For the second season running, the OHAFC 2nd XI exited the Junior League Cup at the quarter-final stage courtesy of a comprehensive home defeat to a surprisingly strong performance from a mid-table Division Three side. Despite sitting fourth with five wins and four defeats from ten games played, the Old Brentwoods 2nd XI destroyed their hosts in a coruscating opening half hour that yielded four goals on a wet, windswept Harrow School astroturf. A bad-tempered game threatened to boil over in the minutes prior to the break, with a scuffle resulting in the Brentwoods centre forward and a member of their entourage on the sidelines being sent off. Despite enjoying a numerical advantage in the second half, and the wind in their favour, the Blues laboured to create chances, finally breaking through five minutes from time when a long-range Max Curry effort was spilt by the Brentwoods keeper. The OHAFC must now concentrate on their final four League games remaining.

It was an afternoon for the home side that could be summed up in one word: miserable. Conditions on the Hill in the build-up to the game had been decent enough, a bit of a breeze blowing but dry and bright, allowing the Harrow 1st XI and the Old Tonbridgians to play out their Premier Division fixture in relative comfort. In contrast, by the time Lee Turnbull blew his whistle to start this Cup tie, the heavens had opened and the stiff breeze was now blowing strongly up towards the Hill.

Playing into the wind in the first half, the home side never got out of first gear. This sluggish, half-hearted start was compounded by a blistering opening from the opposition, who swarmed from the first whistle, putting the Blues under pressure and passing the ball with a confidence and accuracy that belied their relatively lowly League position. It was inevitable that goals would follow, such was the yawning chasm in quality between the two teams, and with half an hour played the tie was over as a contest.

There was some minor controversy surrounding the opener, left-back Will Monroe forced to cut out a long ball aimed at a Brentwoods winger who was clearly offside. But the defender’s touch fell perfectly into his path, he squared and the visitors were 1-0 up. The goal was allowed to stand, correctly, with the fault lying with an anomaly in the offside law rather than any error from the referee. But the home side could have no complaints. A free-kick twenty-five yards out was curled perfectly over the wall and in off the foot of the post, keeper Joe Orchard unable to get anywhere near it. The third came again from the Harrow left, the ball crossed to the far post and headed in by an unmarked forward. Shortly afterwards, yet another attack saw Brentwoods swarm the Harrow box, a first effort was crashed against the bar, the rebound was easily finished under no pressure. Harrow heads remained high, but only the most wildly optimistic supporter would have expected a comeback.

The quarter of an hour before the break did see the home side begin to pick themselves up off the floor and the game gradually became competitive. This seemed to irritate the visitors, whose continual appealing for decisions grew in volume and intensity. Things came to a head when midfielder Jack Dolbey was fouled just inside the Brentwoods half. The Harrow man reacted, squaring up to his opponent, but then a second Brentwoods player came in and grabbed Dolbey round the neck. Some pushing and shoving followed and referee Lee Turnbull did well to finally restore order. Two of the players were warned, the second Brentwoods man was sent off. This infuriated the watching contingent on the side, who laughably complained the referee had lost control, when they were the ones causing all the problems. Some baseball cap-wearing yob was dismissed for his opinion, finally leaving the ground having initially tried to hide behind a fence. He would later reappear for the second half but thankfully kept his opinions to himself.

The Blues made two changes prior to the break, skipper Taunton-Collins replacing himself and Monroe with Ed David and Callum Barrett. The rain continued to drive down, both sets of players seemingly reluctant to come out for the second half. The opening ten minutes suggested that little had changed, even with the opponents now down to ten men. Play was evenly contested and concentrated in the middle third of the pitch.

But the closing half an hour did finally see the hosts begin to exert some authority, enjoying far more of the ball and sitting for long spells inside the visitors’ half. To Brentwoods’ credit, they defended intelligently, denying the Blues any space behind and sitting deep on the edge of their box. With only Max Curry as any real aerial threat, the hosts found it frustratingly tricky to create chances: Curry headed wide, Tristan David spurned a couple of half chances. Some decent spells of possession ended far too often with hopeful balls being drilled into the box, nearly all of which were comfortably cleared by the defence.

With the game almost up, the Blues at least had the final word, a rather tame effort from distance from Curry was somehow spilt into the net by the Brentwoods keeper, his handling error producing cries of anguish from his teammates who clearly felt a clean sheet was imminent.

A thoroughly disappointing afternoon had one final indignity in store, the removal of dirty boots at the entrance to the sport hall forcing players to trudge across a sodden mat in their stockinged feet. This was one OHAFC occasion that will be quickly banished from the memory banks.