The OHAFC 1st XI finally recorded their first win and first points of the 2024/25 season with a narrow but fully deserved 3-2 victory over the Old Rugbeians on a sunlit Harrow Hill on Saturday morning. Two first-half goals from striker George Taylor put the hosts in control only for the visitors to pull one back just before the break. Ollie Atkinson made it 3-1 with a super left-foot volley on the hour but the Blues were made to sweat for the points when the visitors scored a second with a quarter of an hour remaining before they were forced to see out the final five minutes a man down, George Gould dismissed for a second yellow card for backchat. The win lifts the Blues out of the relegation zone into eighth in the table, with the Rugbeians replacing them in the bottom two.

Following three consecutive defeats to start the season, Saturday’s fixture at home to the Rugbeians was as close as you could get to a relegation six-pointer this early in the campaign. The visitors earned a thrilling, and surprising, 6-5 win at home to the relegated Old Chigwellians on the opening day of the season but since then had conceded six themselves in defeats to the Brentwoods and Ardinians before losing 3-2 at home to the Salopians last weekend. Both sides sat in the bottom four of Division One heading into this encounter, separated in the table by the Old Kimboltonians and Old Marlburians, the other two sides along with the OHAFC yet to win a game this season.

The Blues, for the first time this season, were able to field a relatively unchanged side with only a single change in the back five, Ed Nicholson replacing Stan d’Angelin, Chester Robinson returning to play alongside George Gould in midfield and Arthur Leney regaining his place in the starting XI having started on the bench in last week’s defeat at the Ardinians. Jack Dolbey and Ollie Atkinson at least gave skipper Ed Beecham some strong options from the bench this time around.

In bright, sunny conditions on the Hill, the OHAFC made a strong start to the game, spreading play nicely and looking comfortable in possession. The midfield duo of Robinson and Gould were very much to the fore and chances were soon created, especially down the Harrow left, Leney and Taylor seeing plenty of the ball. Indeed, it was George Taylor who had the first chance of the game, being played through on goal and taking an early shot that was well saved by the Rugbeians keeper. But shortly afterwards, with the home side very much in control, the striker made no mistake with a second, harder opportunity. Fed from the right wing by Oli Acar, Taylor showed superb composure to skip round a lunging tackle from the defender before drawing the keeper out, rounding him also and rolling the ball into an empty net.

One soon became two as just after the half-hour mark the same player scored his and Harrow’s second. The hosts had already threatened from several free-kicks and the dangerous delivery from George Gould. Ed Nicholson had headed over at the far post with the best of the chances and the Rugbeian keeper’s decision not to bring a cap appeared foolish in the extreme as he struggled squinting into the low sun. He was now made to pay as another delivery from Gould into the box saw him fumble the ball and, following some gentle probing from Ed Beecham, the ball eventually ran loose to Taylor who prodded in from close range.

The hosts should have held onto their two-goal lead heading into the break but inexplicably gifted their opponents a way back into the game a few minutes before half-time when a poor backpass from Nicholson saw McGuinness caught in two minds over whether to rush forwards or not, his reluctance to do so allowing the Rugby striker to steal in, collect the ball before squaring to an unmarked teammate to finish.

Both substitutes were introduced at the break, Dolbey and Atkinson coming on for Acar and Leney, although both had performed strongly in the first half, causing numerous problems for the Rugby back four. The second half began with the visitors in the ascendency, pretty much for the first time in the match. Now playing with the wind at their backs, the Rugbeians pressed higher up the pitch, hassling the OHAFC on the ball and causing far more problems than they had managed prior to the interval. It was therefore somewhat ironic given the tendency so far this season for the Blues to concede during a spell of dominance, that they now restored their two-goal advantage with the visitors looking the more threatening. Gould and Robinson were the architects of the third Harrow goal, the latter sending the former through on goal and he produced an audacious chip only for the ball to rebound back off the crossbar. The Rugbeians never properly cleared the danger however and when the ball was played back into the box, Ollie Atkinson connected sweetly with an acrobatic left-foot volley to fire in from twelve yards out.

The Rugbeians continued to give as good as they got for the remainder of the game, forcing McGuinness into a couple of decent saves to maintain the two-goal advantage. But he was powerless to prevent the visitors from scoring a second with a quarter of an hour remaining – a throw-in was delivered into the striker’s feet and he turned Ed Nicholson superbly before smashing an unstoppable shot into the far top corner. A mild sense of panic now spread through the home team and they were indebted to their goalkeeper for producing a reaction save moments later as a midfielder ran through on goal only to send his effort crashing into McGuinness’ legs with the goal at his mercy. The ball bounced up into the air and both players temporarily lost sight of it only for the Harrow man to react quickest and complete the clearance.

With five minutes remaining, and the Rugbeians beginning to look like they had run out of ideas, the home side’s task was made harder still when George Gould foolishly got himself sent off for receiving a second yellow card for dissent from referee Neil Cooper. It was a mistake the Blues can scarcely afford and Gould will now serve a one-match ban. But despite this folly, the hosts managed to cling on for a much-needed victory ahead of their first bye week of the season. By the time the side return to action, against the Old Kimboltonians on October 19th, skipper Dan Firoozan may well have recovered fully from his knee injury and be ready to lead the side on the field once more.