Despite a valiant rearguard effort from the OHAFC 2nd XI, a deflected strike two minutes from time consigned the Blues to a third defeat in four League games and a third consecutive loss in all competitions. With an hour played in this competitive and entertaining game, the two teams were locked at 1-1 and the destination of the points were very much unknown. But a straight red card to keeper Rory Craig, who rushed from his goal to intercept a through-ball before crashing into the Charterhouse striker ten yards outside of the penalty area, changed the complexion of the game completely and the final twenty minutes became attack versus defence, the Blues finally yielding with the final whistle in their sights. The 2s must now focus their sights on the bottom of the table, rather than the top, with eight League fixtures to come.

If the manner of defeat was unfortunate, the performance from the visitors on the astroturf in Acton was decent enough. The first twenty minutes belonged to the Carthusians, whose pace of play and movement at times overwhelmed the blue shirts, a couple of early shots flying wide of the Harrow goal as the home side poured forwards with confidence. The opening goal duly arrived after ten minutes, some composed play in midfield ended with a ball slipped through the inside right channel and once more Craig rushed from his goal, arriving too late to prevent the striker from poking in, instead colliding awkwardly with the retreating Alexi Pittalis. Both players took several minutes to recover their composure but fortunately there appeared no lasting damage.

The goalscorer continued to be a real thorn in the visitors’ side however, constantly moving across the line and intermittently dropping off to collect possession and build attacks. Several more flowing moves followed, especially down the Harrow left, where Kyri Pittalis and Henry Bamford constantly found themselves outnumbered. Twice the hosts got to the goal line and cut the ball back, one shot was blocked, another flew high over the bar.

The visitors just about managed to stay in the game and had to wait until the twenty-fifth minute for their first sniff of a chance, a well-executed press on the left forcing the Charterhouse keeper into a poor hurried clearance which eventually fell to the feet of Max Curry just outside the box. But as the keeper scrambled to regain his position, the shot lacked power and direction and the save was far easier than it should have been. And then, just after the half-hour mark, the visitors suddenly found themselves level. A quick break down the right wing saw the ball played wide to Tristan David and he flicked a pass inside along the edge of the box. Striker Owain James timed his run to perfection and, as the keeper narrowed the angle, managed to clip a shot under his body into the net.

The Blues finally began to compete on even terms and for the remainder of the half looked the match of their opponents. Another excellent from James from the right earned a corner, Alexi Pittalis heading just over from beyond the far post. The hosts broke up the other end and again fired wide from a cut back from the goal line. Back came the visitors, Ed Stewart bundling his way through the middle only to shoot straight at the keeper before a fine move saw substitute Matt Ede feed Tristan David from the left, the skipper returning the pass out to Owain James only for the goalscorer to drive his shot just wide of the far post as the angle narrowed.

There was still just time before the break for the hosts to almost, somewhat fortuitously, retake the lead, a long free-kick from close to halfway caught Craig staring straight into the sun and awkwardly back-peddling, the ball rebounding off the bar before being scrambled clear. Finally, the two sides could catch their breath after a relentless half of football. The Blues made one change at the break, Lederman coming on for his first 2s appearance of the season since the win at Tonbridge in early October.

The opening twenty minutes of the second half saw the game continue where it had left off, the Blues still very much the match of their opponents, but the hosts looking dangerous from several through-balls. Lederman’s arrival heralded a spell of calmer play from the visitors, who now enjoyed a greater share of possession than they had previously. One free-kick over the top from the veteran freed Owain James but his first touch betrayed him at the vital moment and the chance was lost.

But with a quarter of the game remaining and little to separate the two sides, the red card issued to Craig changed everything. It was clearly a foul and clearly a card, the only debate was which colour referee Denis Hasanaj would show. After a lengthy wait to allow both players to recover from a nasty collision that left the Harrow keeper with an immediate swelling over his eye, the red card was shown and the visitors were down to ten men. Fortunately, Kyri Pittalis provided a natural replacement between the posts, but, unsurprisingly, play quickly became concentrated inside the Harrow half and the final twenty minutes mirrored the opening twenty: relentless Charterhouse pressure, the visitors straining to hold on.

Then, with just two minutes remaining, and the visitors seemingly having done enough to hold on for a point, the ball was worked across the edge of the Harrow box and the striker, who had spent ten minutes on the side recovering from the collision, unleashed a low drive that flicked off the leg of Archie Nicholls and into the bottom corner, Pittalis unsighted as it flew past a couple of players.

It was harsh luck on the away team and completed an unusual League double for the Carthusians, who end the season having won both fixtures against the OHAFC by a solitary goal in two games in which both sides saw a player sent off in the away game. Unfortunately for the OHAFC, this time it proved a decisive blow to their chances of securing a result.