Albion played out a fifth consecutive 2-0 result, this time in our favour at home to strugglers Billingham Synthonia. Both goals came in the first half, a back flicked header from Kurtis Dodds & a free kick from Louis Calvert doing the damage that moves us up to 13th place, while Synners are now two points adrift at the foot of the Division 2 table.
MATCH SUMMARY
RACA hoped to get their stuttering season back on track with the visit of basement boys Billingham Synthonia in front of another impressive home attendance of 207 enjoying the early autumn sunshine.
Albion started straight on the front foot and within a minute, Synners keeper Will Lawrence was called into action when Callum Johnson tried to square the ball to Louis Calvert who was bearing down on the Billingham goal, but the custodian managed to smother the ball before the probable tap in. Within a minute there was an almost carbon copy move, again Johnston playing in the ball from the right to Calvert only this time the Ryton number 9 was thwarted by defenders, Ryan Johnson blocking the ball before being punted to safety by Ethan Cartwright. However RACA were rewarded for their persistence in the 3rd minute when Danny Driver launched one of his trademark exocet throw into the Synners’ box & Kurtis Dodds cleverly back flicked the ball with his head into the back of the net. The Teessiders’ first chance of note came on 11 minutes when the Ryton defence failed to clear the ball properly from a Synthonia clearance and Ben Riddiough nipped in & chanced his arm with a shot that Albion keeper Callum Corkhill had to push over the bar. It was RACA who’d get the next goal of the game & it came in slightly comedic fashion from a 28th minute free kick awarded just outside the Billingham box. Synners set up a four man wall & as Calvert struck a low drive, the wall jumped, the ball zipped under them and found its way past Lawrence and into the net. Billingham responded on 32 minutes with a neat move involving Spencer Evans and James Webb which culminated in the latter striking the ball cleanly, beating the keeper but firing into the side netting.
HT RACA 2 Billingham Synthonia
Synners created the first real chance of the second period, Evans taking advantage of hesitant Ryton defending on 53 minutes, sliding in before an intended clearance, the ball falling kindly to Webb who, flanked by two defenders struck for home only to see Corkhill block his shot with his legs. A minute later another Driver long throw into the Billingham box caused panic, this time it was David Luke who back flicked towards the goal with his head though this time Lawrence clawed the ball away and eventually the Synthonia defence played it to safety. The visitors brought another save out of Corkhill, this time from a Sam Lawrence free kick on 60 minutes that he curled round the wall, and then came even closer to scoring seconds when Cameron Thompson looped a ball over Corkhill which glanced off the bar. Billingham were back on the attack in the 64th minute following a fine run by Webb down the left wing. With Thompson unmarked on the far post, Morgan Dart made a crucial intervention of the cross, knocking it out for a corner when on another day it could have easily been a classic own goal. Ryton were presented a half chance on a plate when the Synners keeper Lawrence got himself in a total mix up trying to shepherd out a loose ball for a throw in, but Calvert dispossessed him & from a tight angle hit a shot goalward, but luckily for Lawrence, and Synthonia, Cartwright was on the line to clear to safety. It was Will’s brother Sam who tried to pull one back for Billingham from a free kick on 70 minutes. Once again he beat the wall but not Corkhill. Thereafter the game fizzled out which of course sorted Albion as they held on to the 2-0 win, and extended the unusual sequence of both teams not scoring in a RACA match to seven games.
FT RACA 2 BILLINGHAM SYNTHONIA 0 Attendance 207
RACA– Corkhill, Skivington, Dart, Luke, Dodds, Driver, Salkeld (Ord 73), Elliott, Calvert, Bisset (Whittaker 62), Johnston (Blakey 84). Substitutes not used – Scott, Cairns
Saturday’s Other Division 2 Results
Alnwick Town 1 (Hayes) Boldon CA (Robertson)
Durham United 2 (Selvardoray, Boothroyd) Prudhoe YC 1 (Wilson)
FC Hartlepool 2 (McGee, Bayes) Chester-le-Street Town 1 (Nelson)
Grangetown BC 0 Jarrow 1 (Bates)
Newcastle University 1 (Redford) Seaham Red Star 3 (Weirs, Leonard, O’Connor)
Park View 0 Esh Winning 0
Sunderland RCA 4 (Stanton 2, Dodds, McCarthy) Billingham Town 3 (Mitchell, Stares, White)
Sunderland West End 3 (Hunter, Davis, Norton) Darlington Town 0
Tow Law Town 1 (Raitt) AFC Newbiggin 2 (Hoggins, Cooper)
Yarm & Eaglesciffe 1 (Roberts) Redcar Town 2 (Gott, Clark)