FT RACA 4 PRUDHOE YC SENIORS 1 Attendance 145
A Louis Calvert hattrick and Nathan Beesley’s second cup goal put RACA through in this Ernest Armstrong Cup 1st Round tie with Prudhoe which saw both sides have a man sent off & each concede a penalty. Liam Dalton scored Prudhoe’s consolation goal.
MATCH SUMMARY
With both sides coming into this derby game in poor form, this was an opportunity to forget the league and enjoy the rough & tumble of a cup derby game under the lights on the coldest evening in the Tyne Valley for some time. A quiet opening 11 minutes didn’t indicate what was to follow, Sam Wilson the Prudhoe keeper getting his gloves dirty on 12 minutes cutting out a powerful Nathan Beesley cross, his parried ball eventually cleared to safety by his defenders despite the menacing presence of Ryton forwards. But Wilson could do nothing about Louis Calvert’s 17th minute free kick as Albion capitalised on an infringement outside the box, Calvert curling the ball over the three man wall and right into the top corner beyond the reach of Wilson’s outstretched arm to open the scoring. Four minutes later & there was a chance of an action replay with RACA awarded another free kick in almost the dame place, but this time, although on target, the ball sailed into Wilson’s arms. Wilson was in full action again the the 26th minute when his goal kick was headed forward to Callum Johnston who unleashed a piledriver that Wilson had to push out for a corner. The Seniors made a Horlicks of clearing the initial corner, conceding another one taken by Fergus Lynch whose kick was met by Nathan Beesley who tapped home to double the advantage. It was soon to get worse for the visitors in the 31st minute when a Danny Driver throw in wasn’t dealt with properly, a weak clearance falling to Calvert who acrobatically spun in the air firing an overhead kick over Wilson & into the net for another eye-catching goal to make it 3-0 to RACA.
Finally Prudhoe woke up & started making incursions into the Albion goalmouth without causing Tom White, in for the injured Callum Corkhill, too many problems in the Ryton goal. That was until the 40th minute when Prudhoe won a corner, Freddie Marr’s cross being met by Liam Dalton whose touch bounced into the net via the far post to put his side back in the game. Their task of getting on level terms became that much harder when Freddie Marr got his marching orders in first half stoppage time so much to ponder for Seniors manager Dean Walker at the break.
HT RACA 3 Prudhoe YC Seniors 1
RACA started the second half on the front foot, Lynch bringing an early save out of Wilson & Beesley not far off getting his brace following a Lynch corner on 49 minutes. Prudhoe’s salvage task began to look a hopeless cause when Jordan Plunkett, scorer of both the Seniors’ goals here in the league game put in a clumsy tackle to upend Calvert in the box on 57 minutes & referee Daniel Forbes awarded the spot kick. Calvert took the penalty himself and put his spot kick beyond Wilson to make it 4-1. Mr Forbes was pointing to the penalty spot at the other end when a 68th minute James Simpson free kick was adjudged to have been handled by a combo of Beesley & George Hayton in the Ryton box. The restoral of thinnest of lifelines fell to captain Brad Rogers but to sum up Prudhoe’s night, he rolled the ball a foot wide of the post & the sliver of a recovery had gone. The game became a bit niggly thereafter and on 82 minutes Albion’s Joe Groves-Forbes was dismissed following an altercation with the Senior’s Shay Mulligan. Then on 86 minutes an Albe Fletcher break for Albion caught the Prudhoe defence expecting on offside call & only the intervention of Dalton on the line prevented a fifth Albion goal. Dalton brought a late save out of White following an 88th minute Prudhoe corner but that was to be their last chance of a consolation & Albion progressed to the 2nd Round
FT RACA 4 PRUDHOE YC SENIORS 1
Local bragging rights go to Albion who face Chester-le-Street Town at home in Round 2
RACA– White, Beesley, Oldfield, Lawson (Fletcher) 45, Driver, Hayton, Lynch, Skivington (Dodds 74), Calvert (Adotey 58), Anderson (Groves-Forbes 67 S/O), Johnston (Caygill 81).
Tuesday’s Division 2 Results
Chester Le Street Town 3 (Maw, Robson 2) Darlington Town 0
Yarm & Eaglescliffe 2 (Atkinson 2) Jarrow 1 (Cunningham 1)
Tuesday’s Durham Challenge Cup Result
Seaham Red Star 1 (Porritt) West Auckland Town 0