The OHAFC 2nd XI waited over three months to rediscover that winning feeling and evidently they enjoyed it so much they couldn’t wait to taste it again. An extraordinary closing twenty-five minutes down in southwest London saw the Blues destroy a shell-shocked KCS Wimbledon 2s, in the process recording a second consecutive 6-1 victory following last weekend’s demolition of the Old Berkhamsteds 2s. Leading scorer Andy Hutchinson scored twice, as did Owain James, with further efforts from skipper Miles Kellock and substitute Freddie Everett ensuring the 2s climb back into the top half of Division Three for the first time since early November. Remarkably, the two hammerings the side have dished out in the last seven days have lifted the Blues’ goal difference to the second best in the division, only behind title-favourites the Old Sennockians – a side the OHAFC still have to face twice this season.

On an excellent pitch half a mile from Fulham’s Motspur Park training ground, the visitors started the match confidently, dominating possession in the early stages and looking threatening down both sides of the pitch. But against the run of play, the hosts took the lead from their first attack of the match. The ball was worked down the hosts’ left and eventually fell to a midfielder on the corner of the penalty area. His curler was almost perfectly executed, only for the ball to rebound smack off the crossbar and back into play. Luck was with the home side, another midfielder collected on the opposite side of the box, took a touch inside before firing a shot inside the near post, keeper Rory Craig unsighted as the ball flew through a couple of bodies.

But the goal failed to throw the Blues out of their rhythm and they continued to create chances as the half wore on. Midfielder Matt Ede delivered a sumptuous pass with the outside of his right foot to send Tristan David scampering away down the left, but the final shot from the edge of the box flew just wide of the far post. A minute later Ede was in the thick of the action again, winning the ball in midfield before freeing Andy Hutchinson down the right. With just the keeper to beat a goal seemed almost inevitable, but the forward carried the ball just too wide and his eventual shot from a narrow angle was cleared off the line by a covering defender. Ede himself followed up on the rebound but couldn’t force the ball in.

Still the away side pushed forwards, Kellock stinging the keeper’s hands with a well-struck long range effort. A flowing move from right to left saw several players combine, Henry Bamford eventually finding Hutchinson but his shot on the turn was again well saved by the keeper. Midway through the half, the visitors’ momentum was interrupted when Matt Ede sustained a heavy blow to his right ankle, the player helped off the pitch in some pain. Two changes were made, with Bamford also going off, Will Monroe and Owain James their replacements. A slight lull followed as the home side regrouped, Rory Craig forced into his first serious save of the match as he dived to tip a shot on the turn around the post.

Then, with ten minutes to the interval, the OHAFC levelled. A free-kick midway inside the Wimbledon half on the right wing was swung in by Tristan David and chaos ensued inside the six yard box – the ball finally turned over the line by Owain James at the second attempt. Further half-chances followed for the Blues, Kellock firing into the side netting on the turn, Bamford just failing to reach a cross from the left at the far post. And with two minutes remaining the visitors came within inches of scoring a second goal their play merited. A couple of corners from Miles Kellock again caused chaos inside the box, Alexi Pittalis with the first header that flew just wide off a defender, before a second delivery from the same side saw a second effort cleared off the line by a defender, Kellock adamant the ball had crossed the line.

The half-time message was a straightforward one: continue in the same vein and not to let up for a minute – two fit substitutes allowing players to run themselves into the ground without fear of harming the side’s balance. Freddie Everett was introduced for his first taste of the action, the industrious Ludo Palazzo, who had earlier picked up a yellow card, the man rested.

The second half began with a nasty clash of heads between Giacomo Grasso and an opponent, the Wimbledon player coming off worst and, following a lengthy delay, gingerly walking from the field, his morning over. Fortunately, the Harrow man was able to continue. Both sides traded chances: Everett headed an Andy Hutchinson cross well over the bar, before Rory Craig was again called upon to save, diving to his right to scoop away a shot that bounced awkwardly in front of him, the rebound fired wildly over the bar by a Wimbledon centre-half.

As the clock ticked towards the hour-mark, the scores still level, the visitors slowly began to crank up the pressure. A fine cross from Tristan David just evaded two players at the far post, Everett again then failed to convert another cross from the left from Andy Hutchinson. Further crosses into the box both from open play and set-pieces failed to crack the code. The sense prevailed, however, that the pressure would eventually tell, that a winner would still be found. What nobody could have foreseen was the absolute torrent of goals that duly arrived.

With just over twenty minutes remaining, three goals in the space of four minutes determined the result. Owain James did well to win the ball in midfield, he fed Kellock and the skipper dinked a clever ball to the far post where Hutchinson chested the pass down before smoothly volleying low inside the near post. Almost immediately, a high press allowed Kellock to pick the centre-back’s pocket and smash home a shot, the ball taking a helpful nick off a defender’s outstretched leg. Three minutes later and it was four, Hutchinson freeing Everett down the left and the striker held the ball up well before squaring for an unmarked Owain James to clip the ball over the advancing keeper and the covering Wimbledon skipper.

The hosts were now in disarray and two further efforts in the final ten minutes emphasised the gap in class. A superb pass through the middle from James sent Hutchinson racing clear and he made no mistake, slotting the ball confidently past the badly exposed Wimbledon keeper. And the gallant Everett then scored the goal his efforts deserved as he latched onto another through-ball from Lexi Pittalis, touching the ball past the advancing keeper before rolling it into an empty net.

The OHAFC 2s have endured such a rollercoaster of a season that it’s almost impossible to predict whether the final four fixtures of the season – three of them against the top two sides in the division – should be approached with optimism or trepidation. One thing is now crystal clear for the squad however: winnings football matches 6-1 is a truly enjoyable experience.