Continuing our look back at OHAFC fixtures played on the corresponding weekend over the previous five seasons – with plenty of Cup success for the 2nd XI featuring this time around…

Six Seasons Ago: March 13th 2010

OHAFC 2nd XI 4 Old Bradfieldians 0: A fine performance from the 2nd XI who again had Johan Harder to thank for the most part in their 4-0 win over Bradfield. The tall Dane scored a hat-trick that included two fine headers and a thumping free-kick from nearly 30 yards. Nick Warner scored the other goal just before the break.

Five Seasons Ago: March 12th 2011

Old Carthusians 2 OHAFC 1st XI 2: Luke de Rougemont scored twice to deny League leaders Charterhouuse the win in an entertaining 2-2 draw in Godalming.

The fixture was the first between the two sides that season and also saw the club debut of goalkeeper Richard Massey, who looked solid between the sticks and kicked with authority - a hugely welcome addition to the squad.

Charterhouse took the lead from a corner on the half-hour but de Rougemont responded soon after. The home side went 2-1 up midway through the second half but a fine Harrow goal involving half the team saw the Blues justifiably claim a share of the spoils.

The only sour note of the afternoon came with an injury to Fred Milln, who was replaced at half-time by Sam Pepys.

OHAFC 2nd XI 6 Old Kings Wimbeldon 2’s 2: A thumping win for Arjun Chopra’s men as they sealed their place in the Junior League Cup semi-finals.

Bemini Soyinka once again proved the difference between the teams with a superb hat-trick and with Johan Harder scoring twice, the duo ensured it was one-way traffic for the majority of the afternoon.

Kamil Amin scored the other Harrow goal shortly before the break.

Four Seasons Ago: March 10th 2012

OHAFC 1st XI 2 Old Cholmeleians 0: A fortnight after the controversial defeat to Charterhouse that effectively ended the 1st XI’s challenge for silverware that season, the side returned to action with a home game against a team they had already met twice previously during the campaign, Old Cholmelians. A dramatic 4-4 draw was played out in the first League game in north London, whilst the Dunn Cup match was a more one-sided affair, Harrow running out 5-1 winners prior to Christmas.

On a beautiful day with a freshly-mown pitch in superb nick, the hosts made the perfect start, scoring after just five minutes when Lederman sprang the offside trap to collect Ed Martins’ through-ball, round the ‘keeper and fire home from forty yards with his left foot.

The visitors slowly edged their way back into the game as the half wore on but the Harrow back four held their shape well and restricted chances to a minimum.

The vital second goal went the way of the home side with twenty minutes remaining, after a quiet start to the second period, when Fred Richardson twisted in mid-air to acrobatically head home a Lederman free-kick.

The win consolidated the side’s top three place in the Premier Division with the run-in beckoning.

Old Epsomians 2 OHAFC 2nd XI 4, Junior League Cup Quarter-Final:

An excellent win for the Harrow 2’s under the leadership of Johan Harder, with regular skipper Arjun Chopra away. A hard-fought first half saw the sides go in at the break goalless with little to hint at what was to follow in the second period.

A fine move involving Woolley, Breeden and Harder allowed goal machine Soyinka to put the visitors a goal to the good and a second was added by the same scorer shortly afterwards. Epsom then pulled a goal back from a set-piece despite Pritchard clawing the original effort onto the crossbar.

Skipper Harder then rounded the ‘keeper to restore the two-goal advantage but Epsom responded in style with a fine 30-yard strike of their own to again put the outcome in the balance.

With a quarter of an hour to go Soyinka completed his hat-trick, latching onto a through-ball from Ed Arghebant. Despite concerted pressure from the hosts in the closing stages the Harrow rearguard held firm to ensure a safe passage into the last four.

Three Seasons Ago: March 9th 2013:

OHAFC 1st XI 0 Old Wykehamists 4, Arthur Dunn Cup semi-final: A crushing blow for the 1st XI who went into their semi-final tie with Division One side Winchester heavy favourites but came away well beaten in the end.

A scrappy first half saw two good chances fall Harrow’s way but once Defty and Brunt had spurned them Winchester took advantage and scored twice on the break. The visitors then adopted a far more defensive formation that Harrow struggled to break down and two further breakaway goals gave the scoreline a one-sided look.

The disappointment was compounded when Charterhouse duly hammered Winchester 4-0 in the final.

OHAFC 2nd XI 0 Lancing 2’s 3, Junior League Cup semi-finals: The Harrow 2nd XI suffered a similar disappointment on the other side of the Hill as they went down by three goals to Lancing’s second string in the Junior League Cup semis.

