We understand that Billingham Town’s appeal against being removed from the Ernest Armstrong Cup, following the floodlight failure incident in our first round tie, has been rejected by the FA, so we are set to play Billingham Synthonia in the second round with the winners playing Yarm in the third round. The Synners tie has been set for Wednesday April 9th at the Oldhaulage Stadium.

RACA 0 Chester-le-Street United 3

RACA’s play-off hopes are all but gone following another poor performance as they fell to a third straight defeat, this time to Chester-le-Street United who look to have booked their slot as a result of his three points, their fourth straight win. To add to Ryton’s woes, both Esh Winning and Thornaby, the other two clubs in the play-off scrap, picked up maximum points, leaving RACA as rank outsiders to get a place in the top five with three games left to go.

MATCH SUMMARY

Ryton came into this home game on the back of two defeats & knowing a third successive loss would consign Albion to another season in the Second Division. Facing them were surprise package Chester-le-Street United whose recent run of three wins on the spin had propelled them up to fourth place in the table.

At a bright & breezy Oldhaulage Stadium, Albion were to have the lion’s share of possession in the early stages although neither side really mastered the tricky conditions, Charlie Grieveson’s 7^th minute shot that sailed over the United bar was to set the tone for the rest of the game. Neither keeper was being unduly troubled although a speculative 17^th minute long distance effort from Albe Fletcher who was making his first start for RACA, caused some panic in the Chester goalmouth with Declan Bisset advancing in the hope of of picking up any scraps, but the ball screwed out for a goal kick. On the 20 minute mark it was the visitors who opened the scoring when a cross meant for Stephen Siyanbola was missed by Albion keeper Brogan Colquhoun & the back pedalling Jack Errington could only knock it into his own net. United keeper James Hughes was made to work when he had to clutch a Louis Calvert shot out of the air in the 23^rd minute, though defender Dylan Wilkinson had taken much of the sting out of the shot as the ball brushed against his side. Chester were to double their advantage just before the half hour mark when Charlie Lovedayheaded a punt upfield into the Ryton box, Siyanbola & Colquhoun vying for the ball that fell between them & bobbled towards the keeper who blocked but couldn’t gather, & the ball fell to Nathan Conroy who took it a yard or two wider & then fired home past a sea of defenders. Calvert had half a chance to pull one back on 34 minutes when he headed a fine Fergal Lynch cross wide from close range, though had the distraction of the close attentions of two Chester defenders & Albion were left with a stiff task to salvage the game, and perhaps the season ,in the second half kicking into a steadily increasing wind.

HT RACA 0 Chester-le-Street United 2

Chances in the second half were few & far between as the westerly wind was spoiling the game as a spectacle. Siyanbola at least got a shot on target for the visitors on 62 minutes, but it was an easy gather for Colquhoun. At the other end Scott Oldfield played a pinpoint cross to Calvert who’d shaken off his marker in the 70^th minute but he managed to shoot wide although his blushes were saved by the linesman’s flag. The game was put beyond Albion’s reach in the 84^th minute when Siyanbola picked himself up off the deck, gathered up a loose ball than landed near him & drilled it low and hard into the bottom corner of the Ryton net from around 30 yards. Game over

To be fair there wasn’t a great deal between the two sides but while Chester took what few chances fell their way, Albion were again profligate in front of goal & fell to a third successive defeat.

FT RACA 0 Chester-le-Street United 3

RACA- Colquhoun, Spurr (S Oldfield 45), Ledger (Dart 57), Fletcher ( C Oldfield 77), Errington, Caygill, Lynch, Grieveson, Calvert, Bisset (McLeod 72), Hoggins (Todd 63)

RACA host bang in form Chester-le-Street United on Saturday in what is probably the most important game of the season as defeat could well end any hopes of making the play-offs, depending on how Thornaby & Esh Winning get on. United have won their last three games, their last game being the 9-0 annihilation of Grangetown BC, while Albion continue to stutter at this crucial time of the season. On the positive front, since the Stags joined the Northern League in 2022, we haven’t lost to them, with two draws in 22/23 (including our last 0-0 result in the home game, some 131 competitive games ago!) , two wins in 23/24, & a 1-1 draw at the Ford Hub earlier in the season. Albion could do with as much support as possible at the Oldhaulage Stadium for this important fixture, kick off on Saturday is 3pm as usual so hope to see plenty of Ryton fans there. Howay the RACA!!

RACA lost this vital game on Teesside in the scramble for play off places. A tight goalless first half was followed by two quick goals early in the second half, Thornaby scoring on 47 minutes with Glenn Caygill levelling within 90 seconds. The home side scored the winning goal in the 81st minute to move them above RACA leaving Ryton three points outside the play-off positions, the sole crumb of comfort of the afternoon being Esh Winning’s heavy home defeat at the hands of Horden.

MATCH SUMMARY

In this 7^th v 6^th clash of play-off hopefuls, home side Thornaby, unusually clad in lilac and black, were aiming to do the double over RACA having won the reverse game 4-2 at the Oldhaulage Stadium. Ryton manager Nathan Beckham pitched new signing Jack Spurr into the starting defence while the other new signing Ethan Bewley was named as one of the five man bench.

