"Just about everything that could go wrong has gone wrong" revealed OH Vets captain John Wyn-Evans by phone as the players were arriving for the match against the Old Wykehamists.

The steady stream of absentees during the week had increased to a torrent come Sunday morning, with the trains, rugby injuries and no doubt Halloween festivities contributing to a threadbare Vets team strung out round the home changing room. The veterans swapped rumours regarding who was and wasn't playing and ended up with a spread of somewhere between six and nine players that were expected to play.

So it was a monumental recruitment effort that finally saw eleven players take to the pitch, with substitutes from other games being enticed at the prospect of eighty minutes with some randoms rather than a half at best with their usual teams.

Introductions were quickly made, a captain rapidly elected (with Wyn-Evans' enforced absence) and a formation agreed, only to be changed again as a best case scenario of ten became an unthinkable eleven players.

Harrow started well and scored early. Warner, normally only promoted into the striker role with Harrow two down (and desperate! - Editor), was afforded a start up front and wasted barely five minutes before registering, reacting quickest to a misplaced pass across the back four to slide the ball under the 'keeper.

Harrow were defending well, with new recruit Shane and stalwart Pete Harris proving particularly resilient in the heart of the defence. But there was little they could do when a horribly overhit cross from the left sailed across the box and over goalkeeper Mark Baddeley's head into the far corner to level the scores at 1-1.

Harrow retook the lead when a through-ball from midfield found the lively Warner rampaging forward and he selflessly squared for the on-rushing Danos to fire home.

The remainder of the first half saw the visitors keep possession well but a fine defensive display restricted them to very few chances and indeed it was Harrow on the break who looked the more threatening.

The second half saw the hosts' superior fitness (that may be a first) start to take hold as the youthful midfield of Oli Morley-Fletcher and Charlie Baddeley exerted more control. A break down the left saw Dom Danos' cross-shot turned in by Ingram in the six yard box. Harrow then had a number of chances to put the match to bed but a series of fine saves from the Winchester goalkeeper saw Warner and Charlie Baddeley denied. The result was put beyond doubt soon enough however by Jon Ingram's break down the left and shot.

Further gloss was put on the result by a fifth, deservedly scored by the tireless Charlie Baddeley. As time expired, there was still the opportunity for the referee to remind everyone who was in control, awarding a penalty against Harrow for obstruction (Editor - but obstruction only merits an indirect free-kick, even inside the box - who was the ref?!). Goalkeeper Danos got his hands to the penalty but was unable to stop it crossing the line, leaving the final score as a 5-2 win for Harrow.

As the final whistle went, the pitch quickly resembled a job fair, with the OH veterans scurrying around trying to tap up the new recruits for email addresses. A win, five goals, and two new recruits...strange things really do happen on Halloween!

**Images from Sunday's game can now be viewed in the Media section of the website here

Many thanks to Jon Ingram for this match report and to Mike Morley-Fletcher for the pictures.