A goal in the first minute of each half for either team saw the OHAFC 2s and Charterhouse 3s deservedly share the spoils in this crucial clash in the bottom half of Division Two in Godalming.

The visitors were gifted their goal with the game barely ninety seconds old when Doug Morrison fell under a challenge inside the Charterhouse box and, after a short deliberation, referee Mike Naylor pointed to the spot. Lederman safely tucked the penalty away and Harrow led. But the hosts flew out of the traps in the second half and equalised almost immediately, earning a corner with their first attack and forcing the ball home following a scramble at the near post. Both sides had chances to earn all three points in the closing stages, but on a tricky pitch neither could find the breakthrough. The draw leaves both teams still in trouble in the wrong half of the table as the season enters its’ closing stages.

For the OHAFC it was another case of what might have been. Having drawn with the Charterhouse second string in Godalming a fortnight ago, another point earned here in a hard-fought game was certainly no disgrace. But with games running out – the side play just three more times in the League this season – draws may not be sufficient to maintain their Division Two status.

A strong squad of fourteen had travelled, including the return following lengthy absences of full-backs Anthony Beresford and Edmund Massey. And the bench was full of attacking potential, with Gbeminiyi Soyinka, Mike Okoigun and Freddie Brunt ready to enter the fray if needs arose. Unlike a fortnight ago, pre-match preparations were perfect, with everyone in place in plenty of time, excited conversations abounding over events in Pyeongchang and in particular the quality of Steve Cram’s curling commentary and whether or not bronze medal slopestyle winner Izzy Atkin really is British.

Conditions were perfect too, with a warming sun lifting temperatures into double figures for the first time in months – in fact, such was the contrast with the miserable weather the side has endured in recent matches, that only two of the fourteen were forced to wear leggings and not a single pair of gloves were on display, other than those donned by goalkeeper Fraser McGuinness and his opposite number.

A late change of match official saw the spritely Mike Naylor make the long trek to the pitches on the far side of the bridge along with the two teams. From above, both playing surfaces looked in pristine condition, especially given the amount of rain that has fallen in recent weeks. But it became clear during the warm-up that, in fact, the pitches were fairly uneven and the surface was bobbly.

Harrow kicked off with the low sun behind them and gradually worked the ball down the right hand side. A deep cross flew over the centre-halves and Doug Morrison tried to collect, but crumpled under a challenge from a Carthusian. Some half-hearted appeals from the visitors were met with a momentary silence from the referee before he blew his whistle and pointed to the spot – to the absolute incredulity of the Charterhouse team. Despite having touched the ball only once at that stage, Lederman held his nerve to plant the spot-kick just inside the post, the ‘keeper guessing right but not getting near the shot.

Charterhouse responded well, winning a number of balls in central areas and trying to free their attackers with a series of diagonal balls down the channels. But as the half wore on, the visitors grew in confidence and began to piece together some encouraging passages of play of their own. Wide men Alhadeff and Payne were constantly involved, and both looked dangerous. With Ollie Curry and Doug Morrison surging forwards down the middle at every opportunity, opportunities for a second soon arose.

Morrison tried to weave his way through a crowded penalty area, finally being stopped as he prepared to shoot, Alhadeff then had an excellent chance, collecting a through ball and skipping round the ‘keeper only for the angle to narrow sufficiently to make the shot just too difficult. Several times the Harrovian attack broke down at the last, the final ball either not arriving or not played with sufficient accuracy.

At the other end, the makeshift back four of Beresford, Taunton-Collins, Woolley and Massey were coping admirably with everything thrown at them. There were several close calls however, with a few penalty area scraps and a couple of driving runs down either flank allowing balls to be cut back to the penalty spot. Twice the hosts came within inches of levelling, twice they were thwarted by the Curry brothers: Max made a last-ditch challenge that just did enough to disrupt a forward's shot, the ball rolling just wide of the far post, then, following a messy collision between Massey and Taunton-Collins, Ollie Curry scrambled the ball clear off the line, the shot having beaten the sprawling McGuinness.

Just prior to the break the visitors had to survive a number of free-kicks and corners that were all delivered dangerously into the box, but through a combination of some good goalkeeping from Fraser McGuinness, whose kicking had been exemplary throughout the half, and some determined, rugged defending the Harrow goal remained intact as the half-time whistle blew.

At the break, skipper Taunton-Collins made one change, with a tiring Lederman, whose game was frankly not suited to the hurly-burly going on around him, replaced by Soyinka. Ollie Curry dropped back into midfield with the instruction to continue on the same path trodden in the opening forty-five minutes. Whatever the instructions, the prospect of holding on for a 1-0 win was extinguished within a minute of the game restarting. Charterhouse forced Harrow back immediately following the kick-off and earnt a corner on the Harrow left. The ball was whipped into the near post and, following a scramble, poked in from close-range.

Charterhouse tails were up and for the next quarter of an hour they dominated a subdued and nervy Harrow side. Unable to keep the ball for any length of time, the visitors were pegged back in their own half, forced to make a series of hurried clearances as they searched for a way through the maelstrom. Charterhouse’s football was rudimentary but effective, players surging forwards from midfield to connect with raking balls forwards. Fraser McGuinness was forced into one excellent save, although whether his full-length swan dive was entirely necessary was debatable. Massey was fortunate not to concede a penalty when the ball ricocheted off a Charterhouse arm and he challenged unsuccessfully, but the right-back also led the charge to swing momentum in Harrow’s favour, storming into challenges and showing superb determination.

As the game entered the final half an hour both Brunt and Okoigun were summoned from the bench, Morrison and a tiring Beresford making way. Indeed, there were shattered bodies littering the field and, as a result, play became stretched and space opened up. This suited the visitors more and in the closing stages they looked the more likely to find the crucial third goal of the game. Twice Soyinka found himself ‘mano a mano’ with the goalkeeper but both times he couldn’t quite produce the requisite finish. He then supplied an enticing cross for Jack Alhadeff, who looked certain to score with just the 'keeper to beat, but the ball got stuck beneath his feet allowing the Carthusian stopped to close down the space and make the save. And Soyinka should have been found twice more, both Brunt and Okoigun seeing their attempted balls square foiled by the last defender. A late free-kick from Brunt posed no threat to the Charterhouse goal.

At the death, the hosts had the chance to snatch victory when a ball over the top left a striker faced with just McGuinness to beat but his attempted lob comfortably cleared the bar. The final whistle left both sides somewhat deflated, the draw keeping both sides in the wrong end of the table. Nevertheless, having now earned consecutive draws away to Charterhouse, the OHAFC 2s remain unbeaten in 2018 and have proved that they are capable of competing with pretty much any side in the division. Again, all fourteen players put in an abundance of effort, the ten minute spell after half-time the only time all day intensity levels dropped.

The side have three League games remaining and remain seventh in the division, but focus now switches back to the Junior League Cup and next week’s tricky trip to south east London to face Old Citizens.