After the sensational victory over Bradford Bears last month, the York Centurions suffered their first loss of the season against Northumbria Mustangs on Sunday, in what turned out to be a very close game. A strong comeback at a very icy Gateshead International Stadium ended York’s hopes of remaining undefeated heading into their first ever BUCS home game on Sunday against Leeds Met.
A 0-0 score line at half-time was a fair representation of a half where both offences failed to find the end zone, and struggled to move the ball on the slippery surface. It was not just the icy pitch that hampered the teams. By only being able to play in one direction, the receivers dropped what would normally be simple catches, as they couldn’t see the ball for the blinding sun.
The Centurions’ defence looked strong however, with two big tackles for a loss when the Mustangs were threatening to score, and eventually forcing the turnover on downs. As the half neared the end, the Centurions lost two defensive players to injuries in the space of two plays, with the game being delayed for linebacker Andy Allan to be taken to hospital.
With 11 seconds left to play, Seb Booth intercepted a pass from Mustangs quarterback Leonard Birnie. Quarterback Rob Wickham found Booth on the next play with a 50-yard pass, giving the Centurions enough time for one play to find the end zone. The pass fell incomplete and the Centurions came off the field with some momentum to take into the second half.
The first offensive drive of the second half picked up where the first half ended. Some impressive blocking allowed the Centurions running backs to drive the team downfield. A completed pass to Ali Ford on 4th down put the Centurions within striking range. The running backs carried the team to the one-yard line where on fourth down, fullback Ryan Williams was able to run in for the touchdown. Wickham was able to find Sam Parke for the two-point conversion, giving York an 8-0 lead.
The defence forced the second turnover of the game when defensive captain Fred Isaac recovered a fumble just inside the Mustangs half. The
offence headed out onto the field hoping to capitalise on the good field position. Going for it on fourth and five, Wickham ran the ball 18 yards before being brought down. The drive resulted in a 21-yard pass to Booth for the touchdown. Although the two-point conversion was missed, the Centurions looked strong, leading 14-0 as the third quarter ended.
After a very strong quarter of football, York’s offence found it difficult to move the ball in the final quarter of the game. They were forced to punt from their own half, but managed to pin Northumbria inside their 10-yard line. An illegal formation on the punt however meant that the kick needed to be taken again, and this time Northumbria managed to block it, resulting in the Mustangs offence starting with the ball at the 20-yard line. A penalty for pass interference gave Northumbria a fresh set of downs from the one-yard line, allowing QB Birnie to run in for the score. The two-point conversion narrowed the Centurions’ lead to 14-8.
Birnie backed himself on the next Mustangs drive, running the ball several times himself, and eventually scoring another one-yard rushing touchdown. The two-point conversion was missed levelling the scores at 14-14 with about four minutes to play.
The offence went out onto the field looking for a winning score, but was unable to do anything with the ball and were forced to punt it away. Starting deep in their own half the Mustangs drove down the field, with Birnie doing most of the work. At the three-yard line the ball was handed to running back Ortega Diegbe who ran in for the score. Birnie ran in the two-point conversion to give the Mustangs a 22-14 lead.
The Centurions needed a score and were forced to attempt passes rather than run the ball, which had worked so well earlier in the game. Incomplete passes forced the punt and the Mustangs offence moved down the field and looked as if they would score again to put the game out of sight. A big stop near the goal line from the Centurions defence allowed the offence another chance, but an interception with 45 seconds to play meant that Northumbria could kneel out the game.
Talking after the game, Centurions President James Speck said “one thing we can take from our hard loss today was that we put in a strong performance as a team, and even when the squad was hit by injuries, the freshers were able to step up and make an impact. We are now training hard and preparing for our first home game against Leeds Carnegie”. York take on Leeds Met Carnegie on Sunday 9th December at 22 Acres in what will be their first ever home game in the BUCS league.
MVPs for the game were Joe Locke on special teams, Ali Ford on offence, Harry Rackham on defence, and Fred Isaac as overall MVP.