Sunderland’s Youngsters Too Good for RACA in Front of Record Crowd

FT RACA 0 SUNDERLAND AFC ACADEMY 3 Attendance 552

Louis Calvert’s 100th start for Albion ended up in disappointment as Sunderland’s youngsters proved too good for out of form RACA, dumping them out of the Durham Challenge Cup in front of a bumper crowd of 552. Caleb Shakespeare’s 11th minute goal had the youngsters ahead at half time, & the Wearsiders added a further two goals after the interval thanks to a James Barker penalty & a late Noah White goal.

MATCH REPORT

More shuffling of the pack from manager Nathan Beckham, amongst the changes a 100th competitive start for Louis Calvert and a first start for Sam Davidson against Sunderland’s stars of the future and it was the academy youngsters who carved out the first chance on 8 minutes when Harvey Thompson played the ball out wide to Charlie Dolan-Dentwhose cross into the Ryton box was met by James Baker, but he could only get the slightest of contact on the ball with his head & it glanced wide of Callum Corkhill’s post. Just two minutes later & the Wearsiders should have taken the lead when Oscar Okoro burst through the Albion defence, but Corkhill put in a great tackle after the forward let the ball run a bit too far ahead of him, the loose ball falling to Baker whose shot struck the prostrate Okoro and bounced out for a goal kick. That only delayed the inevitable as on 11 minutes, a fine one-two between Noah White and Kay Munyakazi carved RACA open, White with just Corkhill to beat unselfishly squared the ball to the unmarked Caleb Shakespeare who tapped home into an empty net. The Wearsiders continued to dominate, Thompson coming close on the quarter hour mark with a low drive that was just deflected wide, while the current malaise up front for RACA was continuing, Finlay Robertson being the beneficiary this time in the Sunderland goal. Meanwhile Baker nearly scored a beauty from out wide but his shot thundered against the Albion post & it stayed 0-1 thanks to Nathan Beesley reacting quickest as he slid in to put the ball to safety. From the resulting corner Corkhill had to claw a Thompson shot from the top corner, and fortunately for RACA Shakespeare blasted the loose ball high. Albion did create a half chance in the 29th minute, when Calvert doggedly dispossessed a Sunderland defender, playing the ball to Keros Lizinde a yard out, but the attentions of Dolan-Dent put the Lizinde off & he could only let the ball bounce wide off his leg. RACA did create a good shnce on 41 minutes when Lizinde found Ethan Bewley on the right & he set up Davison in the centre, his shot bringing a fine low save from Robertson. The loose ball ran tantalisingly close to Calvert, but a crucial intervention from Alfie Pollock prevented the centurion from levelling. So Albion finished the half on a relative high, but they’d need to do much more in the second half to get back into this match.

HT RACA 0 Sunderland AFC Academy 1

Corkhill was called into action just two minutes after the break when Jay Brown fed Okoro on the right & despite a hint of offside, the Sunderland no7 was allowed to proceed, his shot from an awkward angle being blocked by the Ryton keeper’s legs. From the corner Okoro had Corkhill working again, his back flicked header from a Thompson pass had the keeper at full stretch to keep the ball out. On 55 minutes the Black Cats were awarded a penalty from a clear hand ball by Calvert blocking a Dolan-Dent cross, James Baker despatching the spot kick despite Corkhill guessing the right way. While the visitors weren’t looking quite as dangerous in the second half, they created an opportunity to increase their advantage in the 74th minute, Dolan-Dent & Okoro combining, the latter unleashing a shot that Corkhill spilled into the path of Triziano Wilson but the goalkeeper recovered to gather the loose ball before the substitute could make contact. Albion had a half chance to pull one back on 80 minutes when Louis Anderson found Joe Groves-Forbes out wide & he fizzed a ball across the goal, but it was just too far ahead of Rhys Hutchinson for him to tap home. The Academy showed Albion how it was done a minute later when Adam Nelson found Jay Matadeen in acres of space, his shot across the bows finding Noah White who fired home to wrap the tie up.

FT RACA 0 SUNDERLAND AFC ACADEMY 3

Three defeats on the spin for an Albion side suddenly looking bereft of confidence, though tonight they were up against a very impressive team of talented youngsters in the Sunderland Academy. Back to a more normal fixture at Chester Moor on Saturday where we can more accurately see where we stand after this mini slump in form. Positives were no bookings and of course that magnificent turn out of 552 spectators.

RACA– Corkhill, Beesley, Oldfield, Craggs (Grieveson 46), Hayton, Caygill (Johnston 83), Lizinde, Davison (Hutchinson 59), Anderson, Calvert (Fletcher 72), Bewley (Groves-Forbes 57). Substitutes All Used

SAFC Academy at RACA on Wednesday

On Wednesday, Albion host Sunderland AFC Under 18s in the Durham Challenge Cup with a 7:30pm kick off. This plum tie is the reward for beating Durham United in the preliminary round of the competition at Maiden Castle last month and hopefully will see the return of academy coach Jordan Moore to the club, the former Kingsley Park coach who worked alongside management duo John Wilson and Paul Dobie.

