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Game 2: Trojans 0 - 27 Roughnecks

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On a day where a broken down bus delayed kick-off, the Roughnecks arrived late to Garscube and set to work. Losing the toss, we elected to receive the ball, and set to work on offence, looking to get up early and kill off the game early.

Following a few punts back and forth it would be the Roughnecks who would make a dent in the scoreboard the earliest, with the offence getting into short field goal range mainly via the ground game, allowing kicker #4 Stuart Don to make it 3 - 0 in the first quarter. The defence would stand firm, stopping West Coast from gaining any momentum, something that would carry on through out the game as the Trojans toiled with their low numbers

Receiver #1 Sean Breen would score his first ever Roughnecks touchdown in the second quarter, catching the ball in the back corner of the endzone after a nice lofty pass from QB #16 Chris Breen  before Running Back #44 Grant Travis would add the 2 point conversion to make it 11 - 0. The Roughnecks defence would continue to hold strong, forcing multiple turnovers throughout the game. Another offensive drive would stall inside field goal range, and #4 Stuart Don would nail a 42 yard field goal which would've been good from 50 to make it 14-0 at the end of the half.

Alleged worry for the facility's closing time would lead to 12 minute quarters and a running clock for the whole second half. The Roughnecks would continue to dominate the game and only add to the score, with the game finishing 27 - 0. Running Back #25 Diego Esquer would score his first touchdown for the Roughnecks in a game where he ran the ball hard alongside #35 Dave Obatolu in the backfield all day. It was a special day for Wide Receiver #18 Rhys Elmslie who would get his first touchdown since returning from his horrific leg break which saw him miss the entirety of the 2017 season on a long pass down the right side of the field once again from QB #16 Chris Breen. The PAT would be added to the first of these two, with the Trojans getting an arm up to block the second PAT and another field goal attempt in the second half to prevent any more scoring. 

After the game our coaches had this to add:

Coach Collinson, Interim Head Coach/Offensive Co-ordinator:

"Despite WCT's limited numbers they came to play and made it tough for us in the first half. The offence moved the ball well at times but just lacked that finishing edge at certain points. Having said that still very encouraging signs and a lot of improvements to be made throughout the season as we can only get better. The line has been a standout unit already this season and are key to our success and I have full confidence in them kicking on and improving every game. I think it is testament to where we have come as a team and the expectations we have this season that we are slightly disappointed with a 27-0 win as we know we missed some opportunities on offence. Once again the defence played lights out and will continue to be throughout the season."

Coach Stevenson, Defensive Co-ordinator:

"Firstly I'd like to commend the players on another defensive shut out, only allowing one first down all day. The message throughout the week has been very much about getting on top and staying on top. This was something that we realised had to be carried out for us to come away with a victory. Now we've started the season 2 and 0 and are firmly looking forward to our next match up against the Dumfries Hunters and expecting the same attitude to be taken into that game as we have entered our first two with. A lot of respect should be given to the Trojans who battled all game long, being physical on every down despite severely lacking in numbers. They showed real character to keep going all day long."

 

Game MVPs:

MVP: Josh Bahru - Outstanding effort and hard-work all game, getting downfield at every opportunity and setting the tone.

OMVP: Andy Watts - Similar to Josh above, Andy had a great game on the line, dominating his man on every down.

DMVP: Che Mueller - Playing in his first ever game Che disrupted the Trojans centre all day leading to plenty of fumbles and even recovering one of his own.

 

Scorers:  

TD: #1 Sean Breen, Diego Esquer, Rhys Elmslie

FG: 2x #4 Stuart Don

2PAT: #44 Grant Travis

PAT: 2x #4 Stuart Don

 

Turnovers:

INT: #4 Stuart Don 

Fumble Recovery: #23 Phil McCall, #90 Che Mueller, #55 Neil McCallum, #38 Brian Mackain, #69 Andy Watts

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Game 1: Blackhawks Down

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With the stage set for the start of our fifth BAFA National Leagues season, the Roughnecks were looking to get off the mark quickly with the visit of the Clyde Valley Blackhawks to The Rig. Winning the toss and choosing to defer, the Roughnecks were to take kick-off - on what was a great day for football despite the wind blowing down the pitch - and start on defence. 

Keen to hit the ground running, the Roughnecks defence were quick to get off the field on the first drive, and that was a theme they kept up all day, earning 9 total takeaways on the day, with 6 interceptions to three different recipients, and 3 fumble recoveries. 

Following a couple of drives that resulted in punts, the offence would find the endzone in the first quarter through Running Back #35 Dave Obatolu, who carried the ball up the middle and into the endzone from about 4 yards out. The extra point would be tacked on as the Roughnecks took a 7 - 0 lead. With the defence holding out, the offence would again get into scoring range before being stopped by the Blackhawks defence at the 9 yard line. Kicker, #4 Stuart Don would make the 26 yard field goal albeit in an unorthodox manner, as the ball bounced off of the top of the crossbar on the way through, no doubt giving Special Teams Co-ordinator George Pirie a small heart-attack, but making the score 10 - 0 nonetheless. Both defence and offence would continue to perform well, with the offence managing to put together a quick drive to again get into scoring range but the Blackhawks did well to block the resulting field goal as time expired on the first half. 

The second half would play out in a similar fashion as the first, with the defence holding steady, whilst the offence chipped away at the yardage down the field, however penalties - on both sides of the ball - would hamper the efforts early. The first score of the second half would come in the 4th quarter from the defence however. Following an offensive drive which stopped just over the halfway line, and the ensuing Roughnecks punt pinned the Blackhawks back on their own 1 yard line, and following two pass attempts on first and second down which went incomplete, the Roughnecks front 7 got to the CVB quarterback in the back of the endzone for the safety. 12 - 0 to the Roughnecks. Running Back #35 Dave Obatolu would find the endzone again on the right side from 22 yards out before Full Back #44 Grant Travis would stroll in with the 2 point conversion almost untouched to complete the Roughnecks scoring for the day; 20 - 0.

The Blackhawks would find the scoreboard themselves as their defence would recover a fumble and return it to the house, leaving the score at 20 - 6 as the extra point attempt hooked wide of the left upright.

 

A great start to the season, beating the Blackhawks who themselves got off to a good start to the season last week, beating the Dumfries Hunters 13 - 12. A first competitive win for our new coaching staff at their first attempt speaks to their preseason programme and the hard work from the players, new and old to hit the ground running. Special mentions go to Darren Henderson (who came away with four interceptions) and Andrew Watts (who recovered all three fumbles) on defence, David Obatolu (two touchdowns), and the whole offensive line who blocked well for the running backs and quarterbacks Chris Breen and Sean McDonald all day. A congratulations to all of our new rookies who made their first appearances for the team, playing vital roles and making plays across all three phases of the game.

Worryingly however we did give away a lot of yardage in penalties, something that will need to be sorted down the line, but a good win to start the season, and encouraging signs on all three sides of the ball!

Scorers: David Obatolu (2TD), Stuart Don (PAT, FG), Grant Travis (2PAT), Defence (Safety)

Turnovers: Darren Henderson (4INTs), Andrew Watts (3 Fumble Recoveries), Robert Hayes (INT), Phil McCall (INT)