Many thanks to Stephen Mudd who is the Historian and Author of this excellent document originally produced by David and Doreen Sheppard in May 1994

1992 - All British?........ Well Almost

Another year, another shake-up in league constitution as the governing bodies attempted to strengthen the game within Britain. Slimming down the games elite to produce a 12 team Superleague, was viewed as the way forward and obviously with seventeen teams in the top flight at the end of last season there would be a few surprises in the clubs taking the drop to Division Two. It was expected that teams with poor playing records or those under suspension from the league would be the prime targets and so you can imagine the shock wave that rippled through the Cougar camp when it was suggested they were being linked to the drop. One bad season and the knives were out for the newly christened bad boys of the league, this, however, should not have been too much of a shock as it had always been a case of everyone taking every opportunity to knock the Cougars, with, as it eventually turned out no justification whatsoever as they were assured of a place in Britball's elite for yet another campaign.

The biggest shock in teams expelled from the elite ranks was the exclusion of the Glasgow Lions as a direct result of their registration problems from 1991 and to say they were upset would be an understatement They would have the consolation of being accepted to Division Two where the eventual winners would be pitched into the promotion/relegation play-off game with the lowest ranked Superleague team, and therefore had only to play to their true potential to ensure they were elevated to their true standing once more. For the other four relegated teams, Bristol, Solent Bournemouth and the once mighty London Ravens, the decision was to be the kiss of death as they all stuttered along to eventually fold before the season began.

With the league structure finalised it didn't take long for the fixtures and conferences to be finalised as the Cougars found themselves in the company of old friends Blackpool, Gateshead, Nottingham, Leicester and the Spartans in the Northern section. All league games for the season were to be Conference games and so the Cougars could expect to compete on a level and hopefully clinch an all important end of season play off spot having missed out last year.

Once again the Cougars were finding finances difficult to obtain as the game in general continued to decline in awareness and it was therefore no surprise when they announced that for the coming year they would be All - British. The decision meant no return for popular Chris Thomas and the vacancy at coach was filled by ex-Barnsley Bears coach Doug McLean McLean was no stranger to the Cougars, having been assistant coach to the team way back in 1985, and brought in a team o assistants f

comprising Paul Smith, Mike Coult and Roland Meredith with whom he soon began to work shaping the Cougars into a well drilled, effective disciplined unit

On the playing front the team was obviously in need of strengthening taking into account performance from the previous campaign, and the return of quarterback Pastorelli to the Barnsley Bears meant the team were again searching to fill this vital position. Coach McLean began to work his magic and suddenly we had not only filled the position, but we had two players in competition , something previously unheard of Bringing in Phil Trickett from the Bears had obviously been seen as the solution by coach McLean, but the acquisition of Rick Homer created the competition which would be a highlight of the Cougars early games. The already strong defence was also bolstered by the return of Sammy Pryce from injury and Eddie Harry, who returned from spells with the Spartans and Hoods, and with the added signing of Great Britain International safety Darryl Hinton they were expected to be a match for most offences..

Indeed early indications were for a good competitive season, although the footballing press, clearly impressed with the quality of British signings believed Leeds would suffer through their lack of American imports and believed the best the Cougars could expect would be to sneak into the post season action. To believe the pundits would have been like throwing in the towel and coach McLean was not about to let the players self-belief waiver as pre-season match-ups against the strong Northampton Storm and the Birmingham Bulls were finalised to accustom the many newcomers with the standard of play to be encountered in the coming months.

Two defeats in pre-season were as expected from a Cougar side still trying to find their feet as although they ran the Storm close before finally losing 44 - 31 they were unlucky to run into a Bulls team, which had struggled to gel in their previous Eurobowl qualifier and friendlies and were well beaten 48 - 6 despite looking better organised then for the Storm game. A point which had been apparent during these games was the glaring weakness of the offensive line and with the team struggling to overcome the problem it was again the Defence which was spending vast amounts of time on the field. Having a strong Defence was a great asset but with the playing time they were experiencing the result was a familiar one of tired players eventually being worn down. A decision was then taken to bring in much needed experience and the Cougars signed 22 year old Chadron State College Offensive Lineman Bill Bonus to shatter their intentions of an All-British squad.

