RACA 1 Alnwick 1
Albion conceded another late late goal to lose two points having led for most of the game thanks to Morgan Dart’s 14 minute goal. However another red card for RACA sprung a hitherto drab second half into an action packed stoppage time as Alnwick levelled through Max Anderson three minutes later and hung on to claim a share of the spoils.
MATCH SUMMARY
In a game lacking the energy and excitement that Wednesday’s game offered, the first half-chance of the game fell to Albion in the 13th minute when Jack Errington headed over a cross from a corner, but almost immediately Morgan Dart put Ryton ahead after Louis Calvert outfought his marker to lay off the ball to Dart who sped forward to drill his shot past Matthew Alexander in the Alnwick goal. It was almost 2-0 from another corner just 2 minutes later when a back header from Calvert was headed off the line by Brandon Patterson. On 26 minutes Calvert had a chance to extend the lead when Dart set him up but he lost his footing as he struck the ball & the weak shot was an easy gather for Alexander. Alnwick were offering very little up front, a tame header from Evan Wilkinson from a 36th minute corner being about the nearest to trouble the RACA goal & the half ended with no goalmouth incidents.
HT RACA 1 Alnwick Town 0
The second half was somewhat lacking in quality with little to concern either goalkeeper, Town with some particularly wayward shooting & only a Richie Hoggins header over Alnwick’s bar from a Michael Baxter 84th minute corner, being of any note until Baxter found himself through on goal on 87 minutes but as he tried to round Alexander, the Wick keeper snatched the ball from him and the chance to wrap up the points had gone. The game was to have an eventful ending when Albion’s Charlie Grieveson was given a straight red for a cynical trip on Yannick Aziakondu & the injured party was to have a say in Alnwick’s equaliser when he set up Max Anderson whose shot found the back of the Ryton net on 90 minutes as the visitors took full advantage of their numerical supremacy. To RACA’s credit they went straight on the offensive rather than protect the point, and Matty Todd wasn’t far off target with a powerful shot a minute into a stoppage time period that was in stark contrast to the rest of the half as it was incident packed. Usmain Ogidan brought a low save out of Albion’s Brogan Colquhoun on 95 minutes, but it was Jordan Dobie who was to be Alnwick’s late hero by preventing a certain Hoggins goal as his shot bounced off the prostate Alexander and looked destined for the net until the Wick substitute hoofed the ball off the line to rescue a point for Alnwick.
Disappointment as RACA surrender two more points late on & also in picking up a fourth red card in five games. Alnwick’s unbeaten run in NE40 extends to six games as Albion drop back out of the play off positions.
RACA 1 ALNWICK TOWN 1 Attendance 135
RACA- Colquhoun, Skivington, Oldfield, Lynch (Todd 86), Errington, Caygill, Page, McLeod (Grieveson 60 s/o), Calvert (Hoggins 78), Dart (McCabe 82), Hayton (Baxter 67)