A second half capitulation saw the OHAFC 3s slump to a third League defeat of the season on Saturday afternoon, the Blues ending a disappointing afternoon on the wrong end of a 4-0 scoreline away to the Old Johnians 2s down in Hampton.

Following last weekend’s encouraging 1-1 draw at home to unbeaten leaders the Old Amplefordians – the Blues becoming the first side to deny their opponents victory in Division Four – hopes were high that a first win of their own would soon follow away to a struggling Johnians side who had claimed just a solitary victory from their first four games of the season.

The first half was encouraging enough, the visitors starting quickly and forcing a couple of corners, skipper Freddie Everett seeing his first effort of the day blocked by a defender. The visitors were then on the wrong end of a very tight offside call by referee Elijah Marrs, Adam Graham racing onto a long ball over the top and beating the keeper with his finish only the subsequent whistle confirming the goal would not stand.

The game soon became an end-to-end affair with both sides looking capable of scoring. Harrow keeper Hassan Hammad was forced to make a smart save to his left as the hosts broke forwards at pace, but Graham then missed a gilt-edged chance to score the goal he probably should already have been credited with when he glanced a header wide of the far post following a fine cross from the right by Luke Berry.

Johnians were then left to rue their luck when they hit the bar with a close-range header from a cross from the right wing, the rebound then headed over from barely four yards out. And the hosts’ frustration grew further when another tight offside call prevented them from taking the lead, although this looked a more obvious decision than the oen that had earlier gone against the visitors.

The Blues were next to be denied, centre back Felix Tritton forcing the Johnians keeper into a superb save from his far post header. As the clock ticked towards the final minute of the half, it appeared, surprisingly, as if the game would remain goalless at the interval. But the hosts had other ideas, a first-time cross whipped in from the left was perfectly placed and begged to be finished, the striker making no mistake from close range. In keeping with the openness of the half, the visitors still had time to race up the other end and so nearly score an equaliser, Luke Berry’s free-kick from the right headed narrowly wide by Tritton.

The first half ended with the sides separated by just a solitary goal and, especially given the numerous chances they had created, the Blues began the second half with justifiable optimism that they were still fully in the game. Disappointingly, however, the second half proved a very different affair.

The Johnians wasted little time in pressing their opponents deeper and deeper inside their own half and Hammad was soon called upon to make a superb save, diving up to parry a goalbound header from a corner. It proved a temporary reprieve. With an hour played the lead was doubled, slight hesitation in the visitors’ rearguard allowed a forward to latch onto a ball over the top and nod the ball past the stranded Hammad.

Harrow’s attack briefly flickered into life, a break down the left saw Everett feed Berry and after his effort was saved, Max Cowley had two goes at turning the ball in but was denied by the keeper both times. Three minutes later the result was put beyond doubt, a long goal kick from the Johnians keeper was collected by the left winger and he cut inside past three rather static defenders before planting a low shot just inside the near post.

The fourth goal, with fifteen minutes remaining, was mildly controversial, half the Harrow team stopping as Colwey lay injured in the Johnians half, but play was allowed to continue and the Johnians showed no mercy, the ball walked in from close range. The visitors were well beaten and in truth could have conceded several more in a dispiriting closing ten minutes. Only Hassan Hammad emerged with any credit, several excellent saves denying the hosts an even greater margin of victory.