October’s 100 Club Draw Results

After yesterday’s draw, this month’s lucky winners are-

1st prize No 49 S Cook who wins £100

2nd Prize No 30 J Hands who wins £75

3rd Prize No 65 E Scott who wins £25

Next month’s draw is on 01/11/2026

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 on 07720 413390. Thank-you

No Home Comforts For RACA

FT RACA 1 PARK VIEW 3 Attendance 192

Albion crashed to fourth home defeat this term with a 3-1 loss to Park View. Nathan Conroy scored a first half brace to put the Chester-le-Street based side firmly in the driving seat & this was added to in the second half by Niall Armstrong to make it 3-0, but Scott Oldfield salvaged some pride for Ryton with a stoppage time consolation, only his second goal for the club.

MATCH REPORT

RACA’s line up to face Park View saw the return of both Charlie Grieveson and Callum Johnston from injury while new signing Sam Davison took his place on the bench, Also on the bench was Louis Calvert who had to wait another game before registering his 100th start for Albion.

Park View created the first chance in the game on 7 minutes following a swift break, Jacob Mallinson finding Niall Armstrong who’d got beyond the home defence but his shot was blocked by the outstretched leg of Callum Corkhill in the Ryton goal. Armstrong played his part in Park View’s opening goal in the 29th minute when he blocked an attempted clearance, the ball running to Charlie Loveday in the Albion box. He back-heeled the ball to the unmarked Nathan Conroy, who despite not making the cleanest of contacts, was able to pop his close range shot into an empty net, Meanwhile Trystan Hounsell in the visitor’s goal was having a comfortable evening, though Keros Lizinde’s impressive forward run on 31 minutes should have at least tested the goalkeeper but he screwed his shot wide. Armstrong was to make his opposing keeper work harder three minutes later when Ben Gallagher found him in the Ryton box, but his low shot was well saved by Corkhill who dived down low to push the ball to safety. Mallinson came close to a spectacular second goal for the visitors following a long throw in to the box which the Albion defence couldn’t deal with, Armstrong flicking the ball on the No7 whose overhead kick wasn’t too far off the target. A minute later and RACA came close to a leveller when Albe Fletcher teed up Callum Johnston & his lob forced Hounsell into tipping the ball over the bar. As it was, Park View extended the lead on 40 minutes when this time Armstrong back-heeled the ball from a cross to Conroy for another easy tap in.

HT RACA 0 Park View 2

In a quieter second half for which Nathan Beckham made three changes, the first incident of note was the visitors’ third goal which actually stemmed from a Ryton attack. The ball was punted upfield but a mix up between defender George Hayton & Corkhill who had advanced out of this box, saw the ball run loose to Niall Armstrong who was over the moon to slot the ball into an empty net. Loveday almost made it 4-0 on 83 minutes when despite a hint of offside, he got goal side of his two markers and on to a ball fired forwards to him, but his lob just went wide to avoid controversy. Loveday came even closer to scoring on 88 minutes crashing a shot against the crossbar following a pass from Mallinson. RACA were to get a consolation goal in stoppage time when defender Scott Oldfield showed the forwards how to hit the target with a fine strike from outside the box, his first goal in three seasons, just a shame such a goal wasn’t more meaningful, being a mere consolation.

FT RACA 1 PARK VIEW 3

Another poor display from Albion, their fourth home reverse in nine home league games with the effective strikeforce from last season struggling to match that form this time round. Not a long wait to put things right with the visit of Sunderland’s academy on Wednesday night in the Durham Challenge Cup

RACA– Corkhill, Plunkett (Gascoigne 78), Grieveson, Fletcher (Davison 46), Hayton, Caygill, Hutchinson (Calvert 46), Lizinde, Anderson, Johnston (Bewley 65), Groves-Forbes (Oldfield 46). Substitutes- all used

RACA Sign Carlisle City Youngster

Albion have headed west and signed 19 year old Sam Davison from first division Carlisle City. Sam who was at Whickham earlier in the season can play anywhere on the right & across the front three. Welcome to RACA Sam.

Next Up More Friday Night Action

RACA are playing a second successive home game on a Friday evening as we host Park View this weekend. The Chester-le-Street based side sit in the last play off position but have played more games than anyone else in Division 2 & have clocked up 10 home league games out of the 16 played. The game could be a milestone for Louis Calvert if selected as it would be his 100th competitive start for the club, and it was he who scored the only goal in this corresponding encounter last season. While Louis hasn’t quite hit the scoring heights of last season yet, Park View have a striker in rude form, Charlie Loveday who has racked in 11 goals this season, scoring in four consecutive games earlier in September. The clubs have only met 8 times before, the first meeting between the clubs on 3rd August 2022 versus Chester-le-Street United as they were known then, finished 0-0, the last occasion there was a goalless draw at the Oldhaulage, that’s over four years ago or 109 games!! Kick off is at 7:30pm, hope you can make it. HOWAY THE RACA!!

