Final Day Dampener For Pirates

August 17th, 2023

Edinburgh Wolves 14 – East Kilbride Pirates 00

Despite there being nothing at stake for the Pirates, they were still looking to end their campaign on a high note. Edinburgh, on the other hand, needed a victory to ensure post-season action. A pre-game torrential downpour that continued into the first quarter saw both teams get thoroughly soaked, and also made the football difficult to handle. Despite this, the Wolves managed to put together an opening drive that concluded on its 12^th play with a 3-yard TD run. The PAT was successful and the hosts had secured an early 7-0 advantage. The remainder of the first half saw defences well on top and neither side could muster any extended forward momentum. With no further scoring, it was still all to play for after the interval.

East Kilbride received the second half kick off  but quickly gave up possession when a Neil Baptie pass was intercepted deep in EK territory. Edinburgh took immediate advantage., needing just one play to score on a 15 yard carry by their running back. The Extra Point again was good to double the lead at 14-0. As with the first half, defence dominated and possession regularly changed hands throughout. Edinburgh, as well as having a 2-score cushion, were also winning the battle of field position, regularly pinning the Pirates near their own endzone. Despite their best efforts EKP couldn’t find a score to make the game a bit more exciting, and ended with their first shut out of the year.

The game MVP award went to Rookie linebacker Sean Dickie for a performance that saw him make several tackles and assists, and a level of commitment that helped inspire those around him.

A first season back in the Premier Division is now complete, with the initial goal of not immediately going back down to Division 1 being achieved. A year’s experience at the top level for many of a young East Kilbride squad will provide a base to build on for the 2024 campaign. Preparations for that will begin shortly as the Club continues to move forward.

As always, the players and staff of the Club would like to say a big thank you to the supporters, who have been magnificent (and noisy), home and away, all year.

Report by Bill Campbell
Photography courtesy of Duncolm Sports Photography. You can find a full gallery from the game here.

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