Yunus Sert
biography
An outstanding sportsman at school and then Durham University, Yunus is a quick, ball-playing centre-half who anticipates danger well, enjoys physical confrontations and, for such a young player, reads the game superbly. He is also an exceptionally strong character who enjoys a chat with the opposition, regularly airing his views on where they might be going wrong during the game!
He made his debut for the Club in the 2011/2012 season, alternating between the 2nd and 3rd XI's. He also played in the 1st XI's 8-0 thrashing of Old Epsomians in Round 1 of the Arthur Dunn Cup.
His time at Durham meant he was seen only sporadically in the three years after that, but he returned to London and quickly established himself in the 1st XI. With skipper Ed Poulter moving into midfield, Yunus formed a rock-solid parternship at centre-half with Fred Milln for the 2015/16 promotion season from Division One.
Yunus made more appearances than anyone for the side and performed at a consistently high level, helping the side compile the best defensive record in the League until the final few games when availability elsewhere tailed off.
The 2016/17 season saw the 1s struggle to avoid the drop, ultimately finding themselves relegated a few weeks before the end of the season. But Yunus once more set the example for commitment, playing more games for the OHAFC than anyone else. He played in 17 1st XI fixtures, missing just two League games, as well as turning out three times for the 2s and twice for the 3s. The one negative was his penchant for collecting yellow cards - at one stage mid-season he was booked a staggering five games in succession, ending the season with six bookings in total.
His superb commitment and commanding presence saw him as the natural choice to take over as 1s skipper from the retiring Ed Poulter in the summer of 2017 and, determined to lead from the front, he was soon displaying a greater sense of maturity, receiving just two cautions in the first 12 League and Cup games of the season.