For the second weekend running, the OHAFC 2nd XI found themselves beaten by a physically stronger, well organised side who gave the Blues little opportunity to add to their tally of five League victories this season. As was the case in last weekend’s 3-1 defeat at home to Division Three leaders the Old Albanians, the OHAFC 2s played some excellent football in patches against the Old Alleynians 3s in Dulwich but found the hosts’ defence almost impregnable and two goals in either half ensured the home side remain in firm contention for one of the two promotion spots.

With their own hopes of returning to Division Two ended by last weekend’s defeat to a strong Albanians side, the Blues were left with little but pride to play for in their remaining five League fixtures. Commitment and attitude has been excellent throughout the season and the 2s failure to last the pace has not been for want of trying. But this defeat, against an Alleynians side who had got lucky in scraping a last-minute 2-2 draw on a sunlit Hill back in September, provided further proof of the gulf in quality between the top three teams in the division and the rest.

The visitors actually began well here on the pristine new artificial pitch at Dulwich College that has only been in use for a couple of seasons, although a few times players were caught out by the slowness of the surface allowing Alleynians players to steal in. But for the opening twenty minutes it was the men in blue largely in control, dominating possession and territory. Alleynains always posed a threat on the break with their powerful skipper running the channels on both sides of the pitch, but the Harrovian midfield trio of Kellock, Stewart and Lederman looked more than a match for their opposite men as they probed to free the front three of Andres Hutchinson, Owain James and Tristan David. Unfortunately, the Alleynians back four proved as powerful and resolute as their Albanians counterparts had a week ago and the keeper was rarely tested.

Midway through the half, with goalmouth action at a premium but the visitors still very much in the ascendency, the game suddenly sparked into life when the Alleynians scored twice in the space of three minutes – on both occasions benefitting from fortuitous decisions from referee Elijah Marrs. The first incident actually saw Harrow keeper Rory Craig the initial beneficiary of a lack of a whistle as he came haring off his line to intercept a through ball only for the striker to reach it first and knock it towards goal. The ball struck the Harrow keeper on the upper arm and he was possibly a foot or so outside of his area but despite Alleynian appeals play was allowed to continue. But if the visitors thought they had escaped, they were mistaken. Play was recycled out to the right wing and delivered into the box, the left winger racing in and committing what appeared a blatant shove in the back on right-back Geoff Taunton-Collins as he forced the ball over the line. But again the referee remained unmoved and the goal stood.

If that incident was a close call either way, there was little doubting how aggrieved the visitors felt a couple of minutes later. An Alleynians attack through the middle was ended by a superb challenge from Ed Stewart, who slid in from the side and blocked the ball with the back of his left leg. The Alleynian player was sent tumbling but this time a free-kick was awarded. Ten yards outside the penalty area, just right of centre, the skipper stepped up and curled an inch perfect strike over the wall and just under the bar.

The visitors from nowhere found themselves two goals down with a mountain to climb and a strong sense of frustration at the perceived injustices that had just occurred. The Blues eventually regained their composure to get to the break without any further damage but on the balance of play it was a harsh scoreline to have to face at the interval. Skipper Tristan David had already brought lone substitute Adam Graham on, but the 3s regular had struggled to make much of an impact against a tall, physical back four. Better was to be hoped for in the second half.

The visitors made a bright start to the second forty-five minutes, and a few half chances were created, Hutchinson firing wide, Tristan David seeing his deflected curler tipped past the post with a rather theatrical dive from the Alleynians keeper. Indeed, the pattern of the game remained much the same throughout, with the Blues comfortable on the ball in their own half but struggling to make much headway in the final third, the hosts content to soak up pressure and play more directly on the break. In possibly their most flowing move of the game, David fed Taunton-Collins down the right and he delivered a low cross to the near post but the angle was too tight and Graham’s first-time effort was smothered by the keeper.

With twenty minutes played the result was put beyond any doubt when the hosts scored a third. Craig made an excellent save at his near post as an Alleynian forward raced down the left wing, but from the resulting corner a ball well beyond the far post was headed back towards the edge of the box and one of the centre-backs chested down on the turn before smashing a superb volley in from fifteen yards out.

Taunton-Collins delivered a couple of fine crosses into the box, Owain James drove into the box a couple of times but there was simply no way through a determined Alleynians defence. As the clock ticked towards the ninetieth minute and Harrow legs tired, a fourth was conceded, the pacy right winger cutting inside only to see his curled effort crash against the underside of the bar before being turned in from close range, Harrow defenders watching on motionless.

The final scoreline was undoubtedly tough on the visitors, who were unfortunate to trail at half-time, let alone by a two-goal margin. But the Alleynians proved too fit, too powerful and too decisive at either end of the pitch, rendering the phases of excellent football the visitors did manage to concoct all rather meaningless. The Blues now have a week off but return to action with a highly anticipated fixture: the visit of the Old Haberdashers to the Hill. The OHAFC suffered a rather unenjoyable afternoon in Borehamwood back in November losing 6-3 in a game they led 3-2 early in the second half. With little else to play for, revenge will no doubt prove the main motivation.