An 87th minute winner from centre-half Tom Ward earned the OHAFC 2nd XI a dramatic 2-1 win away to the Old Sennockians, in the process completing the League double over the side from Kent and, more importantly, ensuring the Blues’ place in Division Two next season. Only an unlikely upturn in form from bottom side the Old Merchant Taylors could have spoilt the end to the Blues’ season, but even that remote possibility was rendered irrelevant by a strong Harrow performance that saw them produce an excellent first half before holding on manfully in the second. Both Harrow goals came from corners, with Ward seeing a first-half header saved before Cyprian Owen Edmunds bundled over from close range. Sennockians were gifted the chance to level from the penalty spot with a quarter of an hour remaining, Ed Massey harshly penalised for handball when a shot was drilled against him from two yards away. Fortunately, justice prevailed, however, when Ward came up trumps once again, heading home Miles Kellock’s cross to send the visitors home happy.

The long drive down to Sevenoaks caught out a few of the travelling Harrow party, leading to a shorter warm-up than normal on a decent but rather firm pitch. And although it was a beautiful spring day, an annoying breeze swept across the grounds meaning that every player’s first touch would be at an absolute premium. The visitors named a strong squad of twelve with Adam Graham a late replacement for the injured Ollie Atkinson. Sam Woodhouse returned in goal for his second ever OHAFC appearance, undoubtedly hoping this game would go better than his first – a dispiriting 10-1 defeat in the Old Boys Cup last season. And Tom Ward returned for his first game in over a month, reforming his blossoming partnership at the back with Felix Orchard. Cyprian Owen Edmunds and Ed David joined Lederman in central midfield, Kellock, David and Taunton-Collins the attacking trident.

Despite the tricky conditions, the first half was an entertaining affair with both sides trying their best to get the ball down and play – it was immediately apparent that any pass in the air would be almost impossible to control. The low sun, facing the visitors in the first half, didn’t help matters – a long goal-kick caught the back-peddling Ward out but fortunately the danger was averted.

But after the initial skirmishes, it was the Blues who adapted to conditions better, playing some excellent football in patches and sending the front three away on a regular basis. Tristan David down the left and Miles Kellock down the right both enjoyed productive halves, whilst skipper Taunton-Collins made an absolute nuisance of himself up front, hassling and harrying defenders into hurried clearances to force numerous throw-ins and corners. Disappointingly, the set-piece delivery from both sides was poor, with several players struggling to produce the requisite quality. But with just over twenty minutes played, the first half-decent cross from the right was attacked by Ward and although the Sennockians keeper, who looked suspiciously like an outfield player in disguise, parried the header, Owen Edmunds was on hand to bundle the ball in at the second time of asking.

The visitors continued to enjoy the better of things, although the Harrow back four and Sam Woodhouse in goal couldn’t let their concentration drop for a moment. Several cheap free-kicks were conceded, a couple in dangerous positions, but one effort flew wide, one into the wall. Woodhouse looked alert, punching a couple of corners clear and getting good distance on them too, his long goal-kicks also helping the visitors’ cause.

The closing ten minutes of the half became rather scrappy with the Sennockians slowly waking from their slumbers. Adam Graham was introduced in place of a frustrated Tristan David, the substitute taking his place up front with Taunton-Collins switching to the wing. And the change nearly produced a goal, Lederman springing his skipper down the wing and a driving run into the opposition box ended with a shot well-saved by the keeper at his near post.

The half-time discussion centred around the determination to earn a second consecutive clean sheet against this opposition, the Blues having earned a hard-fought 1-0 win on the Hill earlier in the season. Although the hosts had threatened sporadically thus far, the sterling work of the back four and keeper Woodhouse had prevented any real alarms of note.

And for the majority of the second half that’s the way it stayed, with the hosts upping the tempo but continuing to struggle to create clear-cut chances. A couple of shots flew wide, one flew into a Harrow arm from less than a yard away, eliciting a ridiculous appeal for a penalty. Thankfully, it was turned down by referee Chris Goulbourn, whose decisions during the game proved somewhat tricky to predict.

But going forwards the visitors were clearly less of a force than they had been in the first half. Adam Graham tried manfully to hold the ball up, succeeding some of the time, with usually Kellock or Owen Edmunds in support. A couple of promising moves broke down on the edge of the box but the Sennockians keeper remained largely untroubled.

With the game entering the final quarter of an hour, a narrow 1-0 win appeared an increasingly likely destination, but that was thwarted courtesy of a hugely contentious decision, yet again a Sennockians shot thumping into a Harrovian arm from barely two yards away and this time the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Woodhouse had no chance from the resulting kick and suddenly there was all to play for.

But chances continued to prove hard to come by, both defences well on top, the tricky conditions undoubtedly limiting the ability of both sides to create. The Harrow back four continued to perform superbly, aided by the tireless Ed David in midfield, who ran around like a terrier chasing his ball in the park, snapping into tackles and forcing the opposition into errors on a regular basis.

As the clock ticked down, the draw appeared inevitable, but the lingering sense of injustice at the penalty decision was instantly forgotten when a late corner was forced on the Harrow left, Kellock crossed towards the six yard box and Ward rose highest to bundle the ball in via a combination of head and shoulder. The final few minutes were seen off without alarm, the Blues holding on to three invaluable points and completing their first, and only, League double of the season.

The side have one game remaining, a trip to face the Old Chigwellians next weekend in a fixture that sees neither side with anything to play for apart from pride.