The other major signing of the close season concerned the venue of our Home fixtures for the season as regular Home McLaren Field, Bramley became unavailable due to extensive repair work and a package deal to cover all aspects of training, playing and social events was finalised with Farsley Celtic. The ground had been the venue for the Dust-Bowl, fixture against Wrekin in 1987, and with the addition of a new main stand was looked on as or) ideal base, although re-seeding work dictated that five of our first six games would be at Home. This hopefully would give the Cougars an early opportunity to establish themselves on the way to a memorable campaign as the difficult end of season on the road would no doubt prove testing.

Having the reputation for being poor starters, the Cougars were handed an attractive season opener with the Home fixture against last seasons strugglers, the 2 - 8 North West Spartans, and although both sides had been actively recruiting during the close season to strengthen their squads the Leeds team believed they had a great chance of a winning start However, starting slowly they soon found themselves trailing 14 - 0 and memories of the lost season opener between the sides flooded back before the offence at last began to click Steadily pressure was exerted on the Spartan defence and with the crowd getting behind their team, the Cougars hit back to lead 16 - 14 nearing the half The game was evenly poised and could have gone wither way as both sides had played an exciting balanced opening when suddenly the game exploded. Fielding the Cougar kick off at his own five, Spartans import signing Lorenzo Walker evaded the oncoming coverage to race the length of the field and restore the Spartans lead.

Receiving the re-start kick, the Cougars could have been expected to run out the clock and re-group within the interval but no, quarterback Trickett attempted to pull back the deficit straight away. The Spartans couldn't believe it when a wayward pass flew straight towards a packed mid-field and was intercepted by a defensive kubenab, Cougar shock turned to horror as the lineman rumbled 35 yards for the score and an unlikely Spartan lead at the half The final moments of the half had stunned Cougar players and fans alike, and needing a good start to the third period to remain in contention. They got exactly the opposite as a quick pass to Walker was advanced down the touchline for an 80 yard score From this point the Cougars had no way back as although they were able to add a further converted score, the Spartans added two further scores to run out comfortable 4 7 - 24 winners.

Whilst playing reasonably well in the opener, the Cougars had been much better than the score reflected with basic errors gifting the ball to the Spartans who were only too happy to take every advantage. Three long range touchdowns could be used to highlight weaknesses in coverage and with the basic errors eliminated a closer game was expected for our second home fixture against the powerful Nottingham Hoods. Indeed with the home fans warming to a Defence which was making life difficult for the opposition, the offence had begun to find its feet and were responding with some electrifying bursts to produce good, exciting contests once again.

And so, with the Hoods offence struggling to move the ball, it was no great surprise that the Cougars took an early six point lead, when following a superb 50 yard pass, QB Homer crossed the line with a short yardage keeper. The Defence responded magnificently by continuing to keep the Hoods in check limiting them to a short yardage field goal on their next possession and preserving a 6 - 3 lead. The Hood Defence then closed down the Cougars to set up their own offensive hoops on good field position , paving the way for a quick scoring strike and a 10 - 6 first quarter lead. The defences were clearly on top and try as they might neither offence could break the deadlock as the half closed without further score.

The game appeared to have been resolved as the second half opened, when following a good march downfield the Nottingham side ignored an easy field goal attempt and gambled on a fourth and four attempt at the Leeds seven yard line. They had gambled without the new found spirit within the side and when the attempt failed they looked a spent force. They looked even worse when only two plays later Tiggy Bell made them pay as he received the hand-off and sped 76 yards through the Hoods Defence to record a superb score and 12 - 10 lead. Still playing well, the Defence again closed down the Hoods forcing them to punt All appeared to be going well with the Hoods well and truly under pressure when disaster struck, not once, but twice

Moving the ball well following the Hoods punt the Cougars watched in horror as a Laverne Washington fumble was collected and returned for six by the grateful Hoods Defence to bring them back from the dead. Indeed fortune really did favour then) as a spectacular kick-off return run of 70 yards was negated by a penalty flag to preserve the slender Hoods advantage. From this point the teams went in opposite directions as Cougar tempers began to fray and the Hoods took full advantage through two further scores for a final 32 - 12 margin.

