The Day The Roof Fell In

August 7th, 2026

East Kilbride Pirates 33 Nottingham Caesars 64

Having performed so well in their previous home game, making life difficult for Division winning Manchester Titans, few would have predicted the total capitulation delivered by the Pirates on Sunday. Resplendent in their all-white “Tippex” kit, there is no amount of correction fluid would cover up the many mistakes on the day.

As has become a regular occurrence, EK received the opening kick-off, with Nottingham having deferred the option when winning the toss. The visitors held strong, and on 4^th and 1 the Pirates opted to punt. This was when the first of several calamities on Special Teams took place. A high snap flew over the head of Punter, Gregor Pert, and while he did recover the ball, he was brought down at his own 2-yard line. From there, Caesars’ Running Back, Sam Fraser powered home at the first attempt. Scott Barnard added the PAT for an early 7-0 lead. The Pirates response was immediate, and a short drive was rounded off by a pass by Cammy Dunn to Arran McDonald, who broke away from his tackler before heading to the endzone for a 46-yard TD. Pert then leveled the score by converting the PAT. After holding Nottingham to a punt, the Pirates gave up possession when Dunn had the ball knocked loose as he struggled to make extra yards. The Caesars capitalised, moving the ball to the EK 3-yard line before Fraser again ploughed through the home Defence to score. Barnard’s PAT made the score 14-7 and it remained that way for the rest of the period.

The teams traded punts to start the quarter, before they then traded interceptions. Dunn was picked off in the endzone before Nottingham reciprocated. Adam Montgomery plucked a misplaced McGovern pass out of the air and returned it 24 yards to score. The PAT never got off the ground following a low snap, but EK had narrowed the gap to 1 point. Towards the end of the period, the Pirates managed to get their noses in front. Following a sliced punt, EK regained possession deep in Caesars’ territory. Three plays later, Dunn passed towards Dougie Meechan in the endzone. The pass was high and Meechan could only get fingertips to it. Fortunately, Fraser McDonald was able to react quickly and pull in the tipped ball for the TD. Dunn tried to run in a 2PAT but was stopped short. With EK ahead 19-14, the half later ended with a 15-yard penalty on the Pirates that would be assessed on the second half kick off.

The penalty yardage and a good return set up Nottingham in EK’s half of the field and a 6-play drive concluded with Fraser again scoring from short yardage. He also ran in the 2PAT to regain the lead for the visitors, 22-19. That lead was short lived however, with Dunn once more connecting with Arran McDonald on a 70-yard score to make it 25-22. Dunn tried for the 2PAT, but again was unsuccessful. The Caesars next drive ended in a punt then so did EK’s, unfortunately Pert had to retrieve another misplaced snap and was tackled before he could get his kick away. Two plays later Nottingham were back in the endzone with yet another short yardage plunge by Fraser, his fourth, and PAT by Barnard. A 29-25 lead quickly became 36-25 as the Pirates’ Special Team woes continued. Pert, punting from his own endzone couldn’t get a proper handle on the ball and rather than throw it out of play for a safety, he tried to recover the loose ball, only to be beaten to it by Fred Ikeagwuani and Bartram added the Extra Point. The Ceasars were now dominating the line of scrimmage in both directions. Dunn was constantly under pressure as his protection all but disappeared. The Caesars added their first passing TD of the day when Liam McGovern connected with Elliott Knight for a 46-yard score, duly converted by Bartram. There was still time for Nottingham to add a further score before the end of the quarter. A 21-yard run by Ryan Wilcox, with the PAT making it 50-25 to the Caesars.

After a couple of exchanges of possession in the fourth quarter, East Kilbride did find their way back to the endzone. Dunn passed left to Daniel Picton, and he stretched the ball over the pylon as he was tackled. Picton also grabbed the 2PAT, reducing the deficit to 33-50. The Caesars then went straight upfield and countered with a TD of their own, McGovern finding a wide open Thom Smith from 14 yards out. The Pirates’ D made the schoolboy error of stopping for an Offside flag rather than playing to the whistle. With the game result no longer in doubt, Nottingham felt the need to use their Time Outs deep inside the 2-minute warning to add a further score. A short run by Sam Lacy and conversion by Barnard saw a final score of 64-33 in favour of Nottingham.

The Buffalo Trace Bourbon Gameday MVP Award went to wide receiver Arran McDonald. Despite the result he managed to pull in 12 catches for 186 yards and 2 touchdowns.

So, some serious soul searching is now required by the Pirates before their final game of the season at Coventry Phoenix on Sunday. Hopefully the players will take the opportunity to at least restore some pride.

Report by Bill Campbell
Photos courtesy Duncolm Sports Photography – you can find a full gallery here. 

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