Mini Camp

To get back into the football swing of things, shake off the Christmas rust , and re-establish .

Saturday, 14 January 2012 @ Garscube Sports complex.

Time  10:00 until 17:00

Field – Fitness, Skills, Drills, and New play installs.

This is a must attend event, and is going to really set the tone for the upcoming second half of our campaign.  New players welcome !

Glasgow Tigers 20     Stirling Clansman 0

Back in March, the Stirling Clansmen hosted the 7-0 Glasgow Tigers, knowing that regardless of the result, the visitors had already won the Border Conference. Glasgow however, were in pursuit of a perfect season, with Stirling the only ones capable of stopping them. In the shadow of the Wallace monument, an over confident Tigers team were given a rude awakening, with Stirling ushering the Tigers into the 2010/2011 playoffs dejected, demoralised and defeated.

Fast forward to Sunday and the 2-1 Tigers were hoping to avoid any more mishaps in their play, in order to simply challenge the 3-0 Newcastle Raiders and the visiting 3-0 Stirling Clansmen. A comeback victory the preceding week against UWS had given Glasgow momentum and energised the players. Their momentum however was nothing compared to Stirling’s previous form.

Recording victories by 90, 55 and 21 points in their previous three games, while not surrendering any points had the Clansmen atop the Border Conference. Glasgow knew that slow starts and inefficient play would doom them against a team of such potency, while also coming to the realisation that this game would be their sternest test before the season ending visit from rivals Newcastle.

But focused on the game at hand however, Glasgow knew they had to score points on the Stirling D, and on a bitterly cold yet dry day went straight to work after the Clansmen kicked off to start the game. At their own 38 yard line the Tigers looked exclusively to the semi-healthy Lewis King, who took a swing pass on third down and took it 14yards for the first. Despite the aid of a Stirling penalty, the next set of Glasgow downs did not go as smoothly. On second down quarterback Andrew Armes fumbled and recovered his centre exchange, then on third down another swing pass to King was met by a swarm of Stirling defenders.

A punt on fourth down gave Stirling the ball at their 32 yard line. Their own drive started to go backwards before it went forwards with numerous false start penalties against the visitors. Stirling then proceeded to test the Glasgow secondary and completed a beautiful 32 yard pass and advanced into Tigers territory.

As Glasgow prepared to start afresh and try to end the menacing Clansmen drive, Stirling used just two plays; a four yard run and a 24 yard pass, to enter the Glasgow redzone. Stirling tried several times to run the ball on the Tigers, but while it was ineffective, their third completed pass took them to the 11 yard line, which ended up being the 6 yard line after a Glasgow penalty. The defence was on the verge of shattering as another completed pass on third down took the visitors to within inches of the endzone and the first points of the match. On fourth down however Stirling fumbled the ball in the running back exchange and Glasgow were able to deny them six points.

With the ball at their own 4 the Tigers needed some breathing space which was aptly provided by a four yard Phil Najemy run and another 14 yards by King to take Glasgow to the 22 to end the first quarter.

[Tigers 0-0 Clansmen]

Just as Glasgow were building momentum however, it went from bad to worse as QB Armes fumbled his exchange and on the next play threw a costly pick, gifting the ball to Stirling deep in Glasgow’s half. The Tigers defence were intent on stopping the visitors once again however and after two Stirling runs, that Glasgow were able to stop for negative yardage, the Clansmen’s third down effort was a pass towards the endzone that was dropped by the receiver. But Stirling were awarded a reprieve after a Glasgow penalty and went straight back to the air and completed a pass to the Glasgow 13 yard line, but a Stirling penalty negated the gain and now faced an arduous third and long.

The Clansmen were fortunate enough to punt after a third down pass interception was dropped by Nick Halfpenny. Glasgow, buoyed after a short Stirling punt, went to work and despite yet another fumble recovery by Armes, King and Najemy fought their way to the halfway line. On second down Glasgow marched into the Stirling half with a sublime Armes QB keeper that fooled most of the Clansmen defence and was downed at the Stirling 34 yard line.

King then took two runs 18 yards with Najemy adding a further ten yards with his powerful running, shedding a few tacklers along the way. Glasgow’s drive found them at the Stirling 6 yard line and it was King’s pleasure to run the last six yards to find pay dirt and do what no team has done to Stirling this year ;score. The two point conversion was successful and the Glasgow side-line that has had to endure inconsistent play from their team in 2011 suddenly found themselves rejuvenated.