Two home games and two defeats was, on paper, a poor start but the reality was that the Cougars were playing good football and looking forward to their back to back clashes with the Leicester Panthers in what turned out to be two classic battles. The first encounter as Saffron Lane opened with both sides unable to move the football and a punt filled first quarter produced and early Leicester score on a 50 yard punt return. Hitting back quickly, the Cougars took a 7 - 6 lead converting a Washington run with Mark Manton's extra point and held on for the half-time lead. Battling well into the second half the Cougars began to tire and the Panthers struck with a thrilling 50 yard run to setup a short yardage strike for a 12 ~ 7 advantage The game was sealed early in the final period as the Panthers finished off a good drive for a final score of 18 - 7, and the Cougars were staring disaster in the face, with a season record standing at 0 3.

Having lost the previous week things looked distinctly bad for the Cougars as the Panthers steadily built up a 14 - 0 lead in their attempt to record their first ever win on Cougar soil. With half time approaching the Defence began to dose down the Panthers and, obtaining the ball with two minutes remaining, quarterback Homer drove his troops downfield to close the deficit to seven points to keep Leeds within reach. Amidst gathering storm clouds the teams resumed only to be forced from the field by a spectacular electrical storm and torrential rain which del~ the game for some 20 minutes. The conditions upon the restart were atrocious, dictating the defensive pattern of play throughout a scoreless third quarter as both teams slithered in any attempt to move the ball.

The Panthers were holding the slender lead and were moving the ball better than the Cougars as they attempted to put the result beyond doubt Deep into the final period they had moved into Cougar territory only to be halted by determined Leeds defenders, who were in no mood to let this confrontation slip away from them, and had to reluctantly, attempt to stretch their lead with a field goal. Any score in the conditions was likely, to decide Vie contest and with the Cougar faithful hoping for a miracle, their prayers were answered as the kick failed, leaving them in with a chance It was now, d or die, as the Cougar offence moved downfield against a Defence which had kept then) in check for most of the afternoon. Slowly they moved the ball at first but then a superb connection between Homer and Martin brought them within sight of glory before the drive appeared to stall Facing a fourth and goal from the four, and with a field goal of no value so late in the game, the Cougars would settle the contest one way or the other as a quick pass found Martin in the end zone. With just over a minute remaining a tie would send the game into overtime and so the Cougars went for the two points. As Tiggy Bell crossed the line the noise must have been heard miles away as the fans celebrated. Leicester, however, still refused to quit as they attempted one final assault and it was only an interception by Darryl Hinton which enabled the Cougars to run down the clock for a narrow 15 - 14 victory.

Having obtained the all important first win the Cougars were hungry for more and the visit of the identically placed 1 - 3 Blackpool Falcons gave them the great opportunity to extend their winning streak Now firing on all cylinders the Cougars dominated the encounter from the start, despite allowing the Falcons an early unexpected six point lead. With Tiggy Bell gaining yards at will and being well supported by Washington,
 

the running game enabled Homer to pick apart the Blackpool secondary as the Cougars ran out comfortable winners by 41 - 6.

The record was further improved seven days later when the injury plagued 0 - 5 Gateshead Senators arrived with just 23 fit players and were unable to contain the Cougars. With confidence growing the Defence completely closed down the Geordie offence, forced to play with kicker Marshall at quarterback, allowing their own offence to clock up more than 450 yards in a comprehensive 46 - 0 shutout

Having completed their Home programme and standing with an even 3 - 3 record it could be said that the Cougars were disappointing, but with immediate away fixtures against previously outclassed Senators and Falcons they were obviously confident of obtaining two further wins to extend their winning sequence to five and thus claim an early play-off berth. Confidence, however, is a fragile commodity, easily broken by the slightest knock and although no fixture should be considered easy a win at Gateshead should have presented no problems, even with the Senators having their staffing quarterback returning from injury. A 30 - 20 defeat was therefore hard to stomach as although the Senators played a much better game than their earlier beating, the Cougars found themselves playing against more than the Gateshead team. Penalised for over 200 yards and having four scores plus a two point conversion called back did more than dent the Cougars confidence as more than once the game threatened to get out of control. Now we all know how calm and collected coach McLean's attitude towards the game was, but this fixture really stirred him up, enough in fact for him to put pen to paper to comment on the officiating crew, not in the hope of obtaining any action, but hopefully to prevent others suffering the same kind of fate

