The OHAFC 3rd XI fell to their eighth League defeat of the season on Saturday when a patched up side lost 3-2 to the Old Epsomians at Kings Houue Sports Ground in Chiswick. Frustratingly for the 3s, the Epsomians again played the whole game with ten men – just as they did in the earlier meeting between the sides on the Hill back in mid-November. This time, however, there was no magic bullet for the hosts in the form of their Rep team star Calum Holland and a tight game was decided by two long throws and a remarkable miss by the visitors late on that cost the Blues a share of the spoils. Defeat leaves the 3s still bottom of Division Four with two games remaining although, incredibly, having won just one League game all season, the side can still climb out of trouble with wins from their final two matches.

Although it’s been a tough season for the 3rd XI, the squad will still kick themselves at some of the missed opportunities at collecting points throughout the campaign - and this was another example. Even though the Epsomians are hot on the heels of the Old Canfordians at the top of the table, and the OHAFC arrived with several players having not played for several months, this was still a winnable game for the men in blue.

The visitors started well enough and looked lively up front with Hayes and Leney running directly at defenders and Percy Fricker making a nuisance of himself up front. Several promising moves ended with crosses into the box or shots being fired wide. But with fifteen minutes played the opening goal arrived from a most unlikely source and in remarkable style. Some decent possession on the right saw an attempted cross blocked, the ball spinning up into the air and landing ten yards outside the penalty area. Skipper for the day Felix Tritton, playing further forward in a midfield holding role, latched onto the ball and fired a superb left-foot volley first time into the far top corner, the ball arcing majestically into the back of the net.

The Epsomians recovered well, however, and began to force the visitors back. The 3s were not helped in their efforts when winger Jake Speed, making his season debut for the club, strained a quad, severely hampering his running ability. The hosts came close to levelling when a ball down the inside right channel sent the striker sprinting through. His first touch carried the ball around Harrow keeper Hassan Hammad, but the angle was a tight one and his shot only found the side netting. The reprieve was a brief one for the OHAFC however. Five minutes later a long throw from the Epsom left was flicked on at the near post, headed back across goal from beyond the far post and headed in from close range.

The latter stages of the first half proved fairly even with neither side dominating possession or territory. But ten minutes before the interval the visitors scored a second excellent goal to retake the lead. A quick break down the left saw Leney carry the ball into the final third and cut it back to Alfie Hayes. Lederman, playing his first game since early January owing to a niggling back injury, was unmarked on the edge of the box and when Hayes’ pass found him, the veteran took one touch to control before scooping a shot from under him straight over the top of the keeper and just under the crossbar.

The goalscorer had to immediately depart owing to Rep team coaching duties, the visitors fortunately able to reintroduce Toby Colehan from the bench and see out the remainder of the half without further alarm.

But the second half proved hard going with Speed increasingly hampered by his injury, bravely hobbling around the pitch as best he could, although to all intents and purposes it was now a ten-a-side affair. Infuriatingly for the visitors, the home side scored a second from another long throw, this one causing a scramble inside the box before the ball was finally prodded in from a couple of yards out.

The hosts became increasingly confident in their play and it was little surprise when they took the lead with twenty minutes remaining, a long ball down the inside left channel saw the striker race on and produce an excellent lobbed finish over the onrushing Hammad. But the Blues battled on and with ten minutes remaining spurned a golden chance to level for the second time in the game when Leney cut in from the left and smashed a fierce shot against the crossbar only for Percy Fricker to somehow fire the rebound straight at the recovering defender on the line.

The Epsomians somehow held on and confirm their status as favourites to join the Canfordians in Division Three next season. For the OHAFC, their nine lives are nearly all used up. A home game against the equally-struggling Johnians 2s and an away game against an Ampleforth side with little to play for remain. Win both and salvation is highly probably. Failure to do so and the long-dreaded drop into Division Five will be confirmed.