A Kurtis Dodds header was the difference in the sides in RACA’s first home game of the campaign in a match that won’t live long in the memory. The deciding goal was a bullet header from a corner on 12 minutes in a fairly even contest but although Albion claim the three points, it might be at a price with possible long term injuries picked up on the night.
MATCH SUMMARY
Albion welcomed Sunderland West End to the Oldhaulage Stadium for the opening home fixture with both sides keen to get points on the board having suffered defeats on Saturday.
It was the Wearsiders who created the first chance in the 3rd minute when Mark Davison blasted a shot from the edge of the Ryton box which Callum Corkhill had to dive to push out for a corner. But it was Albion who opened the scoring on 12 minutes when the second of a brace of Louis Calvert corners was headed home by Kurtis Dodds amid a crowded penalty area. On 24 minutes Ryton were dealt a blow when Ryan Bailey pulled up with what looked like a pulled hamstring & had to hobble off. Sunderland created a half chance on the half hour mark when Harvey Hope had time to collect a lay off & try to lob Corkhill, but his effort went narrowly wide. Calvert was in the thick of it for Albion on 35 minutes when he magnificently controlled a punt upfield to him, then shrugged off the attention of two markers as he racad towards the Sunderland goal, but his shot was a weak one, straight at keeper Neal Bussey who gathered comfortably. West’s Zohair Benali went on an eyecatching run on 43 minutes to the RACA byline and tried to squeeze the ball past Corkhill from the narrow angle but the keeper was able to push the ball out for a corner that came to nothing. Two minutes later Benali caused the Albion defence more issues after dispossessing Josh Skivington then squaring the ball across the box where Glenn Caygill was able to deflect it out for a corner though a yard the other way & it would have been an own goal. During this move Calum Johnston’s turn to pull up lame in another blow for RACA. The corner was the last action of the first half & it featured a mini scramble in the Ryton box before the referee’s whistle blew,
HT RACA 1 Sunderland West End 0
A quiet start to the second half awoke from its slumber on 63 minutes when Ryton’s Dan Ord played a fine cross-field ball to Calvert who cut in , his shot beating Bussey, but not the far post, the ball smacking off the upright and away to safety. Sunderland responded with a break of their own on 67 minutes, Ashley Davis finding Thomas Hunter whose powerful shot was saved by Corkhill. The visitors had another chance to level things up on 72 minutes when Benali found Hope in space, but his shot sailed over the bar. RACA looked to be in with a chance of doubling the lead on 86 minutes when Anderson found Jack Elliott racing down the wing in bags of space and only a fine intervention from defender Owen Smith prevented a 1 on 1 situation from arising with Elliott & the West End keeper. The Wearsiders went straight up to the other end where former Albion man Luke McCabe headed the ball to Davison who in turn headed down the ball to Benali whose cross-box shot was knocked out for a corner by Caygill. The last action of the game saw Anderson marginally outpace Smith as the two raced towards the Sunderland goal with only Bussey in front of them, eventually Smith knocking Anderson over. Referee Mr Studholme awarded the free kick to Albion and chose to give Smith a yellow card rather than a possible red. Declan Bisset, not long on as a substitute took the free kick which cleared the wall but also looped just over the West End bar. And that was that, RACA taking the three points in a fairly even game without really clicking into gear but moved up to 14TH place while West End remain pointless but have the stage to themselves on Friday with a tough task as they entertain Redcar Town at the Ford Hub.
RACA Line Up– Corkhill, Skivington, Fletcher (Dart 56), Ord, Caygill, Dodds, Johnston (Elliot 46), Bailey (Luke 25), Anderson, Lynch (Salkeld 89), Calvert (Bisset 81)
FT RACA 1 SUNDERLAND WEST END 0 Attendance 185
Position 14TH
Wednesday’s Other Division 2 Results
Billingham Synthonia 0 Chester-Le-Street Town 4 (Brownsword, Bainbridge, Hall, Little)
Esh Winning 0 Tow Law Town 2 (Herron 2)
Jarrow 0 Park View 2 (Young, Conroy)
Prudhoe YC Seniors 0 Billingham Town 2 (Stares, Mitchell)
Thursday’s Division 2 Result
Newcastle University 2 (Pennington, Foster) Darlington Town 0