- Bradford 28-12 Leeds
AFTER a short coach trip west to Bradford, the Celtics arrived to find a team who had beaten them earlier in the year and a semi-waterlogged field to play on. What ensued can only be described as a tale of two halves, with Bradford coming out on top.
The first half went to the Celtics. Buoyed on by an inspirational speech by the Head Coach in remembrance of Old Boy Rob Worboys who sadly passed away last weekend, the defence wasted no time as on the first defensive play of the game, Veteran Felix Titherley forced a fumble and the Celtics recovered. Full of confidence, the Celtics offence trudged onto the field and immediately repaid the defence for their turnover as rookie Ian Granger threw a 30 yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Conor Robson. With the extra point almost impossible to kick in the conditions, the score remained 6-0 to the Celtics.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Celtics enjoyed mixed success for the rest of the half, as the combined efforts of tight end Rory Ellis, running back Josh Beynon and fullbacks Oscar Taherbeigi and Felix Titherley produced solid drives, yet the splash play needed was lacking. This changed when Taherbeigi produced a long run to the left side of the field, only to have it called back for offensive holding. Consolation came a few plays later when Beynon matched his efforts with a similar 25-yard run. Credit for the Celtics offensive performance in the first half should also be given to the offensive line who faced heavy blitz pressure all game, being feet deep in mud the entire game. The Celtics were finally able to punch the ball in the end-zone again that same drive when quarterback Jordan Au scrambled on a bootleg for a 5 yard rushing touchdown.
The defence had an equally strong performance in the first half, swallowing up the Bradford running game in a rigorous manner. They were not lacking for big plays either, as with the absence of any passing game from Bradford, key turnovers came in the form of forced fumbles, with defensive tackle Andy Yell and Viper Felix Titherley combining for 3 fumbles and 3 fumble recoveries. All of this amounted to a 12-0 score line at halftime to the Leeds Celtics.
The second half, however, was a different story. The offence struggled to get going in the poor playing conditions as it was getting difficult to even jog through the middle of the field without sinking. In contrast however, Bradford finally managed to kick their offence into gear and behind their running back put 4 touchdowns past the Celtics defence, all of which appeared to be on the exact same play.
In the end it was not a day to remember for the Celtics, with the Bears putting up 28 points in the second half, converting two of their 2-point conversions, ending in a final score of 28-12.
Conor Robson
Featured image: Youtube