The 2023/24 season could be neatly divided into four distinct parts for the OHAFC 1st XI.

The Blues got off to a highly promising start, beating the Old Malvernians 4-2 on the opening day of the season courtesy of a double from Luke Berry and defeated Westminsters 2-0 a fortnight later with a side containing both the Breeden brothers and the Bick brothers. The two wins sandwiched a frustrating last-minute defeat away to the Old Rugbeians on the astro in Whitton, but it was undoubtedly a positive start to the campaign and the mood was one of optimism heading into October.

Disappointingly, form deserted the team in their next three League games as they suffered heavy defeats to the Wykehamists (1-4), Tonbridgians (0-3) and Marlburians (0-5) and the misery was compounded when promising youngster Nic Blinoff limped off with a torn Achilles in the Tonbridge game that would rule him out for the remainder of the season. Indeed, October proved to be a nightmare all round as the side also crashed out of the Dunn Cup at the first time of asking, although the 3-2 defeat to the Old Chigwellians on the Hill came only after an intense battle and thirty minutes of extra-time.

A trip to League leaders the Old Johnians at the start of November could have seen the side slip deeper down the table, especially with no recognised keeper available. But Yunus Sert, once more available having returned from four years in Turkey, donned the gloves and an OHAFC side featuring debutant Walid Nsouli produced an excellent display to earn a 2-2 draw. Confidence restored, the side now embarked on a run of four wins and a draw from their next six fixtures, although the solitary defeat was a heavy one, Salopians scoring seven in a one-sided contest in Chiswick. Nevertheless, with just five League fixtures remaining the Blues sat in fourth in the table and still with an outside shot at promotion.

But the return fixture against runaway leaders the Old Johnians scuppered those hopes, this time the men in green running out comfortable 4-0 winners on the Hill, and subsequent defeats to the Radleians, Wykehamists and a strong Salopians side in early February saw the team marooned in mid-table. Fortunately, the team avoided ending the season with a record run of five consecutive defeats with a fine 3-2 win away to the Old Marlburians that saw them finish with a record of seven wins and two draws from the eighteen League games played.

The ridiculously early finish to the 1s’ season in mid-February meant the squad had to wait over a month to see where this placed them in the final standings, but regardless of League position, skipper Dan Firoozan, forced to miss the entire campaign with his ACL injury, had undoubtedly made progress in his efforts to mould a competitive squad. Oli Acar made an impactful return to the fold, playing in all but three games, whilst Will Payne continues to shine for the both the OHAFC and the Rep team, scoring ten goals from 17 League and Cup appearances. Walid Nsouli has proven an excellent addition in midfield and younger brother Talal, who featured in the final two fixtures aged just sixteen, looks another fine prospect.

With one or two more additions to the squad over the summer, the regular availability of a goalkeeper and a bit more luck on the injury front, 2024/25 could yet see the Blues mount a strong charge for promotion.

OHAFC was re-established in 1963 with one team only and entered The Arthurian League Senior Division in 1965. The 1st XI was so named in 1966 when a 2nd XI entered the League's Junior Division. In those days there were two divisions only. Increased playing resources, inspired no doubt partly by World Cup fever, resulted in improved results at the higher level and the Club began to attract new players. For the 1966/1967 season, the Old Harrovians, founder members in 1902, received an invitation to re-enter The Arthur Dunn Cup.

It was not until 1978, when the Club became League champions for the first time, that it was clear that the OHAFC could compete with the very best old boys teams. The re-introduction of soccer at Harrow in 1977, thanks to the considerable and, in some quarters, unpopular efforts of future FIFA referee David Elleray, gave the 1st XI a welcome boost for the next decade - Argonaut Trophy Finalists in 1983, Division 1 Champions in 1983 and 1985 and Dunn semi-finalists for the first time in 1984.

The start of the 1990’s saw Charlie Feather continue his reign as 1st XI captain, a post he held for three seasons. But neither he nor the trio who followed him, Messrs Manasseh, Thornton and Butler could propel the side into a serious promotion-chasing outfit. Young players joining from school were still not of a good enough calibre, nor did they tend to stick around for long either: the struggle to win matches not helping the enjoyment factor.

It was only with Quentin Baker’s appointment as skipper in 1998 that things began to pick up. By this time half the team had been playing for a few years and enjoyed each other’s company. There were also some excellent players coming through and after a rocky start to the 1999/2000 season, the side vowed to turn things around. The new-found focus had the desired effect and the team reeled off 13 consecutive wins, including two over the Old Etonians, the first time in many seasons the two rivals had met, securing the First Division title and promotion into the top division in the process.

After initially struggling to cope at the higher level, the continuing influx of new talent into Harrovian ranks soon saw the side gain a foothold in the division. Despite a slow start, a creditable sixth-place finish was achieved in 2003, but the following campaign the team exceeded all expectations and won the Premier Division title in style, winning ten and drawing one of their last twelve games to garner 39 points and a six-point gap over runners-up Lancing. The title acted as a spur to the team, who finished second in the League in the next two seasons, earning 38 and 40 points in the process.

The 2006/7 season saw a dip in the side's League form, with a relatively lowly fifth place and 23 points, albeit from just 16 games. But this was more than compensated for by the club's first ever run to the final of the Arthur Dunn Cup after superb away wins at Charterhouse (2-1) in the quarter-finals and Shrewsbury (3-1 aet) in the semi-finals. Paul Molloy's fine 25-yard half-volley earned the team a 1-0 win over the Bradfieldians in the final and the Arthur Dunn Cup.

The latter half of the decade saw the 1st XI continue to challenge on a regular basis for the League title. In 2008/9 the 37 points earned was only good enough for second behind Charterhouse, but the following season a superb late run of seven consecutive wins, including home and away against their main rivals, saw the OHAFC take the title with 40 points, the fifth time in seven seasons the side had finished first or second in the Premier Division.

The 1s continued to challenge at the top end of the Premier Division for another few seasons, again finding themselves pipped to the title in 2012 by a dominant Old Carthusians side despite winning ten of their final eleven games of the season – the fraught 3-2 defeat away to their rivals in March deciding the destination of the crown. This was also Quentin Baker’s final season in charge following fourteen remarkable years at the helm, Ed Poulter named as his successor.

But as the core of the group aged and gradually retired from playing, so results inevitably began to suffer, culminating in the team’s relegation from the Premier Division in 2015 when the side won only three League games. The Blues bounced back immediately, finishing second in Division One the following year, still under Poulter’s leadership, but lasted only a season in the top flight before another relegation followed. Yunus Sert took over the reins for the 2017/18 season and his combative style took the side back up at the second time of asking, the Blues pipping Lancing Old Boys to the second promotion spot by a solitary point on the final day of the season – the success due in no small part to the remarkable 22 League goals scored by James Breeden from the 14 games he played in.

Fraser McGuinness took over the captaincy for the Blues’ return to the Premier Division but although the side survived their first season back with a creditable seventh-place finish in 2020, only the Covid pandemic prevented what would have been a certain relegation the following year, the Blues having earned just two points from their first nine games before the season was abandoned. Relegation duly followed in 2022, the side finishing bottom following a miserable campaign of fifteen defeats from eighteen League games and Dan Firoozan took over, charged with re-energising a group fatigued with yo-yoing between the divisions.