For the fifth time in six years the OHAFC Veterans will travel to the Bank of England Ground in Roehampton on Sunday with silverware up for grabs...

Under the stewardship of John Wyn-Evans, the most successful OHAFC side of recent seasons once again find themselves ninety minutes away from lifting the Derrick Moore Veterans Cup. In their way stand Forest, Harrow's opponents in the first Cup final that started this glorious run off back in 2012

Both sides have been taken to extra-time on their run to the final, with Forest moments away from defeat in the semis...

Round One:

OHAFC W/O Old Aldenhamians: OHAFC received a walkover after Aldenham failed to raise a side.

Old Malvernians 1 Old Foresters 8: Forest began their Cup odyssey with the first of three away trips, but it proved to be a gentle opener as they demolished the Old Malvernians 8-1 at Brunel Unviersity. Last season Malvernians had taken Harrow to extra-time in their first round clash.

Quarter-finals:

OHAFC 4 Old Carthusians 2 (aet: 2-2 after 90 mins): The Harrovians' first action in the Cup this season saw a tricky home tie against a clearly-determined Old Carthusian team who won the warm-up hands-down with some excellent patterned running routines and comprehensive stretching display.

The magenta stripes also dominated the early proceedings but a clinical counter-attack saw Harrow take the lead, Lederman sending Harry Hoffen through and he squared for Danos to tap in. An unfortunate handball decision then went against Ed Thorn allowing Charterhouse to level at 1-1 before the break.

The second half continued in the same vein as the first with Charterhouse looking the more assured side but Harrow the more threatening. A similar goal to the first allowed Harrow to restore their lead, this time Wyn-Evans fed Hoffen and he again laid it on a plate for Danos to score. But again the visitors drew level, moments later a corner saw an unmarked Carthusian leap to head home.

Dreaded extra-time arrived to no-one's delight but it was the hosts who finally won the battle of wills, scoring twice early on to break the stubborn Carthusian resistance, Baker and Hoffen both carrying the ball through and executing their 'mano-a-manos' with the goalkeeper expertly.

Old Etonians 1 Old Foresters 3: A month prior to the Harrow game, Forest travelled to Eton for their quarter-final and they produced a fine performance to win 3-1. Again, it was a tie Harrow had faced last season on the way to the final, winning 2-1 in the semi-finals.

Semi-Finals:

OHAFC 2 Lancing Old Boys 1: Another home draw for the OHAFC and a feared opponent in Lancing, who had demolished Harrow 6-1 in the opening round down at Lancing College a few years ago.

This time the tables were turned thanks to a superb display from the Harrow back four, who coped with everything thrown at them in style. Lancing's only goal came from a scramble at the near post following a long throw. Otherwise Molloy, Dalton, Warner and Thorn, as well as goalkeeper Jon Sharples, all made life more than difficult for their illustrious opponents.

Harrow scored either side of Lancing's goal to earn a place in the final. The opener, on the half-hour mark, was a fine team goal, Lederman feeding Poulter, who in turn slipped the ball through for Quentin Baker to run onto and delicately round the 'keeper before sliding in.

The winner came with twenty minutes to go thanks to a clinical counter-attack, Baker sending Harry Hoffen clear down the left and he produced a perfect cross for the unmarked Lederman to control before rolling into an empty net.

Old Cholmeleians 3 Old Foresters 3 (AET: 2-2 after 90 mins, Forest won 5-4 on penalties): An epic encounter up in north London saw a solitary spot-kick settle who would join the OHAFC in this year's final. After an even ninety minutes had seen both sides score twice, hosts Cholms thought they had won it when they took the lead in extra-time. But they were denied when Forest levelled in the 123rd minute to force a penalty shootout. One miss from the hosts proved fatal and it was the side from Essex who held their nerve to prevail.

2012 Vets Cup Final: OHAFC 3 Old Foresters 0: A Quentin Baker hat-trick five years ago saw the OHAFC lift their first ever Derrick Moore Veterans Cup.

Harrow dominated the opening spell of the game and missed several decent chances. Forest came back into it either side of half-time and two injuries to Harrow didn't help. But as the tie wore on it was Harrow proved the stronger, Lederman twice teeing up Baker to score before the former 1st XI captain rounded off his hat-trick in style, robbing the Forest right-back and carrying the ball in on goal to finish.

2012/13 Vets Plate quarter-finals: OHAFC 5 Old Foresters 3: A high-scoring affair that saw the OHAFC into the Plate semi-finals thanks to goals from their two 1st XI regulars, Quentin Baker & David Lederman.

