Two late goals from Synners’ Ash Lavan ensured the Teessiders beat Albion since the 21/22 season, Morgan Dart put Ryton ahead on 4 minutes but Lewis Porritt levelled on 12 minutes for the hosts. Ryan Appelby’s 38th minute goal had Billingham 2-1 up at half Time. Louis Calvert’s 64th minute converted penalty looked to have earned Albion a point, but Lavan’s brace on 89 & 94 minutes won the points for Synthonia
MATCH SUMMARY
Albion made the trek down to a breezy Map Group UK Stadium to face Billingham Synthonia with a substitution bench that had last season’s top scorer Aaron Costello & also Friday’s signing from North Shields, Alby Fletcher on it. Both sides came into the game having won their last games but it was Albion who made the first impression on the game taking the lead on 5 minutes. Fergus Lynch crossed the ball into the Synners’ box, Louis Calvert flicked the ball to Morgan Dart who reset himself and fired past a crowd of defenders to score his 5th goal of the season. The lead didn’t last too long as Billingham levelled in the 12th minute when Lewis Porritt picked up a loose ball from a clearance, powered down the left flank & slotted home from an unlikely angle. Charlie Grieveson came close to restoring Ryton’s advantage on the quarter hour mark, a nice move from the visitors ended with Lynch setting up Grieveson who drilled his angled shot low past the despairing dive of Sam Taylor in the Synners’ goal, but also just past the post. The gusty wind was having quite an influence & when Billingham defender Foster Garton didn’t fully control a difficult cross to him on 23 minutes, Dart darted in, nicked the ball off Garton but fired just wide though gained a corner for RACA which was delivered perfectly by Lynch, but no-one from either side could get a touch on it. The hosts had a good chance to get their noses in front on 26 minutes when Ryan Appelby raced forward following a slip by Albion’s Scott Oldfield but keeper Brogan Colquhoun blocked his shot, the ball falling to Billingham’s no7 Ben Priestley whose shot took a nick off defender Jack Ledger and all they had from a golden chance to score was a corner which the Ryton rearguard comfortably dealt with. However they failed to deal with a Billingham attack in the 38th minute, losing possession to Ash Lavan who set up Appelby who with the Ryton defence stretched had time and space to land his shot into the back of the net. The only other effort of note in the first half came from Albion’s Dale Burrell on 44 minutes when his looping shot dipped just the wrong side of the bar, but Taylor arguably had it covered anyway
HT Billingham Synthonia 2 RACA 1
Synners had the first good chance of the second half on 49 minutes when Porritt raced down the left wing & his cross found Appelby but his close range effort hit the post & RACA were still in the game. Calvert wasn’t too far off levelling on 55 minutes when Matty Hayton set him up but his curling shot was well saved by Taylor then Calvert had a golden opportunity to restore parity on 64 minutes when Albion were awarded a soft penalty which he despatched sending Taylor the wrong way. Albion had a good spell as they pushed for a winner, Jack Ledger hit the side netting on 68 minutes while Hayton pulled a good save out of Taylor two minutes later & then RACA struck the Billingham bar on 76 minutes. But it was to be Synthonia who’d walk away with the points as Lavan made it 3-2 on 89 minutes, picking up the ball in his own half before going on a fine solo run past several Ryton players & slotting home off the far post. As Albion pushed for an equaliser they were caught out again, substitute Matty Willshaw forcing a save from Colquhoun with his feet, but when the ball rolled back to Willshaw he laid it off to Lavan who smashed home to seal the the points with the last kick of the game deep in stoppage time.
BILLINGHAM SYNTHONIA 4 RACA 2 Attendance 70
RACA- Colquhoun, Skivington (Fletcher 75), Ledger, Burrell, Oldfield, Errington, Grieveson, Lynch, Calvert, Dart (Todd 72), Hayton.