From the ridiculous to the sublime. Seven days ago the OHAFC 1st XI suffered one of the most humiliating defeats in living memory when they conceded seven goals away to an Old Kimboltonians side struggling near the foot of Division One. Today, they made a mockery of the formbook, and their own recent Dunn Cup history, with a fully deserved 3-1 win over the Division One leaders the Old Ardinians – who had enjoyed their own seven-goal win over the OHAFC a few weeks ago in the League. Here, some suspect goalkeeping and a resolute, determined display from the hosts ensured that it would be the OHAFC who are in the hat for round two with an away trip to face either the Old Westminsters or the Old Bradfieldians on the cards.

Despite the helping hand from the Ardinians keeper, who twice failed to properly clear his lines when under minimal pressure, there was no doubting which side fully deserved to progress. The Blues were as good here as they were awful in the Kimboltons defeat. Solid at the back, organised and committed all over the pitch and alert in attack, the hosts should probably have sealed victory long before Ed Beecham bundled in the third Harrow goal two minutes from full time. This was the first time in five seasons the OHAFC have progressed to round two of the Dunn, with the gap to the previous quarter-final appearance no fewer than nine seasons. Whilst dreams of a second ever final appearance may be a long way off, this was clear proof that when the squad make themselves available, prepare properly and execute their gameplan, they are comfortably good enough to challenge every side in Division One. As ever, the question remains whether there is sufficient drive to do so.

The hosts, wearing their change strip of white on a cloudy, cold morning in north London, made a dream start when, just two minutes into the tie, George Taylor scored a superb opportunistic goal from over forty yards out, skilfully volleying the ball back first-time after the Ardinians keeper made a hash of what should have been a routine clearance. Stuck on the edge of his own box, the custodian was a mere spectator as Taylor’s instinctive shot flew past him and into the empty net.

This set the tone for much of the first half, with the Ardinians strangely subdued in contrast to their previous visit to the Hill back in late September. There were isolated instances of threat from the men in navy, but more often than not this was due to a breakdown of a Harrow move rather than any inspiration from the visitors. The hosts won two free-kicks just outside the box, George Taylor winning possession in a dangerous area before he was crudely brought down the first time, the Ardinians player going into referee Sachin Patel’s notebook. But from both efforts skipper Dan Firoozan failed to test the keeper, the first shot tamely hitting the wall, the second sailing harmlessly over the bar.

Still the OHAFC pressed on. A swift move down the right saw Alfie Hayes and Jamie Jordache exchange passes, working the ball towards the Ardinians box. But the cross from the latter was a poor one, evading several teammates who had timed their runs into the box. The fifteen minutes before half-time became rather scrappy with plenty of stoppages, George Taylor receiving a painful knock on his elbow that would eventually force him to withdraw from the game at the interval. But the home side were still in full control until, three minutes before the break, the OHAFC fell asleep at a corner, allowing the Ardinians to take a quick, short one, the winger beating an eventual challenge before delivering a cross to the far post where no fewer than three players were queuing up to apply the finishing touch, a lopping header dropping softly into the far corner to ensure the two sides went in level at the half.

This was despite, a minute later, the home side coming within inches of restoring their advantage courtesy of a superb move that saw Ed Beecham winning the ball in midfield, feed Firoozan and the skipper delivered a diagonal ball to the edge of the box where Oli Acar collected, cut inside his man before smashing a shot against the underside of the crossbar. It was a disappointing outcome for the hosts, who had been the dominant side for most of the half.

Skipper Firoozan and vice-captain Beecham remained deep in conversation for a few minutes regarding potential substitutions – the traditional one on, one off rule that still applies in senior football an original problem in the modern world of roll-on, roll-off subs in the Arthurian League. The leadership pair decided to use two of their three options, one change necessitated by the injury to George Taylor, who was joined on the side by Nikita Levine, with Ciaran Jordan on up front and Ollie Atkinson moving to the wing.

Somewhat remarkably, the second half began in exactly the same way the first half had. Two minutes in, another mistake from the Ardinians keeper, this one even worse than the first. A simple back pass saw the player again attempt to clear first time as Ciaran Jordan closed in. But the swipe of the right boot didn’t even make contact with the ball, which struck the keeper on the knee almost, Jordan collecting the loose ball and gleefully rolling it into an empty net from the edge of the box. The visitors could not believe what they had seen, although the concession of eleven goals from their five League games to date suggests the Ardinians are certainly stronger in attack than they are at the back.

Despite quickly regaining their advantage, the OHAFC struggled to match the quality of their first-half display and the second period proved a fairly even affair, both sides eventually tiring on the slightly heavy pitch, chances at a premium. The regular shrill of the referee’s whistle for free-kicks disrupted both sides’ rhythm and it became hard to see where any further goals would arrive from. The hosts earned a few set-pieces, none of which came to anything, the skipper embarked on a mazy dribble into the box but he was eventually crowded out by a couple of defenders – the resulting Ardinians counter ended with a tame shot straight at keeper Tom Mitchell. Ciaran Jordan then had the next chance for the hosts, collecting an errant throw from the keeper only to place his long-range effort wide of the far post.

Controversy reigned with fifteen minutes remaining when Mitchell was harshly judged to have carried the ball inches outside his penalty area, the Harrow man furious with what he believed were spurious Ardinian appeals for the offence. But again the resulting effort was a tame one and easily dealt with. But Mitchell then had to make a far harder save, blocking a shot with his thigh from close range after the Harrow defence had been caught out by a ball over the top. The Ardinians then came close with an acrobatic overhead kick, the hosts relieved to see the ball roll just wide of the post.

Time continued to tick down towards the ninetieth minute and Ciaran Jordan again had the chance to sentence the game but fired straight at the keeper after he had been played in by Firoozan. It didn’t matter. With two minutes remaining, and the Ardinians looking bereft of ideas, a forceful tackle in midfield from Yunus Sert won the ball and he supplied a perfect through-ball for Beecham to run onto, the midfielder a tireless bundle of energy throughout. Although the Ardinians keeper blocked the first effort, the Harrow man ran on to slide the loose ball in from a narrow angle and now the game was well and truly decided.

Relief all round for the OHAFC, who must hope this victory acts as a catalyst for their season going forwards. The bar has been set high, it remains to be seen how often the team can climb over it.