The half ended with both teams going three and out and on Stirling’s final drive, despite excellent field position well within the Glasgow half, they were left wanting as the clock cruelly ran out.

[Tigers 8-0 Clansmen]

The Clansmen started the second half on their own 20 yard line after a touchback kick from Ewan Beesley. Their first play of the half was a 15 yard run for a first down. Their second play was a seven yard run that brought a second and three. The Glasgow defence then stiffened and resumed its excellent play forcing Stirling to punt only after a third down pass found its target but could not be caught by the receiver. The punt itself was only barely made, the snap flew over the punter but he recovered and managed to kick it away before he was engulfed by the Tigers.

The Tigers next possession was unremarkable featuring a fumble recovery and another Armes misdirection run that was routinely snuffed out by Stirling. Glasgow’s punt was good however and a short return resulted in the Clansmen starting at their own 7 yard line. The visitors had consecutive passes narrowly avoiding Tiger hands, with rookie David Brooks recording his second tipped pass, and Halfpenny his second near interception. Stirling couldn’t go anywhere on third down, but on fourth down their punt ricocheted off the back of one of their own players and found its way into the hands of Glasgow’s Thomas Mann who escorted the ball to the Stirling one yard line. It took King two tries to acquire his second touchdown, and even though the Tigers couldn’t convert the two point conversion, their lead was a comfortable 14 points.

Stirling couldn’t amass a response to Glasgow’s score and were forced into a three and out. The punt left the Tigers with great field position inside Stirling’s half and through terrific running from King and Najemy found themselves facing a fourth and goal at the five. Glasgow’s field goal attempt was blocked however, with the turnover giving Stirling the ball and denying Glasgow the chance to add to their lead.

[Tigers 14-0 Clansmen]

Stirling’s first drive of the final period was highlighted by a 20 yard pass on second down. The Clansmen’s aerial attack had found holes in the Tigers defence all day and if not for dropped passes Stirling might have had points on the board. As it was however the visitors continued to remain dedicated to a balanced offense but it was to no avail with the drive stalling after Stirling’s inability to move the down marker. Glasgow however felt the heat on their next drive and struggled to advance the chains and their lead with Stirling soon forcing a punt.

The Glasgow defence then forced a third and long on Stirling’s next drive. With the Clansmen looking to convert through the air, luck came to their aid when cornerback Kenny Barcley tipped the ball backwards in the air straight into the hands of the receiver who was then subsequently downed by a huge tackle by linebacker Rob Gilmore. Stirling had gained the first however, but on second down a completed pass was broken up by a monstrous hit from Halfpenny. Fourth down on the Glasgow 19 yard line beckoned for Stirling. Avoiding the rush effectively, the Stirling’s quarterback’s pass sliced through the secondary and fell in and out of the receiver’s hands which if caught, would have led to a touchdown.

A sigh of relief exuded from the Glasgow sideline as they knew time was running out on a Stirling comeback. But once again Stirling made life difficult and forced the Tigers to punt. On their own 20 yard line, Stirling were now forced to go through the air, but as their first throw fell incomplete, their second found its way into Beesley’s hands and he returned the ball over 30 yards for the score to ice the game for Glasgow. Beesley’s over exuberance at scoring didn’t go over well with the referees however and he was ejected from the game.

The score still stood however, and while Glasgow’s two point conversion failed, that had little impact on the celebrating Tigers. Signalling the end of the game, the referees blew the whistle on a stunning match that featured a majestic performance from the team. Defenders Halfpenny, Tom Lachendro and the ever present Gilmore led an outstanding defence that held the previously high scoring Clansmen offense to zero points. King, the crown jewel of the Tigers offense registered yet another productive game when they needed him most. While inexperienced, the improving Armes cut down the mistakes from the previous week and behind a tough and rugged offensive line was able to manage this crucial game well and lead Glasgow to score on the previously stingy Clansmen defence.

[Tigers 20-0 Clansmen]

After the game third year wideout David Teenan applauded his team saying “everyone played with full intensity. The defence was outstanding and we just didn’t make any mistakes, kept the ball on offence and forced them into negative plays.” His sentiments were echoed by team president Joseph Hunter who described the game as a “great performance against a good team, everyone played full on. A true display of Tiger football.”

After last weeks, disappointing and surprising loss to the Edinburgh Predators, The Tigers were looking to bounce big with a big, confidence boosting victory over a UWS Pyros side that had suffered two consecutive heavy defeats in their previous games.