Both players scored one apiece prior to the break but Forest hit back shortly after the interval, halving the deficit from a corner that somehow crept in untouched at the near post.

But Harrow received their own slice of good fortune minutes later when Lederman overhit a free-kick from wide and the ball sailed into the far top corner to restore the two-goal cushion.

A moment of madness from a Forest midfielder saw the visitors reduced to ten men with twenty minutes remaining, the player lashing out following a nondescript challenge from Wyn-Evans. Harrow took full advantage to settle the tie, Baker dribbling through a crowd of players to score his second before Lederman completed his hat-trick in similar fashion. Two late Forest goals couldn't take the gloss off an excellent win.

2013/14 Vets Cup semi-finals: Old Foresters 1 OHAFC 2: A fine win away at Forest thanks to two goals from David Lederman. The visitors took an early lead as they dominated proceedings, Molloy feeding Lederman on the edge of the box and he cut inside to finish at the near post. Forest came back strongly in the second half and deservedly levelled when a long-range effort slipped through the grasp of Bobby Tindall in the Harrow goal.

But Lederman sealed the win, and a second Cup final appearance in three years for the OHAFC, when he converted from the spot following a trip on Piers Bourke inside the box.

John Wyn-Evans - a cross between Captain Marvel and Peter Pan, the skipper could, and probably should, from now on be called Captain Marzipan. Certainly he runs as though his boots are stuck in the stuff.

On the verge of leading his charges to yet more silverware, rumours abound that a third Vets Cup win will see Marzipan allowed to keep the trophy in his Hoxton outhouse - a fitting resting place for the second least-prized of all the Arthurian League trophies (behind only the Vets Plate).

Jon Ingram - sadly misses out on the big day having kept goal for the entire 120 minutes of the quarter-final against Charterhouse, making some vital saves in the process.

Jon has actually enjoyed more success off the pitch this season, with his Fantasy Football team 'Don't let me Downing' currently riding high in fifth place in the OHAFC League table. His selection of Andy Carroll as one of his strikers belies his old school love of 'a big man up top.'

Charlie Feather - hasn't played a minute of the Cup run to date but in true Charlie Tweddle style, has announced himself available for the final.

Both Charlies are expected to turn up on Sunday, play no part in proceedings, but wait patiently in line when the queue to collect the medals and Cup forms.

Feather was last seen on the night of the Club dinner, staggering around Beaufort House bar screaming 'It's not working' although no-one was quite sure what he was referring to.

Andy Butler - yet another to have happily foregone the tedious nonsense of the earlier rounds, Andy actually has played some part in the Cup run, harshly awarding a penalty against Ed Thorn in the quarter-final with Charterhouse.

A qualified rugby referee, Andy became momentarily confused in the brouhaha surrounding the decision, at one point claiming he had penalised the Harrow defender for 'hands in the ruck' and ordering the watching Fred Woolley to go and stand behind the goal to adjudicate on the upcoming conversion attempt.

Jon Sharples - returned to London from 'oop north' last summer after several decades out of the OHAFC loop, arriving at pre-season training unannounced, leading to questions such as 'who are you?' 'what do you want?' and 'can you play in goal for the Vets if we're short this season?'

But it didn't take Jon long to slip into the ways of the club, copying Nick Warner's appalling taste in garish shirts, learning almost immediately to treat anything Rupert Hoffen says as nonsense, and realising full well that if Jon Ingram was away, he would be asked to go in goal. A task he has handled with aplomb, saving a penalty and performing heroically in the friendly against the Harrow beaks, before helping restrict Lancing to a solitary goal in the semi-final.

Mark Baddeley - still hanging around with nothing better to do on a Sunday morning, Badds had a lucky escape earlier this season when he was about to set off for one of the friendlies when his wife read the skipper's email informing everyone the game had been called off.

The relief at being spared a pointless two hour drive to London was temporary however, as in the semi-final he did just that, warming the subs bench for the full ninety minutes before heartily thanking Tim Dalton for planning his family holiday on the week of the final.

Nick Warner - recently let on that with his real tennis income flatlining due to the intransigence of the Hurlingham Club members in having a new court built, he has embarked on a new career in table tennis, secretly spending hours a day practising with his Chinese neighbour who owns a full-size, top of the range Butterfly table.

Despite Yu No Fun being a former world number four, Warner quickly got the measure of his tricky topspin serves, returning everything with his usual metronomic perfunctory block shot, leading to No Fun christening the Englishman as 'the Great Wall of China.'

Ed Thorn - another who has played every minute of the run to the final, Ed recently had a very troubling experience, going out for a few beers to his local on Friday night before waking up in the Gobi desert the following day.

