Stirling Clansmen 26-14 Edinburgh Predators
By Craig Black
Despite a number of Stirling players missing after being struck down mid week with a bug, the Clansmen edged closer to the play-offs after their hardest fought win of the current season against a strong Edinburgh side.
With two touchdown runs called back on penalties, the Clansmen were in danger of throwing the game but the team pulled through for a deserved win to move to 5-1 and within touching distance of the play-offs.
The match started well forStirlingwith their defence continually shutting down the Predators potent air attack, while the Clansmen offence repeatedly moved the chains with relative ease. The pressure eventually took its toll on the Predators, with running-back Matthew Barrington opening the scoring on a breakaway run early in the first quarter. With the defence again stopping the Edinburgh air attack, the Clan immediately responded with another six points. This time the points came from a touchdown pass from sophomore Cam McDonald, who was enjoying his second start of the regular season, to wide receiver Ant Burt. This closed out the quarter at 14 – 0.
The second quarter went awry for the Clan, when with a touchdown called back on a holding penalty, Edinburgh were spurred into action. Stirling’s opponent’s scored first with a deep pass and then, with Stirling on the ropes inside their own twenty, a high snap on their subsequent punt was chased down by the Predators defence to even the score at 14 a piece.
The second half began with the Clansmen again having a touchdown chalked off on a holding penalty, before coming up just short on their next drive too, after running-back Tony McDowall was brought down with a tap tackle one yard shy of the end-zone on fourth down.
As both teams looked for a way to break the deadlock, Clansmen team Captain and game MVP Zake Muluzi intercepted the Predators quarterback insideStirling’s half and broke tackle after tackle to return it all the way for a vital score. The Clansmen’s 2 point attempt was unsuccessful and the quarter ended 20-14.
Moving into the fourth quarter, the Clansmen defence continually thwarted an increasingly desperate Edinburgh side, which again came up short following a heroic red zone stand by the Clan Defence. With time running out, Stirling’s offensive unit elected to keep the ball on the ground, which had the desired effect on an increasingly tiredEdinburgh, as running-backBarringtonagain broke through to score with only a few minutes remaining to seal the win for the Clansmen.
Despite the vital victory, Head Coach Rob Orr lamented the repeated unforced mistakes made by his side. Orr said “Unforced errors are costing us vital points, which we must stop if we are to have any chance of progressing in the play-offs.”
“We did though have a lot of starters missing today, so I am proud of the guys that stepped up to help us seal the win but we simply must stop gifting our opponents’ opportunities to stay with us, especially in tight games.”
This Sunday, the Clansmen travel to the Northumbria Mustangs in a game many are billing as the tie of the season, with both sides needing the win to cement their top tier play-off ambitions.