The hosts dominated the first half, enjoying the majority of the possession in their 4-5-1 formation. Kamil Amin suffered a hamstring injury just after the half-hour mark which forced Chopra to change the system and bring Max Curry on up front alongside Dave Stead. Alex Cater continued to launch long throws into the box but without success. Harrow conceded from a set-piece which was headed back across goal and tapped in at the back post.

The second half was much more of the same but as Harrow pushed forward they allowed Lancing time and space on the break leading to two more Lancing goals.

A bitter pill to swallow for Arjun Chopra's men after such commendable efforts in the competition in recent seasons.

Two Seasons: March 15th 2014

OHAFC 1st XI 2 Lancing Old Boys 1: The 1st XI produced possibly their finest performance of the season to defeat high-flying Lancing and ease their relegation fears. On a beautiful spring day on the Hill the home side had to endure a less than ideal build-up with several players pulling out, including skipper Ed Poulter. But the Blues produced a disciplined display in the first half, anchored by twin centre-halves Johan Harder and Paul Molloy, to restrict Lancing to several half chances, whilst on the break looking menacing themselves.

The hosts were unfortunate to concede just prior to the break when Owen-Edmunds was caught in possession on the halfway line and Lancing broke forward to cross from their right and score from close range.

But in a tense second half the Blues hit back with two superb goals to secure the points: Lederman and Woolley combined well down the right allowing the latter to cross for de Rougemont to score on the slide. Lederman then collected a cross from the left, dummied his man and drilled a left-footed shot into the top corner.

With no substitutes available, Harrow were left to hang on grimly for the final quarter of an hour but the back four and Charlie Walsh held firm and the Blues registered a vital win.

OHAFC 2nd XI 1 Old Millfieldians 5: The 2nd XI did not enjoy such a good day however, crashing out of the Junior League Cup at the quarter-final stage, in the end well beaten by a Millfield side containing only ten men.

The game started well enough with Harrow scoring after just eight minutes, Orr-Ewing’s long ball from the back pursued by Max Curry and comfortably converted for his seventh of the season. The hosts continued to press and created several good chances but, despite not taking them, it didn’t look as though it would prove costly.

But in a disastrous final twenty minutes the visitors scored five past a shell-shocked Harrow side. Two goals in two minutes turned the tie on its head, the first from a break down the wing, the second from a corner.

Injuries left the Blues with barely eleven fit men but there was still no excuse for the capitulation that followed as three more goals were scored in the final ten minutes.

Still, the night ended well enough with Arjun Chopra’s 30th birthday party in Bunga Bunga.

Last Season: March 14th 2015

Old Etonians 1 OHAFC 1st XI 1: An entertaining draw between the two bottom sides in the Premier Division left both teams to rue missed chances and the loss of two vital points in their respective quests for survival.

Alex Breeden gave the visitors the lead when he headed home a Lederman free-kick at the near post. But despite holding on grimly for the majority of the second half, the hosts equalised with twenty minutes remaining, a long throw flicked over Fraser McGuinness’ head the source of Harrow frustration.

Old Sennockians 4 OHAFC 3rd XI 0, David Woolcott Cup quarter-finals: A disappointing end to the 3rd XI’s quest for silverware as they were well beaten by a strong Sevenoaks team.

The hosts scored early but for the remainder of the half the Blues were more than a match for the Division Four leaders and had chances to get back on level terms before a hopeful punt downfield wasn’t dealt with by the Harrow rearguard and the lead was doubled.

An early goal in the second period put the tie beyond Harrow’s reach and a late fourth sealed it for the Sennockians.

On this weekend…In the wider footballing world

March 12th 2008 saw Frank Lampard become the first midfield player ever to score four goals in a Premier League game when he helped Chelsea destroy Derby County 6-1 at Stamford Bridge – he even missed a penalty when the score was 0-0!

A similar story unfolded four years later on March 13th 2012 when Steven Gerrard, the other great goalscoring midfielder of the decade, scored a hat-trick in the Merseyside derby at Anfield to help Liverpool win 3-0.

These two dates have also recently seen some high-profile casualties of English clubs in the Champions League with Manchester City losing 4-1 to Barcelona on aggregate on March 12th 2014 and Arsenal going out on away goals to Bayern Munich despite beating the Bavarian giants 2-0 in Germany on March 13th 2013 – the Gooners had lost the first leg 3-1 at the Emirates.

Ending on a sad note, March 13th 2006 saw the death of one of Scotland’s greatest ever players when ‘Jinky’ Jimmy Johnstone passed away after a long battle with motor neurone disease. Johnstone had been voted Celtic’s best ever player in a poll in 2002 and his manager Jock Stein called him a greater player than Sir Stanly Matthews, high praise indeed.