OHAFC cup run finally ended following long delay

Old Malvernians Vets
6 : 4
  • March 25th 2018, Brunel University Sports Park, 12:15pm
  • Derek Moore Veterans Cup
  • Referee: Alan Greenberg
  • Weather: Cloudy
  • Pitch: Good
No. Starting XI Goals Yellow & Red Cards Subs On/Off
1 Jon Ingram
2 Dave Mutter
3 Nick Warner
4 Tim Dalton 5'
5 Charlie Tweddle
6 David Lederman
7 Paul Molloy 74'
8 John Wyn-Evans (c) 53'
9 Bear Maclean
10 Dominic Danos 35'(p), 83'
11 Harry Hoffen
Substitutes
12 Edward Thorn 5'

The OHAFC Veterans' rather torturous run in this season's Derrick Moore Cup was finally brought to an end on Sunday afternoon in a frustrating, although ultimately deserved, defeat away to the Old Malvernians at Brunel University in Uxbridge.

Yet again, following the previous week's shenanigans with Chigwell, the tie was not without controversy, with the Malvernians' kit not arriving until an hour after the scheduled 11am kick-off time and many Harrovians on the brink of mutiny.

The fixture eventually kicked off well past midday and the delay clearly had a far greater effect on the visitors, who for half an hour slept-walked their way through the game. Malvernians dominated possession, were sharper to the ball and more aggressive in the tackle. Harrow's cause was undoubtedly not helped by star defender Tim Dalton limping sadly over to the sidelines after barely five minutes of action, his shredded knees from the quarter-final against Chigwell clearly not having healed sufficiently to allow him to play.

With Ed Thorn replacing Tim in central defence, the back four battled manfully to stem the continual tide of green shirts that poured forwards at regular intervals. But within twenty minutes the hosts had scored twice, the goals coming in quick succession, the first from a near post corner that was spilled by 'keeper Jon Ingram, the second from a cross from the Malvern left that was turned in first time.

At this stage, with Harrow barely having left their half, it appeared as though it was simply a question of how comfortably Malvern would win - last week's reprieve against Chigwell seemingly rendered redundant.

That all changed, somewhat bizarrely, with Harrow's first sustained spell of possession in the game. Having finally managed to string a few passes together, the visitors forced a couple of corners. The ball was worked back into the box and bounced up and hit a Malvernian arm. Half-hearted OHAFC appeals were met promptly with a blast from referee Alan Greenberg's whistle and, for the second week running, Harrow were the beneficiaries of a charitable penalty decision. Dom Danos, just as he had done on the astroturf in Stratford last weekend, tucked the spot-kick precisely inside the post.

The goal preceded an almost unbelievable shift in momentum in the game, as for the next five minutes Harrow were rampant. Despite having dominated almost the entire opening half-hour, the Malvernians' lead only remained intact courtesy of two outstanding saves from their goalkeeper, who denied Danos a second when he somehow blocked the striker's close-range effort from a Harry Hoffen cross, before then acrobatically tipping Lederman's volley over the bar from Paul Molloy's chip over the top.

The visitors' recovery and subsequent boost in morale was tempered somewhat by groin injuries suffered by both goalkeeper Jon Ingram and left-back Charlie Tweddle that left both players struggling to perform anywhere near their best. For the final ten minutes of the half, and indeed the remainder of the game, Jon was forced to bowl the ball out from his hands, Nick Warner drafted in to take place kicks.

The second half once more started brightly for the Malvernians, urged on by, for a Vets fixture, a decent crowd of at least 8 people. But ten minutes into the half Harrow levelled with a superb goal from an unlikely source: Lederman cut inside from the right and clipped the ball towards the far post where skipper John Wyn-Evans somehow stooped to place a diving header perfectly just inside the post.

Clearly firmly back in the tie, Harrow then shot themselves in the foot (one of the few remaining injuries someone on the team was not suffering with) when they allowed Malvern to score almost straight from the re-start.

Malvern re-established their two-goal lead when they were awarded their own penalty, a rather more clear-cut decision when Nick Warner was, for once, comprehensively out-paced down the left and stumbled into the striker as he threatened to break clear. Further misfortune befell the visitors when Paul Molloy twice saw long-range efforts rebound off the crossbar, the first from a magnificent 30-yard effort, the second from a weaker attempt the Malvern 'keeper made a total hash of.

At this point, the Malvernians clearly thought they had the tie in the bag and began some rather unneccessary showboating, with, as it turns out, predictable consequences. One flick too many on the wing allowed Danos to steal possession, feed Lederman and he picked out Molloy just inside the box to smash the ball first-time into the top corner. Justifiable criticism of the Malvernians involved duly flowed from both teammates and supporters alike.

But as had been the case for much of the game, the visitors proved incapable of stopping their opponents at the other end and a fifth, rather soft goal was conceded, the Malvernians waltzing through the middle of the pitch past a tired Harrow defence.

When Lederman then gifted the hosts a sixth, being caught lazily in possession inside his own box, the tie really was over. But the visitors fought on and scored yet another excellent goal of their own, Lederman this time doing some damage at the right end and feeding Hoffen inside the box before he skinned his man on the outside and crossed for Danos to score his second of the game.

It was another excellent effort by the Harrow side, reduced to nine fit players for an hour of the contest and without several first-team regulars who were otherwise engaged. A huge thankyou to Dave Mutter who filled in at late notice and enjoyed an excellent game at right-back, showing tremendous determination, fitness and no little footballing nous. If he can be added as a regular member of the squad it will benefit the side greatly next season.

The hour-long delay at the start, whilst unintentional from a Malvernian perspective, clearly benefitted the hosts more: Harrow's performance in the first half an hour was possibly the most lethargic ever seen from an OHAFC side. But the team fought back well and continue to produce moments of great quality.

Hopefully next season the OHAFC can just play some straightforward Cup ties - this season has seen them face ten men for an entire match, lose a tie before being re-instated 48 hours later on a technicality and then kick-off over an hour late and play for an hour with nine fit players.

Thanks, as ever, to skipper John Wyn-Evans for his efforts this season, once again he has managed to cobble sides together by hook or by crook. And thanks to all the players who have made the effort to play in the Cup games - results continue to prove that with a strong squad, match availability is key in determining how far the side can progress.

The Old Malvernians will face either the Old Foresters or the Old Brentwoods in the Derrick Moore Veterans Cup Final on Sunday, April 15th at the Bank of England Sports Club.