Fortunately Ed made it back in time for the semi-final against Lancing thanks to a combination of wit, cunning and a few words of Mongolian he had picked up from years of living in Shepherds Bush.

Ed Poulter - the current 1st XI captain missed the quarter-final with Charterhouse so he could take his girlfriend Millie to a Winnie the Pooh treasure hunt or, as he put it to his captain, 'a weekend out of town relaxing.'

Returned for the semi with Lancing refreshed and surprisingly up for it given his travails with the 1s the day before. Helped create the opener for Baker, then got booked for a deliberate trip.

Heavily odds-on to be the first player to 'lose it' with a Forester on Sunday, Ed has bought his girlfriend a new jigsaw puzzle to keep her busy on the touchline on Sunday.

Paul Molloy - no longer the Jack the Lad who is always up for a laugh and a beer, Paul recently mistakenly sent a photo of some cushions to the OHAFC 1st XI group instead of to wife Loo. When pressed as to why he had photographed some cushions, he replied 'my wife likes her soft furnishings.'

Missed the quarter-final win over Charterhouse as he was busy in Laura Ashley looking at floral curtains for his boudoir.

Quentin Baker - had an eventful few days in the build-up to Sunday's final, injuring himself on his new night shift at Tescos. Quen was transporting a crate of John West tuna in brine to docking station C in the warehouse when a rogue artichoke that had been carelessly left lying around lacerated his nose, leaving him bloodied and momentarily discombobulated.

Fortunately, health and safety officer Hitesh was on hand and immediately patched Quen up, allowing him to run the 38 miles back home in a new record time of 29 minutes.

David Lederman - has switched 1st XI football for 2nd XI football this season, allowing him to eat a bit more during the week, run a bit less on Saturdays and spend a bit more time with his cat on Sundays. Something the cat has, so far, not shown a great deal of thankfulness for.

Earlier in the season set a new OHAFC record for the quickest journey ever to an away game, making the run to Old Salopians 2s away in Chiswick in 8 minutes.

Bear Maclean - the only OHAFC Veteran named after a wild animal, Bear got ten minutes in the semi-final against Lancing and had a glorious chance to write himself into OHAFC folklore when he was put clean through just moments after coming on. Unfortunately the occasion and the crowd, consisting of his wife and Fred and Jackie Woolley, got to him and he stumbled over the ball, colliding with the 'keeper in the process.

Runs a boxing class in south London so should be one of the first to back Poulter up on Sunday should things get a bit 'tasty'.

Dom Danos - a deceptively important player for the side, Dom will be missing on Sunday with a broken toe sustained in the quarter-final against Charterhouse.

Dom scored twice in that game and afterwards helpfully sent the team a photo of his bruised pinky, one of the most hideously disfigured toes anyone had ever seen.

Rupert Hoffen - has played every minute of the Cup run this season and complained nearly just as much, emitting a shriek of 'It's not working' every five minutes for the first half an hour of the tie with Charterhouse before his batteries finally ran down.

Refuses to take his son Ollie to Peppa Pig World even though he'd very much like to go. Though he's yet to ask his son if he wants to go too.

Harry Hoffen - OHAFC's very own TV star who recently starred in Channel 5's hit daytime show 'Builders from Hell', Harry spent weeks travelling up and down the country looking for rundown dwellings to spend some time in. He was then asked to appear in this TV show and did exactly the same, only he got paid for it.

Recently fallen in love, so his appearances for the OHAFC and on Saturday night's have diminished considerably.

Tim Dalton - yet to lose since his return to action for the OHAFC last season, yet to raise his voice in anger with either teammate or referee, and yet to think up a plausible excuse to get out of the family holiday to northern France that deprives the side of his services on Sunday.

Timmy D has again been immense in the run to the final, his Inspector Gadget legs showing no signs of failing any time soon.

2016/17 OHAFC Vets Cup Stats:

Minutes Played (max. 210):

210 - Rupert Hoffen, Nick Warner, Tim Dalton, Ed Thorn, Jon Wyn-Evans, Quentin Baker

200 - Harry Hoffen, David Lederman

120 - Jon Ingram, Mark Baddeley, Dom Danos

100 - Jon Sharples

90 - Paul Molloy, Ed Poulter

10 - Bear Maclean

Goalscorers:

2 - Dom Danos, Quentin Baker

1 - Harry Hoffen, David Lederman

Yellow cards:

1 - Paul Molloy, Ed Poulter

The Derrick Moore Veterans Cup Final will take place at the Bank of England Ground, Roehampton at 2pm on Sunday afternoon.

All support welcome!