The OHAFC 1st XI slipped to their first defeat of the season on Saturday afternoon, a nightmare ten minute spell prior to half-time saw the Blues concede three goals in quick succession, converting a solid one-goal lead into an ugly two-goal deficit. Despite battling gamely in the second half, a long-range effort from the hosts put the result beyond doubt, Jamie Jordache’s penalty a few minutes later failing to stir a dramatic comeback. The 1s remain fifth in Division One, the Radleians climbing one spot into second.

On a bright, blustery autumnal afternoon down in southwest London, the OHAFC 1st Xi were once more forced to hand out a debut in order to fill their matchday squad. Despite a strong start to the season that has seen the side collect four points from their opening two fixtures, availability of some of the younger members of the squad continues to prove elusive and on this occasion Edwin Hutchinson, a former contemporary of skipper Dan Firoozan’s from school, who was thrust into his first taste of Arthurian League football. Whilst the plan had been to start the newcomer on the bench, the late arrival of Ali Buckley ensured that he would, in fact, start the match alongside Nikita Levine at the heart of the back four. The midfield was an odd mix of the experienced Jamie Jordache, 2s regular Will Monroe and newcomer Jo Hult, who had made his debut in the previous week’s 1-1 draw away to the Aldenhamians. Fortunately, the front three had a distinctive 1st XI flavour to it, with the skipper joined by feisty wide men Will Payne and Alfie Hayes in a potentially dangerous attacking trident.

The hosts started the brighter but were held at arms’ length for the most part by a well-organised Harrow side who kept their shape well, preventing the Radleians from testing keeper Tom Mitchell, making his first appearance of the season, in the Harrow goal. As the half wore on, the visitors began to grow in confidence and they were rewarded for their increasingly assured football with the opening goal of the game, just before the half-hour mark. Will Payne held the ball up well under pressure from two Radley players and fed Firoozan with a slide-rule pass between the left-back and one of the centre halves. The Harrow skipper carried the ball past the final man before cutting inside and passing the ball into the far corner with his left foot.

Ten minutes later the Blues spurned a glorious opportunity to double their lead when the skipper made a mess of a chance: another run from deep was this time picked out by a perfect pass over the top from Levine, but the skipper slightly mis-controlled and his attempted lob ran wide of goal.

The miss was to prove hugely costly, as the visitors then collapsed in the run up to half-time, incredibly conceding three times in the space of seven minutes. The first two goals resulted from a failure of the Harrow back four to clear the ball properly, crosses from the left being turned in from close range. A well-placed finish into the bottom corner made it three, the Radleians celebrating in some disbelief at the reversal in fortune. Unsurprisingly, it was a rather shell-shocked Harrow side who huddled together at the interval, the skipper doing his best to rally his troops ahead of the second half.

The second forty-five minutes proved rather less entertaining than the first, with plenty of effort from both sides but a distinct lack of quality in the final third. The visitors probably shaded both possession and territory but with a two-goal lead to protect, the Radleians never seemed vulnerable. In fact, a long-range effort that flew into the bottom corner via a combination of Mitchell’s glove and the post earned the hosts an impregnable 3-0 lead with an hour played.

The visitors did strike back five minutes later from the spot, Jamie Jordache successfully converting after Ed Pagani had been brought down following a strong run into the box. But the men in blue could never create concerted pressure on the Radley goal and the final twenty minutes petered out into something of a stalemate.

Despite their opponents’ lofty position in the table, this was a disappointing result for the OHAFC, although perhaps rather indicative of the relative strengths of the personnel available for this particular fixture. The Blues now face two winnable home games against Merchant Taylors and the Old Johnians and could yet find themselves in a strong position heading into the winter months.