Match Report 21/02/2004: Old Westminsters 0 Old Harrovians 1

After the drama of the previous week’s encounter against fellow title contenders Lancing, the league leaders arrived at Barn Elms for the match against mid-table Westminsters to find one of the worst pitches they had played on all season: small, hard, bumpy and worse still, with a strong wind swirling round the open expanse of riverside land.

Undeterred, the Harrovians took to the field determined to put all thoughts of the title to one side and put on a display worthy of potential league champions. Unfortunately, the conditions saw to it that such ambitions were nigh on impossible.

Throughout the season, it has never been a struggle to find sufficient incident in any game to fill several pages (and a good hour or so) worth of copy. But the match against Wests was one which the spectators, had there been any apart from the referee’s wife, would have been well entitled to ask for their money back.

The first half was possibly shaded by the home side, but this perhaps only because they were playing with the wind and were able to kick their goal-kicks further. The narrow and bumpy surface caused severe problems for Harrow: in the midfield, Quentin Baker and Rowley Higgs struggled to gain any control and hence service to the front men and wingers was limited and of poor quality. At the back, the wind made judging headers and crosses tricky to judge and the pitch caused clearances to be sprayed in all sorts of improbable directions.

A rallying call at half-time made little difference. Try as Harrow did, it remained a futile exercise trying to put together even a basic succession of passes. Sadly, when such a move was tried, the inevitable failure was greeted with frustration and annoyance from teammates – it really was that poor a game.

With time running out, and three desperately needed points slipping away, a moment of inspiration from the Hoffen brothers up front suddenly brightened up a distinctly grey afternoon.

A long ball from the Harrow defence saw Rupert and Harry race on against the Westminster back four, it was two against two. Finding himself facing away from his brother, Rupert tried one of his two specialities – no, not the blatant dive and pseudo-shriek of pain, the other one: the dreaded back-heel. But the wonders of sport are timeless and, on occasion, inexplicable. The ball traveled perfectly into the path of Harry, who took a single touch before dispatching it into the top corner from just outside the box.

Although some nervous moments were survived in the last ten minutes, the Harrow defence held firm, recording its first clean sheet of the season and with it another vital win in the run-in to the end of the season.

It was generally agreed after the match that it had been one of the least enjoyable fixtures endured by the team in many a season, but perhaps at this stage of the season the three points were all that mattered.

Whilst the obvious candidates for a special mention are the goalscorer and provider, the real heroes of the day were the Harrow back five and, in particular, goalkeeper James Harper. As with many elite ‘keepers, James’s shot-stopping ability is of an extremely high standard, but it is the other areas of the goalkeepers art, notably dealing with crosses and judgement of balls played from deep areas, which sometimes prove more difficult.

In Saturday’s match, James had very few shots to deal with. What he did have to contend with was a number of swirling crosses and long balls played over the top into the Harrow box, all of which he dealt with confidently and securely. It was testament to his performance that on a day when conditions were as bad for goalkeepers as for outfield players, his play was of the highest possible standard.

Harrow (4-4-2): James Harper; Nick Warner, Tim Dalton, Obi Umenliyora, Charlie Tweddle; David Lederman, Quentin Baker, Rowley Higgs, Piers Bourke; Harry Hoffen, Rupert Hoffen (sub: Jamie Waugh 75mins)