A calamitous opening fifteen minutes consigned the OHAFC 1st XI to a heavy defeat away to the Old Brentwoods in their penultimate fixture of the 2024/25 season and ensured that the threat of relegation will remain right to the very end. Having thrown away any chance of earning points in Essex with the concession of four goals inside the opening quarter of an hour, the Blues could still have ended the day with smiles on their faces if news arrived from the opposite corner of London of a victory for the Old Marlburians over the Old Radleians – the one side capable of condemning the OHAFC to the drop. Instead, word filtered through that the game had not been played - the Marlburians unable to raise a side – so the Blues are left with the prospect of their final remaining fixture away to the struggling Marlburians in a fortnight’s time unaware of what, if any, significance it will hold.

Despite Saturday’s opponents having already wrapped up the title with victory over the Old Rugbeians last weekend, there was little indication that Brentwoods would be taking this encounter lightly: the OHAFC had inflicted only their second League defeat of the season on the Harrow astroturf three weeks ago and the hosts’ intense warm-up suggested that revenge was very much on their minds.

It didn’t take long for the worst Harrovian fears to be confirmed, although the opening goal, conceded straight from kick-off was almost entirely of the visitors’ own doing. Having stressed beforehand of the absolute necessity not to take any risks at the back on a hard, slightly uneven pitch, the Blues managed to do just that straight from kick-off. The ball was passed back to Ed Beecham on the edge of his own area and his heavy touch meant a hurried clearance that was blocked by an onrushing forward. The ball spun up into the air and behind him, keeper Tom Mitchell coming to the edge of the box to punch clear. Although the clearance was decent enough, the ball fell straight to the Brentwoods central midfielder who wasted little time in firing the ball back on the volley first-time, the shot perfectly executed, the ball looping over the keeper and landing in the roof of the net after one bounce.

Barely had those watching on had time to process what they had just witnessed when a second goal was being fashioned. A long ball down the Brentwoods right caught the visitors napping again, a cross was whipped in to the six yard box and although the header from the forward was far from clean, the connection sent the ball once more looping over Mitchell to nestle just inside the far post. Two minutes had elapsed and chances of an unlikely league double over the champions had all but evaporated.

And any slim remaining hopes of earning even a point from the game were gone within a quarter of an hour and the concession of two further goals. The third, after six minutes, was similar in nature to the second, a cross from the right that was turned in low, first-time from close range. The fourth, ten minutes later, came from a flowing move through the middle of the pitch that ended with the ball being worked across the edge of the box from the right wing. With the defence stretched, the final ball saw the Brentwoods forward collect possession on the left in plenty of space, only to slip as he controlled. Gallingly, the player still had time to pick himself up off the floor before curling a shot into the far corner on the stretch.

With the game now gone, the visitors at least began to show a bit more fight in the middle of the pitch, the introduction of Charlie Bick in place of his brother Harry adding some badly needed bite and hunger to the midfield. Tempers at one point threatened to spill over as the Harrow man barged a Brentwoods player over only for another to come steaming in and aim a swipe at the Harrow substitute. The resulting yellow card was an extremely generous interpretation of the incident.

The second Harrow substitute, Stan d’Angelin, was introduced five minutes prior to the break and this meant a reshuffle from the skipper, with Alfie Hayes moving up the wing and Ciaran Jordan dropping into the back four, John Russell the man who had made way. Half-time proved a tense affair as some calm words of encouragement from skipper Firoozan made way for a blistering outburst from Charlie Bick, furious at what he perceived to be a lack of desire and effort from the side. It was hard to disagree with anything that was said, although the harshness of the language used wasn’t appreciated by all. A major improvement in the second half was the very least that could be expected.

With the criticism still ringing firmly in their ears, the Blues did indeed show more grit after the break. Both sides spurned good chances early in the half, Mitchell producing a fine save to palm a header away from the top corner before the visitors broke forwards down the left, Will Payne driving past his man but his low effort was smothered at the near post. The Blues were now the better side, although with a four-goal cushion it was clear the hosts were content to slow things down and run the clock down. Firoozan and Bick both enjoyed more influence in the middle of the pitch and this brought Payne and Taylor into the game, although chances remained hard to fashion. The visitors enjoyed one fortunate escape from a corner, a low ball whipped into the near post was missed by Owen Edmunds and Jamie Jordache’s panicked clearance smacked into a Brentwoods player before rolling inches wide of the post.

The closing stages saw the hosts threaten strongly on the break and with twelve minutes remaining they scored a fifth, a long ball down their left wing was crossed into the box and finished from close range for the simplest of efforts. The visitors at least prevented their opponents from registering a clean sheet, although they were hugely fortunate with a generous penalty decision as Charlie Bick fell to the ground after slight nudge in the back. The veteran picked himself up to plant the spot-kick into the bottom corner to reduce the arrears back to four again.

But it was the hosts who, fittingly, had the final word, a fairly farcical sixth goal arriving five minutes from time following a lengthy stoppage to decide how play should resume in the corner of the pitch deep in Harrow territory. A throw-in was eventually awarded to the Blues but they had little idea what to do with it, the ball was passed to the edge of the area and promptly lost, the first effort on goal was parried by Mitchell, the rebound gleefully smashed in by the centre midfielder to complete an unlikely hat-trick.

The goal summed up the entire day for the OHAFC and the side must now await the League decision regarding the final fixture against the Marlburians. If the game is played, only victory will confirm relegation for the Old Radlieans into Division Two.