Andrew Gibson heaped praise on EK Pirates Women after they finished third in the UK Flag Finals at Ravenscraig last week.
The club’s head coach was blown away by his players’ efforts as they claimed a 34-26 win over Cowen Cougars in the third/fourth place play-off on home turf.
Following a 33-21 win over Sheffield Giants, Pirates were knocked out at the semi-final stage by defending champions and eventual winners Coventry Cougars, who beat Hyde Park Renegades in the final.
The Pirates matched the feat they achieved in the last edition of the event in 2019 when they also claimed bronze.
But Gibson believed this was a truly special effort after a difficult spell on the sidelines due to the pandemic.
He said: “I’m struggling to find the words that quite capture the great feeling after such a fantastic finals day.
“First of all, congratulations to the Cougars on their win, and to those in attendance from BAFA who made the day so successful.
“I also want to extend a thanks to our opposition for three fantastic games played in good spirits and of the highest calibre. After such a long season, it was fantastic to see everything culminate and put in arguably our top three games of the season.
“We had an uphill battle ahead of us to hit our goal of finishing at least third again, and I’m delighted that we showed the will and determination to push ourselves to a medal placing.
“The players were absolutely awesome in their effort, and I’m sure they earned a lot of fans with how excellent they were on the field, given the games were broadcast on Facebook with hundreds tuning in - and thousands of views - to see the sport played at the highest level in the UK.”
The club may have ended 2021 on a positive note but they won’t have time to rest on their laurels with one major event still to play.
In January they will take part in ‘Flagging New Year’ - one of the biggest flag football events in Europe, with teams visiting from around the world.
It’s a title they currently hold and they will defend it at Ravenscraig.
Gibson added: “We’re looking forward to defending our Flagging New Year crown in January and capping off the competitive season in style.”
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