The New Year brought about a third consecutive visit to Chiswick for the OHAFC 3XI and a first round Junior League Cup tie versus the Old Salopian 2s. It was clear upon arrival to the changing room the squad appeared re-energised after the Christmas period and, to the delight of the team, there was a special appearance by Chuka Ilogu - Ilogu's family had jetted off to New Zealand without him for the festive period so the veteran goalkeeper had been forced to do some carol singing in Hammersmith & Fulham just to get his fair share of turkey and Christmas pudding this year.

All the usual suspects were on the team sheet with the bonus addition of Alex Breeden, who replaced skipper Nick Kapoor in the starting lineup – over the holidays ‘Kapo’ had suffered an injury to his arm whilst over-exerting himself in the gym (this version of events is still being verified).

Harrow started the game on top and at times the pace was frightening, with Salopians struggling to match Harrow's intensity on and off the ball. The midfield trio of Charlie Bick, Tommy Faber and Alex Breeden gelled well and began to dominate, the visitors enjoying good periods of possession. It was evident the opponents were in for a long afternoon with Harrow creating a number of promising chances in the opening quarter of an hour. The deadlock was broken courtesy of some quick passing between the midfield trio with Bick snr finding a pocket of space that enabled him to slide a pass through to Alex Smith, who finished exquisitely with a deft chip over the ‘keeper.

Harrow looked set to increase their lead but the Salopians remained a sporadic threat from set-pieces. After conceding a corner, Harrow failed to deal with the danger and in true Arthurian League fashion the ball was left to bounce about in the box like a pinball with bodies flying everywhere. Salopians finally got a shot off which Callum Barrett was well positioned to clear off the line but he could only smash his intended clearance into fellow teammate Tommy Faber, who was powerless to prevent it from rebounding into Harrow's goal. Barrett jnr received an earful from his two elder brothers but in truth there wasn't much else he could do.

Max Morgan, although still navigating his career transition from playing club rugby to joining the ranks of OHAFC 3XI, was enjoying another good game at right-back before receiving a nasty challenge which he felt he could shake off. The skipper's decision from the sideline suggested otherwise however, his words of consolation to the Welshman as he exited the field of play a rather disconsolate "you're done for today son". As usual the man at the helm was seeing the bigger picture: Morgan is training to run this year's London Marathon and has the full support of the club to pursue his personal ambitions. The club wishes him well taking on this daunting endeavour.

Back to the game, and this meant Kapoor coming on at right-back where he fitted in expertly to provide some extra bulk to the already strong backline of Callum, Connor and Kyle Barrett. Kapoor is the most capped player in 3XI history and it showed. His performance through to the end of the match was faultless and mistake-free.

After conceding the equaliser, Harrow re-grouped and continued to create chances and just before half-time their efforts were rewarded. Connor Barrett launched one of his trademark long throws into the box and Harry Bick was left unmarked to skilfully head home to restore the lead going into the break.

Harrow started the 2nd half as they had ended the first, in complete control. Midfield again producing some thrilling build-up play but the Blues were unable to convert the numerous opportunities created. Following wave after wave of pressure, Harrow were finally able to score their third with when Tommy Faber timed his run into the box to perfection to meet Harry Bick’s cut-back from the goal line.

Salopian's defence was tiring and Harrow smelt blood. Smith scored his second of the match when Harry Bick broke forward and passed the ball into the path of Harrow's marksman who fired into the back of the net to make it 4-1 and ensure progress into the last sixteen.

By now, Harrow’s confidence was sky-high but it was perhaps this complacency which led to Salopian pulling one back soon after: a harmless Salopian attack was cleared but the Harrow midfield didn't do enough to prevent it from being launched back into the box. The defence was caught out of position and the ball flew over Kyle Barrett to the feet of the Salop's forward who had the time to put the ball past Mitchell and make the score 4-2.

Salopians pushed forward in a desperate attempt to salvage the tie and this left big gaps at the back which the visitors exploited perfectly. In a classic counter-attack, Harrow drove forward with the ball at lightening pace, the midfield linking well with the front three to slice open Salopian's defence and Smith was there to put the finishing touch on the move, placing the ball under the keeper to make it 5-2. Another hat-trick for the 3rd XI’s all-time leading scorer – his three goals in the game taking him past both Harry Hoffen and David Lederman to second place in the list of leading OHAFC scorers over the past ten seasons – only Gbeminiyi Soyinka remains (some way) ahead on the list. Many congratulations Smudger!

With the game now approaching its conclusion and Harrovian progress assured, there was still time for one final effort from leading scorer Harry Bick, although lady luck played a large part in the goal. The winger cut inside from the left flank to whip one into the mixer, yet somehow managed to find the far top corner unintentionally. Whatever it was, Bick jnr thoroughly enjoyed it and ran to celebrate with Ilogu on the sidelines. You might remember Ilogu being mentioned earlier in the report…he never did make it onto the field.

The gaffer will be delighted with the team's bounce-back performance after finishing 2018 with a rare defeat. The victory takes his win ratio during his 16-month spell in charge of the OHAFC 3XI to a remarkable 72% - very close to that of Pep Guardiola's career figure.

The 3s’ reward for another excellent win could be a dubious one however, with a trip to either the Old Westminsters 1st XI or the Old Eastbournians in round two – Westminsters are a side to be avoided if at all possible, having already put five past the OHAFC 2s earlier in the season. Their tie takes place in two weeks’ time, after which the Blues will learn their fate.

Many thanks to Chuka Ilogu for this report - glad to hear he didn't go hungry over the festive period