French Fries Falcons to secure Division title for Steelers

Game Report by Leigh French - Sandwell

Photos courtesy of Andy Neale (Whizzyfingers Photography)

 

The Sandwell Steelers earned a hard fought 24-20 victory over the Leicester Falcons on Saturday night to secure the NFC2 North Division Crown- the first silverware in the club's history. The game was a close, back-and-forth affair, with the lead changing hands five times before Sandwell secured the win with just a minute and a half to go.

Early on the Steelers moved the ball well but lacked their usual killer instinct when it came to scoring- having to settle for just a 3-0 lead courtesy of a second quarter Liam Duncan field goal. The Steelers defence, led by solid performances from Sam Rafferty, Sam Banner and Ovie Omueda, kept the visitors in check all the way through the first half- Dean Wilkinson making the standout play of the half by snagging a crucial interception to set up the Steelers' first points. However they were finally beaten for a touchdown with just 30 seconds to go before halftime, leaving the score at 6-3 in favour of the visitors at the break. 

Leicester extended their lead with their first possession of the second half, scoring another touchdown to extend the lead to 12-3. This only seemed to help the Steelers rediscover their scoring touch, as they hit back with a touchdown pass from Jonny Glover to his favourite target Drew Newiss, which Duncan converted to make the score 12-10. The Steelers quickly got the ball back thanks to a fumble recovery from Rafferty, and punished the visitors with a scoring run by Leigh French, who then converted his own score to make the score 18-12 to Sandwell. However, Leicester refused to give up, and hit right back with a scoring drive and conversion of their own to retake the lead 20-18.

With time ticking away, the Steelers mounted yet another impressive scoring drive, working their way downfield with some key runs from French and Dan James, as well as a crucial pass from Glover to Declan Evans to keep their hopes alive. The telling moment came in the final 90 seconds, as French went over for his second touchdown of the day to give the Steelers a 24-20 lead. Leicester's attempts at a last minute comeback were soon dashed, as the Steelers defence held firm and forced the visitors to concede the ball back to Sandwell with just under a minute to play, allowing them to claim the victory.

 

Defensive Coach Greg Freeman was impressed with how the team came through their toughest challenge to date: "This was a well deserved win for us. We knew Leicester would test us tonight, and credit to them, they certainly did. But when we needed to the most, we showed our class, and the hard work we put in on the practice field and the film room truly paid off tonight."

Head coach and club Chairman Jay Alexander added: "I'm absolutely delighted for the boys. We've been in some tough spots over the course of the season, and none more so than tonight against a tough Leicester outfit. But we've never panicked, stuck together, and played our hearts out for each other. It sounds cliche, but that's the thing I'm proudest of about this team. The wins are a real bonus.

"There's still a long way to go for us to achieve our goal of winning the league and securing promotion, so we won't get too far ahead of ourselves. That said, after the turnaround this team has made- from only winning two games last year, to being undefeated so far this year and winning our Division- everyone involved with this club deserves to celebrate this achievement."

The win now leaves the Steelers unbeaten in 9 games, giving them the Division title with a game to spare. It also means they go into their final game of the regular season at Peterborough knowing that a win will secure them a top 2 seeding, and ensure that all their playoff games are played at home in Tipton Sports Academy. In a twist of fate it seems that The Steelers could very well face Leicester in the first round of the play off in a rivalry that is really heating up!