Now standing at 3 - 4 and in need of a win, the Cougars travelled to Blackpool to play the injury plagued Falcons and were in no mood to slip up again. The Defence had their game of the season as time and time again they halted the Falcons by recovering two Jumbles and holding on five fourth down attempts. With the offence responding with touchdowns from Tiggy Bell on runs of 56 yards and 3 yards, Laverne Washington on a 6 yard sweep plus a 20 yard Homer connection with wide receiver Dave Collett against a returned extra point safety, the Cougars were well in control at the break Two further Leeds scores late in the final quarter sealed the game by 40 - 2 to ensure they had the inside track for the final Northern Conference play off position.

Any thoughts of improving their record against the 6 - 3 Northwest Spartans were short lived as the first quarter began disastrously when the Cougars were unable to move the ball and punted on their first possession. Pinned deep in their own half the Spartans took only, one play to take the lead as an excellently executed play-fake produced an 85 yard catch and run to shatter the Leeds Defence A short yardage run extended the lead to 14 points before the ensuing kick off was fumbled and kicked out of the end zone for a further two points. Still looking to mount a serious drive, the situation then went from bad to worse as a Cougar fumble was recovered by the Spartans who then drove 60 yards to score yet again and lead 23 - 0 at the end of the quarter

The game was lost in that first fifteen minute period as the Cougars had no answer to the early Spartan pressure, for although they then played reasonably well for the remainder of the game, two further Spartan scores before a sole consolation Leeds score left them on the wrong end of a 35 - 7 scoreline. The Cougars did however have some consolation, as defeat for both Gateshead and Blackpool on the same day meant that they had secured a play-off spot despite only four wins, and with their final regular season game still to come they had the chance to finish with and even record.

The Nottingham Hoods had already secured the Northern Conference title and their minds must have been on the knock-out stages as they rested players in preparation. A win here would have produced a minor upset but the Cougars intended to give it all they had got and make a real game of it The opening period was evenly contested as defences dominated before the Hoods struck to take an early lead. The game started in the second period. As the Cougar offence found their feet with scores coming from both passing and running games they hit back to lead 21 - 18 late in the half Unfortunately that was as far as the Cougars got As the Hoods finally woke up to the fact that they could lose the game and began to exert some pressure. Two touchdowns within the space of two minutes closed the half as once again a costly Cougar fumble gifted points and the Hoods led 32 - 21.

When the second half kick-off was returned 76 yards for a further score the game was effectively over, and following two more scores, the Hoods fielded their backup players for the rest of the game. A tiring Cougar side could not restore any respectability to the scoreline, as with nothing effectively to play for they prevented any further Nottingham scores to be well beaten 52 - 21.

Any, quarter final fixture was going to be difficult with the Cougars having to travel to face highly ranked opposition, but when they were paired with the opponents of the previous week again in Nottingham, the result was a formality. Not that the Cougars didn't give their all, but they were a distinct psychological disadvantage and never really threatened in a game where they only avoided a shut-out defeat in the closing moments. With the Hoods calling all the shots it was no surprise when they built on an early first quarter score to lead 28 - Oat the half Tempers were beginning to fray as the Cougars were unable to make any impression either on offence or Defence and a mass brawl just before the break set the tone for the rest of the game The second half was little better as the Nottingham lead was extended to 40 points before the Hoods relaxed to enable the Cougars to score on a Tiggy Bell run with only seconds remaining.

Once again a season which had begun so full of confidence had fizzled out following a brief mid season revival, but at least although recording only a 4 - 6 record, the Cougars had contested an extra play-off game. The announcement by coach McLean that fie was not returning for our next campaign, as he wanted to spend more time with his family was a blow, but he had brought in many players who, if they continued to play at Leeds, would allow the Cougars to progress and improve as they themselves had improved throughout the season. The real hope was that the Cougars could bounce. back from moderate seasons of late to once again challenge the big names in an attempt to progress a little nearer to the ultimate prize in the domestic game. Indeed having beaten the eventual Bowl finalists had shown once again that the Cougars on their day could compete with the best and only needed to become more consistent to produce the required confidence to mount such a challenge, perhaps next year.