Albion started brightly & in the second minute, Declan Bisset set up Louis Calvert in the box & while his soft shot bypassed keeper Harry Alderson, Luca Sartini was able to prevent the ball rolling over the line & cleared it to safety. Within a minute Scott Oldfield found Morgan Dart whose shot from the right flank was pushed out by Alderson for a corner. With both sides packing the midfield, first half chances were at a premium but on 28 minutes Thornaby’s Shaun Ryder won a tackle inside his own half & played the ball up to Charlie Twinn, who saw Ryder racing unmarked up the left wing & passed back to him, but for some reason, instead of cutting in himself the played a poor ball back to Twinn, who by the time he gathered it, he was closed down by Ryton defenders forcing him into an ambitious shot that sailed over the bar. The hosts had an even better chance to open the scoring in the 43^rd minute when quickly breaking, Ryan Wright ending up in a one on one with keeper Brogan Colquhoun but the Albion stopper did well to block the shot at the edge of the box. The ball spun out to Ryder who cleverly lobbed the stranded Colquhoun but Oldfield had read the situation well & was able to head the ball off the line.

HT Thornaby 0 RACA 0

The Blues kept their momentum at the end of the first half going into the second period, taking the lead on 47 minutes when a cross from Sartini on the far touchline was comfortably headed home by Dom Joynes. However the lead was short lived as Albion levelled in the 49^th minute following a cleared corner when Declan Bisset showed some fancy footwork along the by-line, beating two defenders before pulling the ball back to Glenn Caygill whose sweet first time shot went straight into the net. Bisset had a chance to get on the scoresheet himself when a Dale Burrell header from a Thornaby goal kick looped over the Blues defence & Bisset found himself with just Alderson to beat, but his shot was too near the advancing keeper who saved well. A 72^nd minute Thornaby free kick by Twinn called Colquhoun into action clawing the ball over the bar for a corner that came to nought. After a spell of RACA pressure with a few efforts wide of the mark, the Teessiders scored the winning goal in the 81^st minute, Ryder putting the necessary spin on his cross to fall perfectly to Ryan Wright who slotted home to make it 2-1. As RACA pressed for an equaliser they can consider themselves a little unfortunate not to be given a penalty on 89 minutes when Calvert was brought down by Alderson, but referee Mr Stephenson wasn’t interested & the Tyne Valley outfit were left to think what might have been as their play off hopes took a significant setback.

FT THORNABY 2 RACA 1 Attendance 170

Very much mixed results for the other two play-off hopefuls with next week’s opponents Chester-le-Street United trouncing Grangetown 9-0, though the relegation threatened Teessiders had two men sent off including their keeper, while Esh Winning were humbled 0-6 at home to title favourites Horden CW. However defeat at Thornaby means anything but a win over United on Saturday probably extinguishes any realistic hopes of taking one of those two remaining play-off berths considering the run ins.

RACA- Colquhoun, Spurr, Oldfield, Grieveson, Errington, Caygill, Lynch, Burrell, Calvert, Bisset (Bewley 82), Dart (Hoggins 64)

With just nine days until the transfer deadline & following re-signing of Declan Bissett from the Moor Park outfit, Albion have signed Ponteland based Ethan Bewley from Chester-le-Street Town & if manager Nathan Beckham so chooses, he’s been signed in time to feature in today’s game at Thornaby. Ethan is a forward with Crook Town & Newcastle Blue Star among his previous clubs. Welcome aboard Ethan

Sixth placed RACA make the trip to Teesside on Saturday to face 7th placed play-off rivals Thornaby at Teesdale Park in what is a crucial game for Albion’s play off aspirations. Following a blank Saturday, RACA should be refreshed enough to try & inflict revenge on the Blues for their 4-2 win at the Oldhaulage Stadium back in October against a Thornaby side whose form on the road is better than that at home. Albion won this fixture 4-1 last season with the scorers on Teesside that day all currently not featuring for us, namely Costello (2), Craggs & Salim & it’s very much hoped we can put the disappointment of the Sunderland West End result behind us with another win at Thornaby. While The Blues have lost their last two home games 0-2, they come into this clash on the back of an impressive 5-1 win at Billingham Town last Friday on a night where the results couldn’t have been much worse for Ryton with Esh Winning also hammering Sunderland RCA 4-0.

RACA may well field a new face on Saturday as we have signed another player from Bedlington, Jack Spurr who has netted twice for the Terriers this season, so welcome aboard Jack.

If you’re up for the trek down the A19, the postal address for Thornaby FC is Teesdale Park, Acklam Road, Thornaby, Stockton-On-Tees, TS17 7JU. Hope to see a few of you down to cheer on the boys who will be playing in yellow and black on Saturday.

Albion’s play off hopes took a jolt with a 3-1 home defeat to in form Sunderland West End, the home side looking uncharacteristically disjointed for the majority of the game. An even first half finished goalless but Craig Linsell put the visitors ahead soon after the restart. Taylor Ford doubled the advantage on 76 minutes before Dale Burrell put RACA back in the game with an 85th minute reply. As the hosts pressed for the leveller, West End broke away & Zouhair Benali wrapped things up with a stoppage time winner.

