A week is a long time in politics and, it would appear, in Division Five of the Arthurian League too. Seven days ago the OHAFC were basking in the glow of a magnificent 8-4 win away to Old Merchant Taylors 2s in a game played in bright sunshine on a pristine pitch. Fast forward seven days and the same side traipsed off one of the worst pitches ever to host an Arthurian League game having conceded eight goals themselves, scoring precisely zero in reply. Perhaps the only two saving graces on a miserable day were the fact the game actually went ahead given the awful availability and the restriction of runaway Division Five leaders the Old St Edwardians to single figures.

For their debut season in the League, clearly their abilities deserve a far greater venue than the goose excrement-ridden hellish pitches at Barn Elms. To compound matters, the light rain that had swept across London earlier in the day had become a concerted downpour by kick-off, ensuring not only a patchy, uneven surface, but also a slippery one, liable to make defenders look foolish whenever the ball arrived in their vicinity.

Perhaps it was due to their superior ability, perhaps to a greater understanding of how best to play in the awful conditions, the Edwardians, sporting a rather fantastic kit that wouldn’t have looked out of place when association football was first invented, found themselves four goals to the good by half-time – all four goals of a similar nature, a long ball over the top finished confidently past the exposed Hassan Hammad. This was particularly disappointing as the Harrovian back four were all established players with the exception of the debutant left-back Adam Ait-El Caid.

The visitors did have their moments, Will Bonnet, who had greatly impressed on his debut in the 1-1 draw with the Wellingtonians a fortnight ago, drew a fine save from the Edwardians keeper with a superb volley from fully forty yards out. And, to their credit, the Blues at least held the home side to relatively few chances in the first twenty minutes of the second half. But once the fifth goal was scored, a powerful left-foot effort from the number two who had cut inside off the right flank, the game slipped further away and the score began to take on embarrassing proportions. The sixth was unfortunate, a cross from the right that flew unmolested into the far corner through a phalanx of players, the final two efforts in the closing stages simply adding insult to injury.

Credit must go to the eleven who made the effort to play the game in such dreadful conditions and although the margin of defeat completely wiped out a rather healthy goal difference that had been built up, the 3s have at least now faced the top two sides in the division. The St Edwardians appear nailed on to win the division, even at this early stage of the season, the race for second place appears far more interesting.