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Merseyside
Nighthawks 0-40 East Kilbride Pirates
The
Nighthawks slipped to 0-2 after a tough encounter on the road against former
Premier League team, the East Kilbride Pirates.
The game started poorly for the underdogs from Merseyside, when after receiving
the opening kick off a blocked punt by Steven Wilson saw the Nighthawks
defending a short field. Promise was shown when the runner was brought down for
a 4 yard loss on the first play by defensive end Richard Chudyk-Williams, but
the Pirates showed their Premier pedigree when they opened the scoring on their
next play when Craig Trowler hauled in a 23 yard touchdown. Defenses ruled for
the rest of the quarter with score at 6-0 when the teams turned around.
The second quarter saw the Pirates looking to move the ball, only to be picked
off by linebacker Carl Rugen. Unfortunately, the ball was fumbled on the
return, and East Kilbride made no mistake on the second attempt when Ryan
Hunter found receiver Jamie McLaughlin free in the endzone to double the lead.
The 2 points were added on leaving the score at 14-0. The Merseyside offense
looked to come to life now as well. Quarterback Tim Parr started to find his
receivers as he connected with Joe Black for a first down, and moved the chains
again with a crucial fourth down conversion to Jason Elliott. Inside the red
zone though the Nighthawks finally faltered, and a fourth down pass to Andy
Dyson fell agonisingly out of reach to turn the ball over on downs. With time
running low, the Pirates 2 minute drill was put to good use as they marched
down the field. The Nighthawks looked to have stopped their progress when a
shuddering hit form Neil Mingaud and Rick Keir jarred the ball loose at the
goal line, but it was the Pirates who reacted first and the loose ball was
recovered in the endzone on the last play of the half to give the home side a
20-0 lead.
Defensive adjustments from both teams saw the scoring halted in the third
quarter, with neither side giving an inch. Defensive back Craig Bennett picking
off Ryan Hunter was the highlight of a scoreless period. The strong defensive
performance in the quarter though, was marred by the loss of defensive general
Sean Mooney to a horrific arm injury.
The Nighthawks were now looking for 3 scores in the final quarter to and had to
take to the air. Parr, who was under pressure for much of the game was unable
to escape this time, and was sacked for a safety. With the Nighthawks defensive
backfield now tightening up coverage, Hunter tucked the ball away and using his
speed was able to carve through the defense for a 47 yard touchdown. The 2
point conversion attempt was picked off by Dave Eldridge leaving the score at
28-0. The Pirates defense were also in an unforgiving mood, and after forcing
another punt, returner Scott Findlay was able to find a crease in the coverage
and recorded a 53 yard return lengthening the lead to 34-0. After trading
possession again, the Pirates finally concluded the scoring when Mark Murphy
caught a Darren Brownlie pass giving a final score of 40-0.
Head Coach Gary Lee said, “It was a big step up for us considering there was a
two division gap between the teams last season, but that’s no excuse. We are in
this division to compete and this has given us some insight into what level we
need to get to. There is plenty for us to work on as we look to our first home
game next week.”
The Merseyside Nighthawks would like to wish Sean Mooney a speedy recovery, and
now look forward to their first home game of the season on 31st May against the
Doncaster Mustangs, where they look to avenge their opening day defeat and
record their first win of the season.