The OHAFC 2nd were finally forced to settle for just a solitary point from their second fixture of the season despite leading three times against a spirited Old Haberdashers side at the Hertfordshire school on Saturday morning. In a highly entertaining fixture played on an excellent pitch, the Blues looked set for a second consecutive win to start their season when Andy Hutchinson fired in his second, and Harrow’s third, seven minutes from time. But the home side continued to press and earned their reward with an excellent team goal a few minutes later, the left winger arriving at the far post to head home, completing a fine hat-trick and earning a share of the spoils in the process. On the balance of play, a draw was a fair result, neither side able to dominate for any length of time, but there was little doubt which team left the more frustrated.

Fixtures between these two teams rarely disappoint with last season producing a remarkable 6-3 victory for Habs on a cabbage patch of a pitch in Borehamwood before #crossbargate dominated the return fixture on the Hill in March, Habs again running out victors by two goals to one and two red cards to none. It was no surprise that this next meeting was ringed in red on the OHAFC calendar once the early fixtures were released. Skippers Miles Kellock and Tristan David had availability issues in the build-up, however, with both Ludo Palazzo and Owain James suffering injuries in the opening day win at Alleynians – Palazzo travelled, James did not. There was also illness in the camp, with Ed Stewart making a very late decision to play despite feeling poorly, Lederman ruling himself out of a first appearance of the season having suffered a recurrence of his glandular fever a few weeks ago. The 5-3-2 formation, which produced an opening day 5-1 win remained, David and Andy Hutchinson again the front men ahead of a midfield trio of Kellock, Palazzo and Alexi Pittalis, making his season bow in place of Max Curry – another to suffer a knock last weekend.

The opening twenty minutes proved fairly even with plenty of endeavour from both sides but few clearcut chances created. The visitors broke dangerously a couple of times, Kellock firing over from the edge of the box from a long throw. Following a nasty collision between the Habs skipper and the former OHAFC skipper, Geoff Taunton-Collins, which left both players wincing in pain on the ground, the first real opportunity to break the deadlock arrived, Lexi Pittalis driving through the middle past a couple of challenges and feeding David on the right, he cut inside his man but drilled his shot just wide of the near post. The hosts then responded with their best chance of the half, just before the half-hour, a long throw that was cleared out to the right allowed the home side’s most gifted player to curl a left-foot shot over Rory Craig but onto the top of the crossbar.

Ludo Palazzo finally made way for Ed Stewart, his troublesome ankle clearly hampering him. Two minutes after the change the visitors took the lead. A spell of pressure down the right saw David and Taunton-Collins combine dangerously. A corner was forced which the former whipped in towards the far post. Although it was headed clear, Hutchinson tracked the ball back and from fifteen yards out swivelled to fire back a superb volley on the turn, the Habs keeper beaten by the pace on the shot.

But having striven hard to earn the lead, the visitors were then left kicking themselves as they conceded an equaliser almost immediately. A well-worked move from the home side saw the ball worked down their right before two passes inside created space on the left for the winger and he made no mistake, timing his run into the box to perfection to sweep a low shot past Craig first time. Both sides created half-chances to forge ahead prior to the break, Habs firing just wide, David and Stewart for the visitors, the latter’s chance arrived following a flowing move that ended with Lexi Pittalis delivering a fine first-time cross to the far post.

The second half began with the same two players creating an excellent chance but this time the roles were reversed: Stewart delivering a delicious cross from the left and Pittalis arriving beyond the far post to launch a spectacular diving header that was blocked at close range by the keeper. Two corners resulted and from the second a minor moment of controversy arose as the near post delivery saw the keeper collect but then carry the ball perilously close to the goal line. Harrow appeals for a goal fell on deaf ears however. Habs flew straight up the other end and thought they had taken the lead, a marginal offside call depriving a midfielder of his effort, a well-placed header past Craig after a direct run through the middle that caught the Harrow back three rather flat-footed.

It was clear that further goals were going to follow such was the regularity with which both teams were creating chances. The visitors enjoyed another spell of pressure, a high press deep into Habs territory saw the ball won back on the edge of the box and Stewart fed Hutchinson, the forward’s effort foiled by the keeper at close range. From the resulting corner, Kellock’s delivery clipped the top of the bar. But just shy of the hour-mark the Blues’ pressure finally told, another corner was whipped in by Tristan David and Ed Stewart applied the merest flick at the near post to send the ball flashing into the back of the net.

But once again the visitors failed to press home their advantage and, just as had been the case in the corresponding fixture last season, Habs looked much the stronger side in the final half an hour. The equaliser could have been avoided at source, keeper Rory Craig unnecessarily spilling the ball behind for a corner from a rather wayward effort. Initially, it appeared as though the danger had been averted, the set-piece headed clear to the edge of the box. But the Habs number eleven, scorer of their first goal, ran on and struck his volley sweetly with the instep, controlling his strike perfectly to arc it into the far side netting.

For the OHAFC, the late struggles were a repeat of last week’s encounter with the Alleynians, the Blues guilty of sitting too deep inside their own half, allowing Habs space in which to operate and isolating the forward players. A familiar weakness of taking too many touches in the middle of the pitch was also prevalent, with possession lost too many times unnecessarily. The hosts were denied a penalty when a clumsy challenge was deemed to have taken place just outside the box, the free-kick came to nothing. Against the run of play, the visitors missed a glorious chance to snatch the win when another high press saw an attempted clearance deflect off Stewart perfectly into Hutchinson’s path. The forward just had the keeper to beat and looked to have placed his shot perfectly but as his teammates prepared to celebrate the ball ran agonisingly wide of the far post.

It didn’t seem to have mattered however. A minute later a long throw from the left was flicked on at the near post and again the Harrow man was perfectly positioned, swivelling to fire in from five yards out. Seven minutes remained to hold onto the lead but, for the third and final time, the Blues squandered their advantage. The equaliser, three minutes from time, came down the Habs right, a couple of slightly half-hearted challenges were avoided and they left an overload. Kyri Pittalis was drawn out of position to cover, the ball was slipped wide and an excellent cross to the far post was headed in from close range by the left winger, a stunning way to complete his hat-trick and, in the process, earn his side a share of the spoils.

Although the reaction from the visitors at full-time verged between fury and resigned disappointment, on reflection this was a hard-earned point against a decent Habs side. It was also noted, with some justification, that the hosts had a full squad of fourteen, the visitors barely a fit eleven. Next week a stronger squad will be needed for the 2s’ first home game of the season and the visit to the Hill of the newly promoted Old Westminsters 2s – a side who have won both their opening two fixtures.