The 2s started their season with an assured display against Old King's Wimbledon.

The line-up for the curtain raiser saw a number of new faces join the ranks, bolstering the squad that ended the 13/14 season threadbare and in dire need of reinforcements.

Orr-Ewing, in his second season as skipper and working with the resources available to him, decided on a 4-3-3 formation:

Pritchard - Chopra - Orr-Ewing - Maydon - Jorel Bajwa - Kerry - Pratt - Khan - M Curry - Igbokwe - O Curry

The bench consisted of Elwell, Taunton-Collins and Dalzell.

The game started relatively comfortably for the home side, working hard to win the ball back and seeing some nice interchange play in the front 4, with Khan supporting.

The defence, familiar with each other’s' game after many seasons, and welcoming back 'keeper Pritchard, were composed, stamping out danger before it materialised. Pratt and Kerry worked tirelessly in front of them, breaking down play and holding possession nicely. Kerry seems to have added some more assured possession football to his game, and re-found the grit and hustle that earned him accolades such as the "midfield general" when he broke into the side 2 seasons ago. George Pratt settled in well next to him, filling into the channels when required and using his sizeable frame to roll his man and open up the field.

On 20 mins, as the game had settled into good possession from Harrow with little more than a couple of Pratt hail Marys to show for it, the home side were rewarded for their dominance. Calm passing down the left flank through Jorel Bajwa found Igbokwe in space; the young striker, making his debut for the club, burst into the box, 'megged the clumsy OKWs centre back, and was taken out under heavy contact. Referee Alan Higgs, no stranger to the penalty kick, didn't hesitate in pointing to the spot. The skipper turned to his senior striker, Max Curry, to take the kick, but was given a shake of the head and had to look elsewhere. Pratt, not short on confidence, demanded the ball and strolled up to take the kick. However, his midfield partner Ben Kerry, starting his 20th game for the 2s, pulled rank and took over at the last minute. He coolly thumped the ball to the keeper's right with the sort of gung-ho, do-or-die attitude that has won wars for Great Britain, turning away with minimal fuss before the ball was even in the net. 1-0.

The side were thankful for Arjun Chopra, in his 70th game for the club, sweeping behind his centre backs to make a well-timed challenge on a rare OKWs break. And minutes later the right back, showing no signs of being the wrong side of 30, overlapped his winger and broke into the opposition box, heading the in-coming cross into the keeper’s hands.

Unfortunately Max Curry, who had shown his class on the right flank beating his opposite man a number of times and linking up well with his brother when coming infield, pulled up with a hamstring injury just before the break. He'll be missed for c.3 weeks, giving him more time to focus on his upcoming exams.

Geoff Taunton-Collins stepped into his position on the right wing, winning his debut at 26 yrs of age. "Where's he been for the last 8 yrs?", was heard murmured from the crowd, as Azhar Khan, recruitment secretary, struggled to come to terms with his obvious oversight.

Harrow went into the break 1-0 up, knowing that they'd have to score again to be sure of the 3 points. The second half also saw the introduction of Harry Dalzell, welcomed back to the club after a number of years in Shanghai. Complaining of a lack of fitness, but full of confidence having been featured in this week's "one to watch" section, Dalzell had an immediate impact. Enjoying plenty of space on the left wing and having the run of the opposition right back, Harry caused mischief from the first minute of the half. Possessing a good first touch, mental stepover ability and accurate delivery from either foot, he provided the extra technique required to break down the OKWs defence.

Azhar Khan, who had an excellent game as the most advanced of the midfield 3, had the chance to open his account for OHAFC after a well taken corner from Geoff TC found him under the cross bar with the keeper beaten. Khan, surprised by the nature of the gilt edged opportunity and with a surge of euphoria, confidently middled the header soaring over the bar. The miss aside, Khan's performance was disciplined and technically strong. Often prone to overcomplicated dribbling or passing, Khan played the link role with composure, winning back possession high up the pitch and feeding front 3 well.

Dalzell was then involved in Harrow's second of the game, setting up TC for a debut goal. Harry beat his man for pace down the left flank and put in a delightful cross, finding TC on the far post to apply the finish. The winger had made up 20 yards to be in the scoring position, showing he's got the desire and the instinct to be a valuable player this season.

With the elixir of the clean sheet looming as Harrow started to cruise to victory, some sloppy defending put the home side in a needlessly pressurised position. TC was covering for Chopra at right back, and Orr-Ewing was pulled out of position to close down a cross from the OKWs left back. He applied a dangerous cross on the back post, putting Maydon and Elwell under pressure. The dubious goals panel, provided by Igbokwe's agent/mum who filmed the event, will decide whether the goal is to go down as an Elwell OG; either way, he was powerless to stop the ball looping up tantalisingly over Pritchard and into the far corner. An irritating goal to concede.

Harrow responded very well, and it was Dalzell who again created the chance for his second assist of the game. Robbing the right back of possession and driving in towards the opposition goal, he found Igbokwe on the goal line. The striker finished rather apologetically, tapping in from close range and restoring the 2 goal cushion.

The game also saw the debut for Olly Curry, whose performance shows that he'll bring a similar thrust and verve to the side as his older brother. Powerful, hardworking and technically sound, both Currys have all the attributes required for a very effective Arthurian League pairing.

Before the final whistle, Harrow fell asleep again and allowed OKWs to score a second. A fairly innocuous cross from the right hand side was confidently claimed by the skipper, whose cry of "Jack's ball" was still ringing in the ears of his fellow defenders as the ball sailed a mere inch above his head and into the far corner. Pritchard, who had managed the game well and swept up with confidence when called upon, was rightly miffed as he was deceived by the captain's shout to let in a second.

As the final whistle went, Harrow were the deserved winners. The 8-1 mauling of the 1s side on the next door pitch took some of the shine off a good day for OHAFC; however, there was more than enough in that performance to give hope for an illustrious season ahead. With only Chopra and Pritchard under 6 foot tall, this side has the physical prowess required to go far in this league. We'll face tougher games in more challenging conditions, but I've got confidence that we'll rise to them all. With Igbokwe, Taunton Collins, Olly Curry, Pratt, Dalzell, and Bajwa all debuting or relatively new blood, the squad looks deep and strong. With Will Orr-Ewing, Jaguar Bajwa, Conti v Hirsch, Theo Gordon, Jack Robinson, Dave Stead and Dave Howells all expected to feature heavily throughout the season, the squad today will be glad to have put in a collective good performance to ward off the inevitable “competition for places” headlines.

Igbokwe’s mother has kindly agreed to compile a full tactical breakdown of the game, including Opta stats, pass completion rates, and edited highlights shortly, so stay tuned.