The OHAFC 1st XI put last weekend’s last-gasp defeat away to the Old Rugbeains behind them with an excellent 2-0 win at home to Old Westminsters on Saturday morning. A side featuring the return of not one, but two sets of famous brothers proved too hot for the visitors in the second half, with James Breeden teeing up first Oli Acar and then his older brother Alex for the two decisive goals. The Breeden’s were joined by Charlie and Harry Bick in the starting lineup, skipper Dan Firoozan keen to bolster his squad with some quality from yesteryear.

Westminsters came into Saturday’s game having endured two vastly different fixtures so far this season – a 4-2 win over the Salopians last weekend, a 5-0 hammering by the high-flying Radleians a fortnight before that. But recent history favoured the men in pink, having completed a League double over the OHAFC last season.

The hosts kicked off with their now customary back five in operation, this time the three centre-backs comprising of Ed Nicholson, Ed Beecham and Ciaran Jordan – about as strong a rearguard as could be named. And the hosts started brightly, just as they had done against the Rugbeians last weekend. Pressing all over the pitch, Westminsters were forced into some stray passes and weak clearances and the Blues really should have taken advantage. Twice in the opening ten minutes the flying Will Payne was presented with golden opportunities to give his side the lead: first he intercepted a poor pass back only to fire wide, then he was played in by a slide rule pass from Oli Acar, but failed to test the keeper once more.

The OHAFC were firmly in control, Harry Bick making some excellent headway down the right and delivering several dangerous crosses, but the hosts could not find the opening goal their play deserved. It took the visitors a good twenty minutes to hit their stride and they enjoyed the better of things before the break, forcing keeper Fraser McGuinness, back between the sticks this week, into a couple of excellent saves. The Harrow back five held firm, however, ensuring that the game remained goalless at the break.

Nominal skipper Dan Firoozan remained dissatisfied with what he had seen, however, switching things up and changing to a back four, both substitutes Stan d’Angelin and Nic Blinoff entering the fray, with the idea of providing better width in attack rather than having to rely on just the wing-backs to get forwards.

This change seemed to hand the advantage back to the men in blue and they once again found themselves on the front foot causing problems for the Westminsters back four. This time, however, the hosts took full advantage of their spell in the ascendency, with James Breeden, who was making his last appearance for the club for a couple of years at least as he goes off to sample life in Milan, creating two lovely goals. Ten minutes into the half he received a short corner from Will Payne, played the ball back to him and the winger beat a defender comfortably before pulling the ball back to Oli Acar on the corner of the box. The forward produced an unerring finish into the far top corner, leaving the keeper with no chance. And with a quarter of an hour to go the lead was doubled, this time Breeden beating two players down the left before cutting the ball back for older brother Alex to rather bundle the ball in from close range.

The hosts made life harder for themselves than they needed to in the final stages, both Charlie Bick and Oli Acar being sent to the sin bin for some back chat to the referee that left the side playing the final twenty minutes a man down. Westminsters came within inches of pulling a goal back five minutes from time when a rasping shot from just inside the box crashed against the underside of the crossbar before bouncing down right on the line. Fortunately, Nic Blinoff had followed the ball in and scrambled it to safety with an opponent waiting to pounce. It was to be Westminsters’ final chance of the game.

An encouraging outing for the 1s then, with thanks to the four brothers who made the effort to return to the Hill. Hopefully, more will be seen of them in the not too distant future as the side look to consolidate their position in the upper echelons of the Division One table.