The OHAFC 2nd XI continued their pre-season preparations with a game away at Merchant Taylor’s on Saturday. The hosts won the encounter 2-1, but the game proved useful for both sides in boosting fitness levels and acting as an ‘intelligence gathering’ exercise given that the two teams will be playing each other, on the same pitch, two weeks later in their first League game of the new season.

Merchant Taylors scored the only goal of the first half, a well-worked move that saw play switched twice before being thumped in at the far post, Harrow appealing in vain for offside during the build-up.

Having struggled in the first half to match the hosts' speed and accuracy of passing, the Blues began the second half far sharper and looked on course to level the scores as a series of chances came and went. But it was MTs who scored next, courtesy of a freak goal: a clearance hit the heel of a Merchant Taylors forward and looped over a stranded Walsh in the Harrow goal.

The visitors deservedly pulled a goal back twenty minutes from time: Jack Dolbey pulled off an excellent trick to beat his man down the left, before producing a fine cross to the back post for debutant Joe Murray to volley in first time.

Harrow’s final two warm-ups before the season kicks off on the 14th September consist of an intra-club friendly on Tuesday night, followed by the Festiphil at Harrow on the 7th.