, two UCL students, added a youthful presence in midfield and defence, the former playing his first game of the season for the club, the latter making his OHAFC debut. Jack Dolbey was restored to his favoured central midfield position, Khan starting at left-back with Cyprian Owen Edmunds graciously agreeing to start on the bench.

Conditions on the Hill, for the first time this season, were atrocious, with driving rain and a strong wind blowing down towards the Alcock Pavilion. Having won the toss, Firoozan opted to defend that end in the first half, survival to the break no doubt uppermost in Harrovian minds as Kacper Ignatiuk’s whistle blew to get the game underway. And for the first half an hour the plan seemed to be working well enough. In a dour contest to that point, chances were few and far between, Chigs looking the more assured of the two sides but unable to fashion anything resembling a clear-cut opportunity. There was one brief moment to alarm the home side when Fraysse dithered slightly too long when executing a clearance, but he recovered quickly enough to save the resulting shot from the edge of the area.

As an attacking threat, the hosts were simply non-existent, too often the ball was driven long without any real purpose or thought, but defensively the side battled well enough and managed to clear their lines fairly effectively. But two slight lapses in the space of five minutes allowed the visitors to strike and take a firm grip on the game. To the Chigwellians’ credit, the first goal was at least borne of some enterprising play through the heart of the Harrow midfield, with the ball switched inside from the right and a couple of neat exchanges allowing a runner to progress to the edge of the box but centre-back Ed Beecham should probably have dealt with the clearance better, the ball ricocheting off an attacker and running loose into the penalty area where the number nine reacted quickest to sweep the ball first-time under Fraysse’s outstretched leg.

The second goal, four minutes later, was even more preventable. A throw-in deep inside Chigs territory presented little threat but the visitors were allowed far too much time to work the ball down the wing before another muffed clearance, this time from the other centre-back Ed Nicholson, who hesitated at the vital moment, allowed the striker to collect and feed the right winger who timed his run through the middle to perfection. Again, the Harrow keeper was totally exposed and a finish very similar to the first saw the ball flash past him low to his left.

The Blues survived another couple of sticky moments as the half came to an end but reached the break still confident a positive result could be achieved, Chigs now asked to play into the strong wind. But Harrow’s hopes suffered a bad blow just five minutes into the half when skipper Firoozan limped from the field with a sore left groin. He would not be able to return, spending the remainder of the half looking fairly miserable, wrapped in an enormous blue puffer jacket. Needing to improvise, the hosts switched both UCL youngsters into midfield alongside Jack Dolbey, Owen Edmunds stationed at his favoured left-back spot.

Sure enough, with the wind now at their backs the men in white enjoyed slightly more of the ball and a lot better territory at the start of the half. For fifteen minutes the threat of a comeback appeared at least plausible, with Will Payne driving a shot straight at the keeper, Tristan David then blasting an effort high over the bar after good work down the left from Kellock. But too often the wrong passing option was chosen, with too many long balls delivered and not enough emphasis on slowing the game down and making the visitors chase. This was despite the hosts being given a helping hand on the hour when their skipper was sent to the sin bin for ten minutes for talking back to the referee. On the balance of play that followed, you would have been hard-pressed to tell which side were playing with ten men.

With a quarter of an hour remaining, and the visitors restored to their full complement of players, the game once more developed into a lull with neither side looking likely to score. Fraysse again rescued himself from a poor clearance to make a good save away to his left, a Tristan David free-kick into the Chigs box caused chaos with Beecham and Payne both ending up on the floor having seen their efforts blocked on the line. Dolbey was then carded for a desperate tackle in the middle of the pitch as a dangerous break threatened to develop.

But with just under ten minutes remaining the visitors ensured victory, taking advantage of an acre of space down their left to work the ball inside the box, the skipper finishing adroitly with a first-time left foot shot that crept inside the far post, Fraysse again without hope of executing a save.

It proved the final moment of quality in a game largely devoid of that particular ingredient, perhaps understandable given the conditions. Nevertheless, a sixth League defeat in nine games is the stark reality facing a Harrow side who must improve in next week’s clash with the Radleians if they are to avoid making it a seventh defeat from ten.