Northern Conference Champions Gateshead were the third of the northern playoff qualifiers to make the long journey south, even having to march across country to go head to head with last season’s beaten finalists. With an overnight stay under their belts the Senators started strongly matching the home side in every aspect of the game.

The first three possessions were an entertaining defensive war although the Aztecs did move the ball behind the darting powerful runs of Stef Williams, who rattled off one twenty-five yard run on the opening drive and notched a further seventeen on the next. However their progress continually stalled, down to a mixture of excellent Senator defense and silly penalties. However it was a defensive penalty that proved to be the home side’s undoing when a face mask call put the Senators in a safer field position. Ben Thomas then hit Adam O’Brien on a fade pass, the latter clutching the ball and storming a further forty-five yards for the opening score. Virtually the entire Bristol defense swarmed into the backfield, felling the attempted two point conversion but they had been rocked by the 0 – 6 score line.

Determined to get back into the game Jack Kelly reeled off a twenty yard burst only to have it partially nullified by a ten-yard penalty. Both sides forced the other to go four and out with some stellar defense, Eric Dune a shining beacon for the Aztecs. Bristol found themselves back with the ball but on their own twenty yard line. A single seventy-six yard play later from Ant Scott who showcased his spin moves and the ability to drop a shoulder and run people over, found the Aztecs were knocking on the door to level the scores. Stef Williams duly finished the drive with a powerful lunge from four yards. The reliable Owain Chambers split the uprights to add the two point conversion and give the home side a slender 8 – 6 after a pulsating first half.

A punishing hit from Dave Jennison handed the ball back over to the Aztecs as the Senators tried to force their way back into the game. A neat run from rookie Simon Harris set up a thirty-yard touchdown pass to Tom Wallis from Andrew Morgan. Owain Chambers completed his hat trick of extra point kicks to give the Aztecs an eighteen point lead as the third quarter moved into the fourth.

The defenses again forced both teams to exchange punts before Gateshead started off on a mammoth fifteen play drive which took over seven minutes off the clock. Quarterback Ben Thomas kept the ball on a sneak to round off the drive and Stephen Manuel took the ball in for the additional points, bringing the score back to 24 – 14.

That long time consuming drive worked against the Senators in the end, leaving them with little time to rally in search of further points. It also seemed to have taken its toll on the travelling team and the battle weary Gateshead side could not overwhelm the Aztecs in the latter minutes of the game. The Bristol defense recorded its final tackles to secure the win and move them into the next stage of the playoffs.

Gateshead’s travelling army were a credit to their club. Not only are they an excellent organised unit, execute plays well but have the perfect attitude. Their heads never dropped and it was rewarding to see after the game, both sets of players mixing and congratulating each other on their effort. In their rookie season they have achieved much, and once the have overcome the disappointment of this game, they can look forward to coming back next year a stronger and more experienced side that will make them so very difficult to beat.

For the Aztecs, they have to concentrate on the immediate future, a third meeting with the Farnham MH Knights for the right to a passage to Don Valley Stadium and the finals. The Knights hold a 2 – 0 lead this season over Bristol, but both games have been close. The Aztecs do have this ability to achieve astonishingly well when they have to and only a fool would bet on the result of this particular game.