It was not long after the whistle had been blown to signal the start of the game that the downpour started. It relented only once during the game, clearing for ten minutes just as half time was taken.

At times in the early exchanges, the football matched the weather. The extra zip provided by the rain made for an open game as first touches were frequently exposed on a pitch that was still incredibly hard under foot.

Playing into the wind in the first half, Harrow were second best in the tackle which resulted in the opposition enjoying some early pressure, which they duly converted into a very soft goal, as a Brentwood striker had time to take a touch in the box before slotting the ball home.

Harrow responded brilliantly, challenging in the middle and applying pressure to an uneasy opposition defence as the rain continued to pour down. Feather and Kapoor made life very difficult for the opposition defenders while Kerry and Luke Faber got stuck in to quash any counter-attacks that Brentwood attempted to launch. Unfortunately, half time – and the only rain break of the day in Essex – came at a time when the momentum was definitely with the visitors, allowing the home team to recover some composure.

However, Harrow did seize the early initiative in the second half, with Tommy Faber latching onto a loose ball in the box, finishing with aplomb into the far corner. This was followed by a disastrous ten minutes during which Captain Hindsight would say the game was turned on its head. Firstly, a tame strike from outside the area struck Turner on its way through, looping painfully into the bottom corner, always spinning away from Stirrat’s outstretched glove.

With a slice of luck going their way, Brentwood sensed an opportunity, surging forward and overpowering the dark blues’ midfield. The winger beat his man down the flank and squared the ball into the box where an unmarked team mate lashed the ball home to spark wild celebrations.

Despite the two goal deficit, Harrow’s application was admirable. Fred Fife, making his debut for the club, was Herculean in the heart of the defence, so much so that he was penalised for ‘the dangerous use of his head’ by the referee-turned-commentator (who, incidentally, did a very good job in horrendous conditions).

Harrow’s relentless pressure was finally rewarded in slightly curious circumstances. A laser-like corner from Cooper was turned goal-ward by the head of Fife, with the ‘keeper appearing to claw it out from over the line. The ref agreed and it was game on once more.

Searching for a second last minute leveller in as many weeks, Harrow poured forward in a surge of navy blue with wave after wave of attack, initiated by Sasha Johnson and Ed Page down the flanks. It was not to be, as Brentwood cleared their lines repeatedly. A last minute corner made its way through an exhausted (and by now completely sodden) Harrow defence for Brentwood to put a gloss on the score line and end any hopes of a comeback.

A stoic performance on the day deserved more but sloppy errors need to be cut out for the 3s to start turning decent performances into victories.