Old Kings Wimbledon II 2 OHAFC II 1

OHAFC 2s played against Old Kings Wimbledon 2s away on Saturday. Historically this has been a comfortable fixture for the Old Harrovians but in their last meeting (away), the OHs struggled to break down a well organised OKW team.

The pitch was an enormous 3G and so the team were happy to have brought along Fred the Ironman Richardson with his unrelenting stamina. Harrow started the game well using the width of the pitch and enjoying the possession with plenty of time on the ball. The game's momentum switched consistently between both teams with neither looking very dangerous and what must have been quite the snooze fest for any onlookers.

40 minutes in to the match, Azhar Yaqub-Khan received the ball on the halfway line and facing his goal took a challenge to the back of his legs which was most certainly a foul and thus caused a loose pass. The opposition player latched on to the ball and from what seemed miles out, took a shot and proceeded to lob goal keeper Kyri Pittalis who was unable to retreat in time.

OH heads did not go down and the players very much felt like they were still in the game. However, the second half continued in similar fashion to the first. A second goal from the home side came on 55 minutes when in classic style a run down the wing, followed by a low cross into the OH was box was converted at close range.

The second goal finally caused some urgency within the OHs and suddenly they started to pile the pressure on their opponents. Finally on the 75th minute, a cross from Max Curry caused trouble in the OKW's area and the ball found its way to Khan who diligently tucked it into the bottom right corner. The OHs continued with their high pressure attacking but with the resurgence coming too late the game finished at 2-1.

It is hard to pinpoint where Taunton-Collins' men went wrong. They played with a lot of possession and were good on the ball although the same can be said of the opposition. However when the OKWs went 2-0 up they clearly struggled to deal with Harrow's fast-paced and direct style of play. If the 2s wish to go back to winning ways against this opponent then this may be the key. A more aggressive (and less passive) start to the game will surely be required in the return fixture.

See lineup and stats here.