The OHAFC 1st Xi fought out an entertaining and hard fought 1-1 draw against Merchant Taylors on Saturday morning, the Blues left ruing a sin bin for Will Payne midway through the second half that saw the side temporarily reduced to ten men and allowed the visitors to level, skipper Jamie Jordache having given the home side the lead in the first half. The Blues still believed they had snatched victory in the dying moments when a free-kick was bundled in at the far post by centre-back Ed Nicholson, but he graciously informed the referee that he had actually pushed the ball over the line with his hand as he fell to the turf. The goal was chalked off and both sides had to settle for a point, maintaining the status quo in the table.

The two sides started the day in fifth and sixth in Division One, separated only on goal difference, and perhaps Saturday’s result should have been inevitable, Taylors having drawn all four fixtures prior to this latest encounter. The home side were missing skipper Dan Firoozan, so Jamie Jordache assumed captaincy responsibilities, a relatively strong squad of twelve under his command. Alfie Hayes, not fully fit with a lingering groin injury, partnered Tritton and Ed Nicholson in a back three, Jordache joined by Harry Bick and Andres Hutchinson, promoted from the 2s, in midfield. Will Payne and Dan Graham, making his 1st XI debut, were tasked with spearheading the attack, Jo Hult the lone substitute.

The main Phil pitch continues to improve its condition, although there was a blustery wind blowing on a cloudy day on the Hill. The home side made an excellent start, passing the ball with confidence across the pitch, although struggling to create many chances of note. Ed Pagani enjoyed a fine game at right wing-back, continually driving forwards down the touchline, and he was instrumental in the opening goal of the game which duly arrived after twenty minutes. Pagani’s cross into the box was cleared to just outside the box but Jordache was on hand to collect possession and fire a shot back across goal, the ball bouncing over the keeper’s questionable dive and ricocheting in off the far post.

It was no more than the home side deserved and they continued in the ascendency for the remainder of the first half, enjoying one escape at the back, however, when some over-confidence saw the ball carelessly lost by the corner flag and the resulting shot drew a strong save from keeper David Griffiths. The closing minutes of the half saw both sides make changes, Harry Bick’s legs requiring rest after he had played ninety minutes for his army side the day before, the visitors also making three changes of their own.

And that trio of substitutions by Taylors proved decisive as the second half proved a far tougher test for the home side. The Blues began the second period well enough, another excellent break down the right saw Pagani feed Payne inside and he slipped the ball on to Hutchinson, whose driven left-foot shot was well saved by the keeper with an outstretched boot.

But as the half wore on, so the stronger the visitors grew, the hosts now forced to make constant blocks and recoveries to protect the slender lead. At times, an equaliser seemed inevitable. On the hour mark a swift counter saw four Taylors players break against only three Harrovians and the cross from the right appeared destined for a simple tap-in at the far post only for Hayes to make a superb sliding interception to deny the attacker.

But soon afterwards the home side proved masters of their own downfall in hugely frustrating fashion. A hotly-contested challenge in midfield saw a free-kick awarded to the visitors and Will Payne failed to contain his frustration, his verbal tirade punished with a yellow card and ten minutes on the sidelines – the first sinbinning of the season in any OHAFC game. With an extra man advantage, the visitors piled on the pressure and it was firmly with the run of play when they levelled, a few minutes before Payne was able to return to the fray. Another quick break saw a mis-hit cross find a forward inside the box and his rather scuffed finished ran across goal, bouncing in off the bottom of the post.

With the scores now level and the hosts restored to their full complement of players, the final quarter of an hour saw the game flow freely from end to end, both teams searching for a winner. Payne made up for his earlier indiscretion with some lightning runs at the back four, as did Andres Hutchinson, enjoying his role in the middle of the pitch. A couple of half-chances were created but the MTs keeper remained untested.

That was until the final moment of the game when the visitors benefitted from some supreme sportsmanship by the elder statesman of the Harrow side. Tom Walduck delivered a fine free-kick into the box and both Pagani and Ed Nicholson strove to make the decisive touch at the far post. The latter fell rather unceremoniously to the turf, the ball smuggled over the line via an unknownpart of his body. Taylors protests initially fell on deaf ears as referee Lawrence Asare awarded the goal, but having picked himself up off the turf, Nicholson then confessed to having almost shoved the ball in with his hand and the decision was reversed. A noble gesture that very probably wouldn’t have been repeated by certain other teams in the League…

So Taylors draw for the fifth game in a row – surely some sort of record must be beckoning now – the OHAFC left to rue the ten-minute spell when they were reduced to ten men. With fixtures against the bottom two clubs to follow, Johnians and Kimboltonians, this may yet prove a missed opportunity to climb towards the upper echelons of Division One.