Merseyside team effort edges Titans

Posted in: Merseyside Nighthawks, BAFL 2    By Sue Clark Jun 18, 2008 - 11:53:12 AM

 

Merseyside Nighthawks 30 Manchester Titans 20

The Merseyside Nighthawks travelled to the Manchester Titans with an identical 2-1 record to their opponents, with both teams looking to gain a vital win in a close division.

Manchester started off receiving the ball deep, but good coverage from the Nighthawks kick off team kept their dangerous return game in check. The Nighthawks defense continued from their strong outing last week, forcing a quick three and out. The Titans defense answered in kind, forcing a quick Merseyside punt. The first quarter continued to be a defensive battle, with little give shown from either side. It was the Titans who came up big first though; with a tipped pass being intercepted by Simon McHardy, giving Manchester field position deep in Nighthawks territory. They duly converted, with Dave Barnett running the ball in from 4 yards out. A strong rush from the defensive line saw the conversion attempt blocked leaving the Titans with a 6-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

With the Titans defense stepping up to stuff the running game, Nighthawks’ quarterback Simon James spread the field, and started to find his receivers. A completion to wide out Richard Chudyk-Williams saw the chains move, but disappointingly saw the player lost to injury. With the field spread, running back Ben Kamara found space to gallop 20 yards downfield, keeping the drive going. In the red zone, James hit tight end Jason Elliott for an 8 yard score, pulling the Nighthawks level. For the two point conversion, Andy Dyson was forced to step under centre, but didn’t disappoint, finding Elliott again to give the Merseysiders a slender lead. On the next drive, it was the defense again coming up big, as linebacker Mark Cairns sacked the quarterback causing a fumble, which was duly scooped up and returned for a touchdown by defensive end Sean Mooney. The two point conversion was added as the Nighthawks extended their lead to 16-6, which it remained at the half.

Nighthawks dominating defense.

Manchester looked to hit back early in the second half, and after forcing a quick punt, their offense went to work. A crucial third down conversion was made when a tipped pass was excellently hauled in by wide receiver Phil Walldecker, giving the Titans first down in the Nighthawks’ redzone. On the next play, quarterback Alan Mead found Ryan Farrell in the endzone for the touchdown. The two point attempt was unsuccessful, but Manchester had cut the lead to 4 points. The Nighthawks response was instant, as after a short kick return, the offensive line opened up a hole for running back Mike Banks, who used his speed to beat the secondary for a 75 yard touchdown. The two pointer was unsuccessful, but the Nighthawks had re-established a 10 point cushion with the score at 22-12. The rest of the quarter was dominated by defense again, with Dave Almond’s excellent punts for Merseyside allowing very little return yards, and pinning the Titans back.

The fourth quarter started with the Nighthawks in possession, looking to give themselves some breathing room. They embarked on a long drive, and importantly time consuming drive, aided by some penalties. The Titans’ defense stepped up when they threatened in the redzone, and a fourth down sack saw the ball turned over on downs. The Titans started to go to the air, looking to move the ball quickly. Walldecker was again the target, and despite excellent coverage by corner Dave Eldridge, came down with the ball to keep the drive alive. Eventually, Mead found his man Walldecker in the corner of the endzone to pull back a touchdown. The two pointer was added, and the lead was cut to just 2 points.

Banks returning the kick off to the 1 yard line.

The Nighthawks’ response again was instant. Expecting the onside kick, the Titans opted to go long. Return man Mike Banks made use of the open field and took the ball all the way to the 1yard line before being forced out of bounds. A strong goal line stand coupled with a false start saw the Nighthawks moved back to the 9 yard line, as the Titans defense looked to give their offense some hope. It was Mike Banks again, who finished what he started, sweeping into the endzone for the score. James found Andy Dyson for the important two pointer to make it a two score game. With time running out, the Titans had to look long, a good bat down from cornerback Neil Minegaud, who had four on the day stopped their progress, and on fourth down defensive end Matthew Parker sacked the quarterback turning the ball over on downs. With Manchester out of time outs, the Nighthawks were able to take a knee to seal a hard fought victory.

Head coach Charlie Holland said, “It was a great team performance today and a credit to the strength in depth of our squad. We were missing some key players today, but everyone stepped up when it counted. Our division is really tough, with not much separating all of the teams so this was a very important win for us.”

The Nighthawks welcome the Edinburgh Wolves to Birkenhead Park next Sunday, but will be looking to reverse the result of their season opener, when the Wolves edged it 14-6 at Meadowbank.

 

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