Two second half goals consigned the OHAFC 2nd XI to a second consecutive 2-0 defeat in Division Three, the Blues rather unfortunate to lose out to KCS Wimbledon 2s in a scrappy game played on a pretty awful pitch at the Richardson Evans Memorial Ground in Roehampton. The Blues were the better side in both halves, hitting the woodwork no fewer than three times, but slipped to defeat to a goal from a corner that shouldn’t have stood and a well-taken breakaway soon afterwards. Defeat leaves the 2s’ promotion hopes in the balance, with the side having now played more games than all their rivals.

Following last weekend’s hugely disappointing defeat at home to the Old Haberdashers, skipper Geoff Taunton-Collins was determined that his men finish the year strongly and exact some revenge for the 2-1 defeat suffered at the hands of Wimbledon on the Hill in early November. But he was dealt a considerable blow in the 48 hours prior to the game with the late withdrawals of Alexi Pittalis and Spencer Crawley for injury and illness respectively. Fortunately, Calum Butler stepped up to the plate, answering the plea for help and taking his place in the back four alongside the skipper, Giacomo Grasso and Ed Pagani. There was further good news with the return of midfield duo Ludo Palazzo and David Lederman from injury. Both players were somewhat unsure as to their readiness for action, so the younger Palazzo started, Lederman content to warm the bench for the first half.

The OHAFC used to call the Richardson Evans Playying Fields home for a couple of seasons back in the early 1980s and little had changed in the intervening years, certainly in terms of the standard of the pitches. Small, undulating and heavy under foot, the warm-up suggested that playing expansive football would prove a rather tricky task. Nevertheless, in a bright opening twenty minutes, the visitors did their utmost to dispel that theory with some enterprising play, especially down the left, where Pagani overlapped continuously and Kellock enjoyed possibly his brightest spell of the entire season. Several cross were delivered into the box, several corners forced. Kings broke forwards sporadically to force a couple of corners of their own, but it was far from against the run of play when Kellock had the best chance to open the scoring after a quarter of an hour: Tristan David collected the ball on the right, cut inside and smashed a crossfield pass over the top for Kellock to chase. The Wimbledon keeper came out to intercept but failed to gather, Kellock turning on the edge of the box but planting his chip wide of the target.

Further Harrow pressure followed, Kellock volleying spectacularly over from Max Curry’s cross and an almighty scramble ensuing from a corner that dropped inside the six yard box. Kings responded with a couple of minutes of pressure of their own, Rory Craig forced into an excellent leaping save to punch the ball out from just under his crossbar. But it was the visitors in the ascendency, Kellock desperately unfortunate not to open the scoring when his lopping cross from the left beat the outstretched fingertips of the retreating keeper only for the ball to bounce off the inside of the goalpost, roll along the goal line before being hammered clear by a defender.

Calum Butler, who enjoyed a superb first half at the back for Harrow, then launched himself on a remarkable driving run, carrying the ball from midway inside his own half, at pace, past at least five of the opposition – something his old man never managed in many years of Arthurian League football. He then retained his composure as he approached the final third, trying to slip the ball through for Owain James to run onto – alas the pass was slightly too strong and the keeper was able to gather. Tristan David then saw his free-kick from the right corner curl over everyone but clip the top of the bar and bounce away for a goal kick. At this stage the visitors could have been forgiven for thinking that this was not to be their day.

As the half drew to a close, both sides caused further problems from corners, Craig ever alert to deal with several tricky situations, but James then came close from open play, latching onto Ludo Palazzo’s flick to touch the ball past the keeper only for it to be scrambled away from inside the six yard box. And the final effort of the half saw the Harrow striker turn provider, squaring for Max Curry only for his goalbound effort to be deflected wide.

It had been a somewhat breathless half, the visitors left wondering quite how they hadn’t scored against a KCS side who appeared eminently beatable. Kyri Pittalis was withdrawn at the break, Lederman returning to action for the first time in three games.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the pattern of the second half matched closely that of the first, with the general flow of play being towards the Wimbledon goal, but the pitch proving a considerable handicap in progressing the ball with any confidence. Again, set-pieces were prominent, for both sides, although in the Harrow goal Rory Craig was less busy than he had been in the first. Going forwards for the Blues proved a frustrating experience, the ball continually sticking in the mud or catching the foot of a Wimbledon player as a break seemed on.

As the minutes ticked by, the impression that a single goal would prove sufficient for victory grew stronger. The Blues came within inches of snatching that all-important goal when Tristan David delivered almost the perfect free-kick from just right of centre, twenty-two yards out, curling the ball at pace over the wall only for it to again clip the top of the bar with the keeper stranded. Within two minutes, luck proved to be conclusively in the home side’s favour when they did score, a free header from a corner speeding into the back of the Harrow net. But, unseen by referee Oliver Gillman, the left-footed delivery from the KCS left had curled a yard over the goalline before arcing back into play.

That slice of misfortune, and the others that had befallen the visitors up to that point, were rendered slightly less critical when the home side added a genuine second five minutes later. The Blues were on the attack down their right but the move was broken up and two passes played in the striker against an under-manned Harrow back line. Pittalis did his best to hold up the attacker, but he kept his composure well to twist left then right, earning a yard of space before clipping the ball past Craig and into the far corner.

Still the Blues pressed forwards, still the goal would not come, the two tall KCS Wimbledon centre-halves heading everything clear, the rest of the back four sweeping up any passes played through on the ground. The sense of Harrovian frustration at the final whistle was acute. Having lost only two of their previous six fixtures, the 2s end 2023 with consecutive defeats, one deserved, this one certainly not. All is not lost however, but with only five League games to come after Christmas, the margin for error is now tiny – at least four wins will be required for the side to have any chance of finishing in the top two positions. First up, however, comes a second trip to Brentwoods this season, to face their 3s in the second round of the Junior League Cup on January 13th.