‘I’d rather be lucky than good.’ So said former New York Yankees pitcher ‘Lefty’ Gomez, a five-time World Series winner in the 1930s and 40s. The OHAFC took his sentiment to heart on Saturday, concocting a somewhat disjointed display in a first ever competitive meeting at home to the Old Merchant Taylors 1st XI, but still managing to emerge with a valuable 2-1 win.

Heavy overnight rain gave way to a glorious autumnal morning and the first pre-noon kick-off of the season. Despite Phil pitch 1 still not having fully recovered from the bare patches suffered during the long, hot summer, the surface was more than passable and the squad of twelve Harrovians assembled in good time, eagerly anticipating the new kit promised to them by skipper Geoff Taunton-Collins. A series of ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ greeted the unveiling of the shirts and shorts, although barring a new pinstripe pattern on the shirts they appeared similar to the previous kit. The reaction to the new hooped navy and white socks was somewhat different however, with feverished excitement and at least one ‘ohhh baby’ heard over the hubbub.

A more solemn tone was set once out on the field, with both teams observing a minute’s silence prior to kick-off, the now traditional poppy armbands once more worn by the OHAFC as a mark of respect.

The Blues lined up in their usual flexible 4-2-3-1 formation with Taunton-Collins spearheading the attack and wide players Ollie Curry and Will Payne either side of him. Jack Dolbey was granted his second League start of the season following his excellent display in the 2-2 draw at Charterhouse a fortnight ago and he lined up in midfield alongside George Pratt and Lederman. Rollo Hovey, following a rather chastening experience with the 1st XI a week ago, made his first appearance for the 2s at right back, with Woolley, Orr-Ewing and Doug Pratt alongside him, vice –captain Kyri Pittalis between the sticks in a rather dubious new bright orange shirt and Harry Bick, the club’s leading scorer this season, the lone substitute.

The game began at a frantic pace under the watchful eye of new referee Malcolm Edwards, but as the dust settled it was the visitors left holding the football, dominating possession thanks to several technically-proficient midfielders, one of whom was an outstanding player. There was a clear contrast in approach from the two sides, with Harrow choosing to play more direct football, balls pumped down the wings for the front three to chase, the visitors adopting a more varied game, with quick interchanges of passing allowing the ball to be swept wide to where space had developed.

To their credit, Harrow’s defensive organisation and resilience was such that Pittalis remained untroubled in goal. Several corners were cleared, a couple of shots from range were wide of the mark. And then, with twenty minutes played and little goal mouth action at either end, Harrow took the lead. A quick break down the left saw Ollie Curry drive forwards and feed Doug Pratt on the overlap. He crossed to the near post where Will Payne produced a stunning finish, crashing the ball into the roof of the net.

The lead was nearly squandered in disastrous fashion moments later when Jack Orr-Ewing, under no pressure, slipped as he turned to play the ball back to his keeper allowing the MT’s striker to run clear through on goal. Luckily, Woolley sensed the danger and hared back to put the forward off. He almost over-shot his mark, flying past the striker as he set himself to shoot, but the momentary hesitation proved fatal as the forward lost his concentration and ended up firing high over the bar.

The remainder of the half proved highly frustrating for the Blues, with poor touch following misplaced pass following poor touch. It was remarkable to see how badly some of the more technical players struggled to carry out the basics in contrast to the free-flowing football of the opposition. Pittalis made one vital save late on, spreading himself at his near post to block from close range after a striker had wriggled free along the goal line.

The half-time team-talk was remarkably positive from skipper Taunton-Collins, who pointed out, with some justification, that if the side could play that poorly and still be leading, this was a game they should end up winning. More care was clearly needed in possession and the regular plea of switching the play more regularly was once more uttered.

The second half began in much the same vein as the first had ended, but the hosts nearly earned themselves some breathing space courtesy of a slaloming run from David Lederman, who collected a loose ball inside the box, slipped round several defenders before losing his balance as he prepared to administer the coup de grace, scuffing the ball agonisingly slowly past the keeper only for it to roll onto the foot of the post and out for a goal kick.

It was to prove a costly miss as within five minutes the visitors were level. Infuriatingly, it came from one of Harrow’s better passages of play, with Lederman and Hovey exchanging several passes down the right, allowing the full-back to storm forwards up the wing. With several teammates piling forward in support, Hovey was caught in two minds and ended up losing possession on the edge of the MT’s box. The visitors broke at speed against a back-pedalling Harrow rearguard. Jack Orr-Ewing nearly got the vital challenge in but the ball broke kindly and, despite pleas for offside, was collected by a midfielder and drilled left-footed across Pittalis into the far corner – a tremendous strike.

Merchant Taylors smelt blood and with their tails up poured forwards at pace, the quicksilver striker now troubling Hovey from the left wing. Pittalis made one excellent save, diving to his left to turn the ball away from goal and once more the hosts were forced to defend in numbers and, at times, with some desperation.

It was at this point that several refereeing calls angered the hosts. A free-kick to the visitors was awarded on the edge of the Harrow box despite Jack Orr-Ewing having been fouled beforehand. The effort was a poor one however, sailing high over the Harrow goal.

Soon afterwards and a more contentious call was made as Doug Pratt was penalised inside the box for bringing down an attacker despite not making a challenge for the ball. Both players legs got tangled up, both players ended up on the floor – the result was a penalty. Fortunately, the effort from the spot was even worse than the one from the free-kick, the ball blasted high and wide of goal.

The miss galvanised Harrow and, despite still struggling to gain any sort of momentum in attack, they managed to grab a late winner courtesy of a set-piece of their own. Lederman’s first ball in was met by George Pratt but he only succeeded in heading the ball straight back to where it had come from. With Taylor’s appealing for offside, Lederman stood the ball up to the back post where it was met with a thumping header from the other Pratt, Doug charging through the air to finish from barely a yard out.

A quarter of an hour still remained, but having regained the lead the hosts were not about to let it slip and they defended for their lives. Payne and Bick worked their socks off up front to close the opposition down, Taunton-Collins replaced Hovey at right-back and everyone in hooped socks set about attaining a second win of the season – relief by far the greatest emotion when the final whistle blew.

Despite lifting the side only one place to seventh in the Division Two table (albeit with games in hand), the win was an important one for the Blues. Every game in this division is a challenge and with upcoming fixtures against low-lying KCS Wimbledon and Lancing, every point gained this November lifts the Blues further clear of the mire. The side already have seven points more than they did at the same stage last season, the improved defensive resilience the main reason for that. But the team needs to improve with the ball – lady luck surely won’t be so generous the next time Harrow prove so woeful in possession.