This week saw Havering 2s take on Forest 3s in what was, on paper at least, a dead rubber. In reality, there was still plenty riding on it, with the team determined to sign off the season properly as captain Ryan Lee and coach Roger Hiett prepared to step away after several years of service, guidance and the occasional deep sigh from the side-lines.

Before the warm up had even begun, Taylor Ahmad wasted no time putting himself front and centre in the Dick of the Day conversation by arriving without the ball bag, face masks or first aid kit thanks to some unforeseen circumstances. It was not the smoothest build up, but thankfully the shambles ended there and bore absolutely no resemblance to what followed.

From the opening whistle the ball zipped up and down the pitch until the seventh minute, when Ahmad began a redemption arc Hollywood would be proud of. Bursting down the left wing, he collected the ball confidently, sent the Forest centre back for a hot dog and smashed a beauty into the backboard to open the scoring and set the tone.

Both sides pushed for the next goal, with Forest eventually earning a penalty corner after the ball caught a Havering foot in the D. In the twelfth minute they made it count, the ball flying across the circle and into the net before Havering could react, levelling the scores.

Havering responded in calm and composed fashion, patiently moving the ball through midfield and defence before finding Zorro Narwhal in space in the twenty second minute. He lifted the ball neatly into the top corner, leaving the keeper helpless. Barely a minute later, Zorro was back in the Forest D and once again picked out the corner with clinical ease, tightening Havering’s grip on the game.

The twenty sixth minute brought what was quickly declared the breaking of the curse, as Lucas Afteni finally found the backboard for the 2s after abandoning his supposedly cursed stick. Mitchell Cutell then added another in the thirty fourth minute, reacting sharply at a tense penalty corner to give Havering a comfortable 4-1 lead at the break.

Havering emerged for the second half in ruthless mood. Just a minute after the restart, Haydn Joslin received the ball across the D and finished smartly, further cementing his status as the 2s’ top scorer for the season. Three minutes later Havering were awarded another penalty corner, worked neatly to pensioner Paul Johnson, who calmly slipped the ball into the corner and reminded everyone that experience still counts.

Forest briefly threatened a response in the fortieth minute, capitalising on a strong counter attack to grab their second, but Havering were never in any real danger of losing control.

The closing stages saw the defence, midfield and forwards working seamlessly together, and the season was given a fitting send off in the sixty sixth minute when Johnson grabbed his second to make it 8-2. A comprehensive win, a strong finish to the campaign, and a satisfying final chapter for Lee and Hiett's successful stewardship of Havering 2s.