A new-look OHAFC 1st XI, under the captaincy of Dan Firoozan, began life back in Division One with an unfortunate 5-4 defeat at home to the Old Rugbeians on the Harrow School astroturf on Saturday morning. A young Harrow side found themselves 3-0 down inside the first thirty-five minutes of the game, but fought back gamely, with goals from Jamie Jordache, George Reid and Felix Majumdar offering renewed hope of a positive outcome. But a controversial penalty decision with twenty minutes remaining saw the visitors extend their lead to 5-3 and, despite Arthur Leney pulling a goal back five minutes later, the hosts couldn’t force the equaliser, registering a first defeat in a Division One fixture since a 2-0 loss away to Lancing in March 2019.

A quick glance at the list of OHAFC appearances for the thirteen-man squad demonstrated just how young and inexperienced new captain Firoozan’s charges were: only the skipper himself, predecessor Fraser McGuinness and winger Cyprian Owen Edmunds had played over 50 times for the club, with Ire Adejade, Ollie Atkinson, Luke Berry, Arthur Leney, Felix Majumdar, Will Swan and George Taylor registering a mere thirty 1st XI appearances between them, in addition to three youngsters making their competitive OHAFC debuts: Alex Gabbitas, Cassius Kidston and George Reid. Jamie Jordache was the other player included, with the skipper starting himself and winger Adejade on the bench.

Conditions on the Hill were excellent, although with only one Phil pitch ready for action, the 1s took the opportunity to begin their League campaign on the artificial surface, the Rugbeians arriving for a first ever meeting between the two sides in any compeititon.

The home side started well enough, enjoying plenty of possession in the opening ten minutes, but the Rugbeians slowly began to impose themselves physically, winning more of the second balls and rather bullying the home team. The visitors scored twice in quick succession to take command of proceedings, the opener a rather scrappy affair, the second a long ball between the Harrow centre-halves that presented a simple one-on-one for the onrushing striker. When the Rugbeians went 3-0 up just after the half-hour mark, a cross to the far post offering a simple headed finish from close range, the hosts could have been forgiven for thinking they had been handed a Premier Division side first up by mistake.

But to Harrow’s credit, heads didn’t drop and the side rolled their sleeves up and responded. The Blues were gifted a lifeline barely three minutes later when Arthur Leney – looking fitter and stronger than in previous seasons – was fouled inside the box and Jamie Jordache stepped up to confidently convert. And when George Reid fired in on the half-volley from Jordache’s free-kick shortly before the break, the home side were right back in the game. Disastrously, with all the momentum now behind them, the Blues conceded a sloppy goal courtesy of a defensive mix-up right on the half-time whistle, the Rugbeians restoring their two-goal advantage and changing both sides’ team-talks at the break.

Winger Ire Adejade replaced George Reid at the break and the home side started on the front foot, led by skipper Dan Firoozan who commanded proceedings from the centre of the park, spraying passes around with metronomic precision. The Blues made their pressure tell on the hour-mark when debutant Felix Majumdar smashed in from just inside the box following a blocked cross from Ollie Atkinson to once more reduce the arrears to a solitary goal. But further hopes of a comeback were cut short courtesy of a rather controversial penalty decision from referee Julian Courtenay, who adjudged keeper Fraser McGuinness to have bundled into the Rugbeians striker when the Harrow man had clearly already claimed the ball. Vociferous Harrow protests fell on deaf ears and the spot-kick was duly converted, the visitors now leading 5-3 with a quarter of an hour remaining.

Despite Leney scoring an excellent fourth for the home side, cutting in from the right and firing a shot into the far corner across the keeper, the Blues couldn’t quite create the chance necessary to force the equaliser and the visitors held on to record an impressive victory on the road. For the OHAFC, it was a reminder that life in Division One will be far from straightforward, although the performance following the shaky opening half-hour was highly encouraging.