Week 1 Review: Titans beat Nighthawks, Titans Women Lose by 1 Point
The first weekend of the BAFA National Leagues powered by Union Jack Classic saw two of our teams travel for an away fixture - one team to Durham, another to… South Manchester?
Saturday - Manchester Titans Women vs Teesside Steelers
Starting our weekend on Saturday 18 April in Maiden Castle, Durham the Titans Women took the Steelers by surprise by scoring first. RB Emily Rodrigues #15 in her debut as a Titan got the first points on the board on the opening offensive drive which set the tone for the rest of the game. The Steelers’ speedy RB Gaby Derrick racked up most of the points for Teesside but it was close and competitive throughout with the Titans up by one point at the half.
With mere moments left in the fourth quarter, QB Liz Majka #22 found WR Jess Dovey #30 in the endzone, making it 25-26. A daring attempt at a 2-pt conversion to take the lead unfortunately fell short of the mark. The atmosphere was electric and both teams congratulated each other on a solid performance, looking forward to the rematch at Belle Vue on 20 June.
We got Head Coach Scott Tomlinson’s thoughts after the game:
“Honestly the game was a spectacle. A massive shoutout to the two coordinators I have, George Foster (OC) and Stuart Robinson (DC). They adjusted well and kept us in it. We knew our expectations this season, the team banded together and we’re now already hitting those targets. Having 5 people debut for Titans is a huge achievement and shows that this team will only go from strength to strength not only this season but even further into the future. Looking forwards to the game against Solent [on 2 May] - every game will be competitive but if we continue to execute as we have been it’s going to make for a very entertaining game.”
Sunday - Manchester Titans vs Merseyside Nighthawks
Fast forward to Sunday 19 April, at what turned out to be more of a home game than expected, fans, friends, family, and a very loud cohort of Titans alumni crowded the fences at the Armitage Centre to cheer on their boys in royal blue. Knowing what the people had come to see, the Titans put 7 touchdowns on the Merseyside Nighthawks and still left the crowd wanting more.
We spoke to Head Coach George Foster after the game:
“Fairly happy with the game, it took us a little longer than we would have liked to get fully up to speed but that is to be expected for the first game of the season. Defensively we put on a good show and had answers to everything that Merseyside threw at us which was good to see. Offensively we grew as the game developed and started to really hit our standard in the second half. On specials we had a couple of big returns and blocked up our kicks well. So overall a strong performance but plenty for us to work on over the next couple of weeks as we prepare for Coventry.”
Speaking on the offensive performance, OC Alex Challands said “It was a good effort to get any pre-season rust out of the system ready for a hectic May. We showed strong throughout the game, and ran away with it whilst rotating in the second half, which is a testament to the effort put in throughout the depths of the squad so early on in the season.”
It was a great outing for new players on the squad with one touchdown for ex-Newcastle Viking WR Matt Wilson #81, and one for rookie RB Herminio Manga #80 in their Titans debuts. In the second half of the game back-up QB and ex-Chester Roman Alex Ross bagged himself his first two passing touchdowns in his debut as a Titan. Another Titans debutant Ben Komba got the first interception of the season and his first interception as a Titan. In the meantime, the rest of the Titans defence ground down the Merseyside offence, leaving the Nighthawks with negative yardage on the day.
A solid 46-0 victory to start the 2026 season puts the Titans at 1-0 after Week 1.
Both Titans teams play next at home on Saturday 2 May. Titans Women against the Solent Thrashers at 12pm and Manchester Titans against Coventry Phoenix at 3pm. Get your tickets today!
One Club, One Future
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