MATCH SUMMARY

For the second weekend Albion hosted a mid-table side who were on the up, this time the much improved Sunderland West End visited NE40 and they were to leave with all three points. There was early drama in the West End goalmouth when in the second minute Rhys McLeod set up Morgan Dart whose initial shot was blocked by Sunderland keeper Neal Bussey, the ball bouncing back to Dart whose second effort was blocked by Brad Foster who was subsequently foxed by the spin on the ball. His attempt at a clearance spun back into the danger area where Louis Calvert flicked the ball to Dart whose shot was again blocked by Bussey, the ball landing at Foster’s feet & this time he was able to clear his area successfully. West End’s first chance came in the 12^th minute when a John Anderson shot squirmed under Ryton keeper Brogan Colquhoun’s body and looked to be trickling into the net, but Colquhoun just managed to recover in time to smother the ball and prevent the goal despite the attentions of Zouhair Benali who was hoping for the easy tap in. Anderson wasn’t far off again in the 23^rd minute when his free kick whistled narrowly over the RACA bar, while on the half hour, a somewhat reluctant solo run from Albion defender Charlie Grieveson resulted in a shot on target, but it was straight at Bussey who saved comfortably. Calvert brought another save out of Bussey on 37 minutes, but in truth, Albion’s goal attempts lacked the edge to incovenience the Sunderland keeper too much.

HT RACA 1 Sunderland West End 0

Not for the first time recently Albion started a second half in a sluggish manner only this time they paid for their lethargy after only two minutes of the second period when defender Scott Oldfield was caught out while trying to shepherd the ball back to Colquhoun and West End top scorer Craig Linsell dispossessed him and slotted home. The home side continued to look jaded & were giving the ball away far too much for manager Nathan Beckham’s liking, and on 73 minutes Taylor Ford took full advantage going on a fine solo run from the half way line, leaving Ryton players for dead, and firing home to make it 2-0. On 75 minutes Richie Hoggins came on as a Ryton substitute and his first touch was a bullet header from a corner which Bussey had to dive to push away to safety. This seemed to spur on Albion who finally began to put some pressure on West End & the reward came on 85minutes when Dale Burrell headed home from a corner for his 5^th goal of the season. Ryton continued to press for the equaliser & almost got one out of nowhere when deep into stoppage time, Glenn Caygill hit a sweet strike from 20 yards which called on Bussey to pull off another fine save, pushing the ball out for a corner. For the corner kick, keeper Colquhoun joined the action in the Sunderland box, but the tactic backfired as the Wearsiders cleared the ball and Benali raced forward with only sole defender Josh Skivington to beat, the Sunderland man taking the ball wide and firing home past the Albion defence who were storming back from the opposition half, to wrap up the points.

So Albion lose a home league game for the first time since the defeat to Newcastle University in November, but the results of the play-off rivals weren’t unfavourable on the whole. The weekend could have been much worse results-wise and now next Saturday’s trip to Thornaby takes on even more significance with the Teessiders also suffering a home defeat. Albion drop to 6^th place, while West End move up to 9^th but can’t reach the play offs as they only have three games left to play.

FT RACA 1 SUNDERLAND WEST END 3 Attendance 251

RACA- Colquhoun, Grieveson, Ledger (Hoggins 75), Page, Oldfield (Hayton 68), Caygill, Lynch (Skivington 83), Burrell, Calvert, McLeod (Bissett 54), Dart (Errington 57)

Albion host in form Sunderland West End at the Oldhaulage Stadium on Saturday as the push for a play off place continues. Ryton dropped to 5th place on Wednesday evening following Esh Winning’s narrow win over Grangetown & face a West End side sitting in 10th place although they have played more league games than the rest of the teams in Division 2. Although having a modest start to the season, the Wearsiders are in rude form in the league only losing to Jarrow in their last eight league games, but they were knocked out of the E Armstrong Cup by out of form Chester-le-Street Town in midweek. RACA won the reverse fixture at the Ford Hub 3-1 in September, debutants Matty Hayton & a Morgan Dart (2) netting the three goals while Craig Linsel scored the Sunderland goal. Last Saturday’s win over Boldon ended the sequence of 1-1 draws at home and made it just one defeat in the last ten games, which is definitely play off form at the very least.

Michael Baxter won’t be lining up for us though as he’s moved on to Chester-le-Street Town, his fourth Northern League transfer alone this season, while in the opposite direction, we welcome back Declan Bissett who makes the switch back from Moor Park to the Albion.

Kick off is at the usual 3pm, & hope to see plenty of black & blue clad fans there. Howay the RACA!

This month’s lucky winners are-

1st prize No 33 R Hands who wins £100

2nd Prize No 40 K Wilkinson who wins £75

3rd Prize No 91 C Dixon who wins £25

next draw is on 05/04/2025

Well done to our three winners, if you’d like to take part in this monthly fundraiser from just £5 a month, please contact us via the usual channels on the foot of the homepage or contact Paul le Patourel at the club on 07720 413390 . Thank-you