Injuries to running backs Lewis King and Winston Ojei meant that rookie Stuart Donaldson got his first start of the season behind Quarter Back Andrew Armes who was in for the injured John Forbes. The offense started well, with Donaldson producing some solid yards on the ground. Wet conditions meant that the aerial game was limited and the good start couldn’t be converted into points. The Tigers defense continued its good form, shutting down the Pyros offense.

The game remained scoreless until midway through the second half, when, due to personal foul and pass interference penalties took the Pyros O to the red zone, from there, their QB ran the ball in for the score taking the Pyros to a 7-0 lead. The Tigers O came back looking to respond but in the difficult conditions, an Armes pass to a deep route was intercepted and returned for a touch down making it 14-0 to the Pyros going into half time.

The Tigers came in the second half desperately looking to overturn the deficit and, with Linebackers Rob Gilmore and James Crymble coming in at running back, managed to get themselves a quick score, with Crymble rushing the ball in on his first ever carry ever for a TD,  in the 3rd quarter making it 14-6

Rob Gilmore who is usually punishing running backs, put the shoe on the other foot and ran the ball very well , with Crymble now splitting time at FB and RB. The gutsy effort was reward with a second score. Gilmore running the ball in from 15 yards out.

The game was sealed on Pyro’s final drive, with an interception by who else… Rob Gilmore, exhausted from playing both ways, Rob only managed a 20 yard return that he almost broke for a pick 6.

Crippled by injuries on the both sides of the ball, the young Tiger team led by veteran leadership managed to claw back a win.

Special thank you as always to Digitalpict Photography for the photo’s
www.digitalpict.com

The Tigers were looking to win in style, after last weeks below par performance against Napier Knights,  against an ever improving Edinburgh team. However, the offense failed to find their rhythm and The Tigers slumped to a 14-2 loss to the Predators.

The offensive line struggled under heavy blitzing from the Predators defense resulting in neither the passing or running game working. It was a similar story for the Predators offense with the Tigers D keeping them under control for most of the game apart from 1 deep pass where bad coverage resulted in a touchdown for the away side.  The two point conversion was unsuccessful however, and left the score at 6-0 leading into half time.

The Tigers came out for the second half looking to put the first behind them but still struggled to make anything happen offensively and mid way through the 3rd quarter the Predators defense intercepted a pass for a touchdown leaving the score at 14-0 with the converted 2 point attempt.

Finally in the 4th quarter the Tigers O managed to gain some yards but, a fumble recovery for the Predators effectively sealed the game. Glasgows defensive came out strong again, in particular Tom Lachendro playing at DT, and caused a safety from an over thrown snap on a Punt Attempt. However the game was over at this  point and the Predators defense closed out the game preventing the Tigers O from registering a score on the day leaving it 14-2 final score.

It was a bitter pill to take for the Tigers, and they will be looking for a confidence boosting big win against UWS Pyros in their next game.

The Tiger season kicks off next sunday at the Jack Kane centre in Edinburgh as the Tigers take on the Napier Knights. Kick off at 230pm

With the first full scrimmage in the bag, We are looking forward to more.
Our excellent rookie class, and experienced veterans are progressing well this pre-season and all systems are go . We open up the season on the road to the Edinburgh Napier Knights, November 6th.

3 week of practice have wrapped up and spirits are high.
So are turnouts.
We have had excellent turnouts, and a fantastic rookie recruitment class this year.
First Scrimmages will be starting on Tuesday. Make sure you have a mouth guard.
Way to go tigers, Keep up the good work.
TBT

We now have use of a GUSA bus that will be picking people up from in front of the GUU(click4map) .
Make sure you are there on time for pickup.  1hour before practice is due to start.

If it is more convenient for you to take the SRC :

SRC bus schedule (click link)

Players with Cars please meet at the GU 1 hour before practice start , To give guys lifts.
Here’s to the start of a Great Season!

Thanks to all the freshers that made it out to Rookie day this past weekend.

Excellent turnout, and I hope everyone had fun. Training commences this week with our first practice this Tuesday.

Practice times for the first semester are as follows:

Tuesday  8:30 – 10pm @ Garscube (Field)
Wednesday 6pm -7pm – 64 Oakfield Ave (Classroom -GUSA building across from Stevie)
Thursday 7:oopm – 8:30pm @ Garscube (Field)

We will be providing transport soon but in the meantime, make you own way up there in plenty of time to be ready to go on the field ( 10 mins early)

SRC bus schedule (click link)

Players with Cars please meet at the GU 1 hour before practice start , To give guys lifts.
Here’s to the start of a Great Season!

TBT