FT CHESTER LE STREET TOWN 1 RACA 0 Attendance 185
Albion were missing several key players for this trip to Moor Park which for all the endeavour, lacked the quality that two play off hopefuls might have shown. As it was, a 42nd minute goal from Cestrians captain Scott Robson was enough to separate the sides.
MATCH SUMMARY
Albion were on the road again, this time to Moor Park to face Chester-le-Street Town who inflicted a 0-4 defeat on RACA in the reverse game in the Tyne Valley earlier in the season. A shortage of available players meant a Saturday morning signing of Ethan Bewley from Tow Law who was on our books last season but still the bench was a man short. The Cestrians were unbeaten in 2026 so this was never going to be an easy game for Nathan Beckham’s side.
In a scrappy game short of serious goal scoring opportunities, the 185 spectators had to wait until 24 minutes before a real chance of a goal when a Chester free kick was nodded on by Tyler Brownsword to Scott Robson, but the Town captain could only blast his effort over the bar. Ryton’s first chance came from a break forward which culminated in Nathan Beesley unleashing a shot from distance that brought a low save from former Albion keeper Dan Gladstone. From the subsequent corner, Chester broke clear, Nathan Greenwood finding Matty Weirs unmarked storming down the centre. Weirs tried to round Callum Corkhill in the Albion goal but saw his shot blocked by the stopper & out rolled the ball for a corner. Another chance for the hosts materialised on 35 minutes when Dan Marriot and Nathan Stephenson combined on the right wing in a move that saw the former blast his shot into the side netting. The Cestrians’ pressure paid off on 42 minutes when Weirs found Robson in acres of space & despite protestations of offside, Robson just beat Corkhill to the ball, rounded the prostate keeper & tapped home to put his side a goal up at the interval
HT Chester le Street Town 1 RACA 0
The second half continued in the scrappy vein but unlike the first period, Albion were to spend more time on the offensive than their hosts, the first real danger coming from a 51st minute corner which resulted in a scramble while Lawrence was on the floor, Louis Calvert having the last shot before the referee blew for an infringement. A rare Chester-le-Street saw Weirs have a shot on target that Corkhill had to pluck to safety from the air. RACA’s best chance to level came in the 82nd minute when Harrison Borley floated a free kick in the middle of the box which Nathan Beesley just couldn’t make contact with from a yard out, & Gladstone was able to gather. Albion kept pressing but never really looked like getting the leveller & Chester saw out the game to claim three valuable points in their promotion quest
FT CHESTER LE STREET 1 RACA 0
RACA– Corkhill, Beesley, Oldfield, Driver (Dart 63), Hayton, Caygill, Fletcher, Bailey (Borley 15), Calvert (Bewley 55), Groves-Forbes (Emmerson 77).
Saturday’s Other Division 2 Games
AFC Newbiggin 2 (Nelson, Turnbull) Seaham Red Star 4 (Leonard, McCloud, Cowan, Grey)
Alnwick Town 3 (Smith, Fairburn. Bright) Billingham Synthonia 2 (Dryden, Hodgkinson)
Billingham Town 1 (White) Esh Winning 1 (Zamor)
Boldon CA 1 (Humble) Newcastle University 2 (Pennington 2)
Durham United 5 (Dixon, Kay, Williams, Boothroyd 2) Sunderland West End 1 (Appleby)
Grangetown BC 0 FC Hartlepool 4 (Green, Smith, Bayes 2)
Jarrow 8 (Beattie 2, Hardie 2, Barber 2, Hudson 2) Sunderland RCA 1 (Rutherford)
Park View 1 (Mallinson) Yarm & Eaglescliffe 2 (Larkin, Proctor)
Prudhoe YC 2 (Symington 2) Tow Law 1 (Goldsborough)
E Armstrong Cup Result
Darlington Town 3 (Maddison, Hewitt, Mallaburn) Redcar Town 2 (Sekete, Stares)