The OHAFC 3rd XI recorded their seventh successive League win on Saturday to return to the summit of Division Five South and once more assert their promotion credentials. Despite falling behind to Malvern 2s midway through the first half, two goals from Ned Callander and one from leading scorer Alex Smith confirmed the hosts’ superiority, the winning margin hardly doing justice to a dominant second half display.

Having not played since the middle of November it was only natural that Nick Kapoor’s men would look a little rusty in the first half. But there was additional motivation for the team with not only the prospect of returning to the top of the table, but also gaining some revenge against the only side to prevent the 3s winning this season – Malvern dished out a surprising 6-0 drubbing to the Blues on the opening day of the season, remarkably their only win to date.

A scrappy opening spell saw both sides struggle to cope with the stiff breeze blowing across the cold, dank Hill and play switched quickly form end to end without either side threatening to score. The visitors produced the first shot on target, a tame effort that was directed straight at the imposing frame of Chuka Ilogu in goal. The Barrett brothers presented a formidable barrier at centre half however and with Smith and Ned Callander looking increasingly lively up front, a goal for the hosts appeared imminent.

Instead, to the surprise of those watching, it was Malvern who took the lead. An innocuous attack seemed to offer little threat but a momentary lapse from the back four saw the ball slipped into the Malvern striker and he turned to fire a shot from close range. Again the effort was low and straight at Ilogu, but this time it carried sufficient power to slip through his grasp and roll slowly into the back of the net. Harrow appealed in vain for offside, but referee Temitope Shabi was right on the spot to confirm the goal stood.

Harrow continued to take the game to their opponents, the Malvernians performing with a great deal more spirit and quality than their lowly League position suggested. The Blues looked at their most threatening down the right, with the front two and Harry Bick combining to put the over-worked Malvern left-back under considerable pressure.

Despite Harrow looking the more threatening side, the Malvern ‘keeper remained relatively untroubled until five minutes from the break, when a moment of quality from Ned Callander produced the equaliser. Harrow again attacked down the right, but the cross was cleared out towards the left edge of the box. Callander collected the ball, cut inside the defender and planted a shot into the corner to the delight of his teammates.

Despite the equaliser, skipper Nick Kapoor was less than satisfied and at half-time made a couple of changes, Olly Roberts and Alex Breeden entering the fray. Almost from the moment the game re-started, the hosts took control and launched wave after wave of attacks against a tiring Malvernian side.

Connor Barrett should have given Harrow the lead barely five minutes in when he somehow blazed over the bar from six yards out following a goalmouth scramble that saw the ball ricochet off the post following a corner.

The miss didn’t matter. Moments later Harrow broke forwards again, Smith collected a pass from the back on the halfway line, turned and fed Ned Callander and he raced into the box to fire low into the far corner for his, and Harrow’s, second. By this stage it was clear that Malvern were there for the taking and only some wayward finishing prevented the scoreline from taking on a rather one-sided look. Urged on by the very vocal (and clearly rather demanding) Mr Bick on the touchline, Harrow continued to pour forwards. Alex Breeden fired wide with a left-foot effort, Charlie Bick struck the top of the bar with a free-kick from thirty yards out and Smith was unlucky to see his effort ruled out for offside.

He wasn’t to be denied with twenty minutes remaining when Alex Breeden won the ball in midfield and slipped the striker in, the 3s’ leading scorer this season making no mistake with another precise finish into the bottom corner.

There was a scare at the other end almost immediately however, a Malvernian wasting one of their few chances of the half when blasting over from close range with only Ilogu to beat. But once that effort had been spurned, normal service resumed and Harrow continued to press forwards, ultimately frustrated they were unable to add to their tally.

In truth, it was only a satisfactory performance from the Blues, but having not played for two months and in tricky conditions, the win was perhaps all that mattered on this occasion. The side contains a number of quality players capable of playing at a higher level and there is an excellent balance in defence, midfield and up front. With spirits high and the side back on top of the table, there is no reason for momentum to be disrupted now.

Another winnable home fixture is up next for the side, with the visit of Epsom 2s to the Hill next week – the first ever meeting between the teams, with Epsom’s second string enjoying their debut season in the Arthurian League.