Boldon End RACA Hoodoo

FT BOLDON CA 2 RACA 0 Attendance 115

Albion’s unbeaten run against Boldon ended in a bad tempered affair at The Villa. In a game that could only be termed a hard watch, there was nothing positive RACA could take out of this game as they barely laid a glove on a Boldon side who looked anything like a top two outfit themselves. However the hosts scored a goal in each half to keep up their impressive start to the season, while RACA had Jordan Plunkett dismissed for his part in a second half stramash near the corner flag. One to forget about and move swiftly on to Friday night against Park Avenue.

MATCH REPORT

Ryton made the trip to South Tyneside to face a Boldon side unbeaten in 15 league and cup games over 90 minutes this season. The hosts, sporting their new blue home kit, replacing their traditional black and white stripes, didn’t take long to get their noses in front courtesy of some poor Albion defending. In the 6th minute, former Ryton player Luke Page picked up a weak clearance, then proceeded to race between several Albion defenders before slotting past keeper Callum Corkhill for an easy opener. RACA responded in the 12th minute with what was to be their best chance of the game when a ball into the Boldon box was flicked on by Louis Calvert to Louis Anderson who spun round past his marker, & though he didn’t make the cleanest of contacts on the ball, he forced another ex RACA man, Dan Gladstone into a save, pushing the ball beyond his right hand post. The hosts should have doubled their lead two minutes later when James Fairley picked out Callum Larmouth getting goal side of the Ryton defence & with just Corkhill to beat, he could only fire meekly wide. In a half littered with niggly fouls & wayward shooting, Joe Groves-Forbes at least stung the palms of Gladstone on 28 minutes with a powerful shot from distance but it was straight at the keeper. However the closing 15+ minutes of the half lacked anything worth reporting & RACA trailed at the interval with their unbeaten Northern League record against Boldon now looking very vulnerable.

HT Boldon CA 1 RACA 0

Into the second half and Albion were almost caught napping from a 50th minute drop ball on the edge of their box. Boldon’s Fairley played the ball out wide to Liam Thear with no-one picking up the run. Thear squared it into the crowded box where Corkhill got down to partially smother the ball , taking the sting out of it before Nathan Beesley hammered the ball to safety. RACA weren’t to be so fortunate two minutes later , when from a quick Boldon break, a ball forward looked to have been cut out by Glenn Caygill, but he got his legs in a tangle and the ball ran on to Larmouth who along with Thear, was goal side of the defence & he had the simple job of firing past Corkhill to make it 2-0. The defensive frailties were exposed again on the hour mark when Larmouth latched onto an up and under & got beyond his marker but fortunately for Ryton he skied his shot with just the keeper to beat. RACA’s recovery task came that much harder on 72 minutes when Jordan Plunkett was given a straight red for an alleged head butt on Boldon’s Thear just off camera beyond the corner flag which led to a few unpleasantries across the pitch between the players. Despite being a man down, RACA gave as good as they got for the remainder of the game , though neither side created a chance of any note & the game quietly drifted to full time.

FT BOLDON CA 2 RACA 0

Difficult to sugar coat this game which was a poor spectacle for the 115 spectators considering the form of the two sides, & even the referee had a match to forget too. Albion’s defence seem to have lapsed into hot and cold performances of late, this one for the first hour at least a decidedly frigid one. Boldon while presumably way short of their usual standard won’t care too much as they collected a valuable three points to stay in Billingham Town’s slipstream.

RACA- Corkhill, Hayton, Beesley, Hutchinson, Plunkett, Caygill, Lizinde, Jardine (Costello 46), Anderson, Groves-Forbes (Oldfield 64), Calvert (Bewley 57). Substitutes Not Used- Gascoigne, Craggs

RACA To Defend Unbeaten Record at Boldon

RACA have another midweek off competitive action so next up is a trip to South Tyneside to face unbeaten Boldon CA on Saturday. Albion have a great record against ‘Villa’ having won seven and drawn three of the ten games played since Boldon’s promotion to the Northern League. Last season this fixture produced one of those Ryton rarities, a goalless draw, our last double blank in the league, but the season before RACA won by a staggering 7-0. No chance as a repeat of that result as Boldon are a different proposition this season, sitting in 2nd place with an array of talented signings. Former Blue Star man Callum Larmouth has scored 13 goals already in league and cup with Liam Thear next in the charts with 7 league goals. They also have four ex RACA players in their ranks, Alfa Djalo, Dan Gladstone, Luke Page and Luke McCabe.

If you’re thinking of heading down to cheer on the Albion, the post code for Boldon’s ground is NE35 9AN. HOWAY THE RACA!!!

Albion Move Into Play-Off Place

FT RACA 2 AFC NEWBIGGIN 1 Attendance 181

An early double strike from RACA with goals from Glenn Caygill and Louis Calvert in the first seven minutes should have seen Albion cruise to three points, but a remarkable 87th minute lobbed goal from Matthew Bowles had Nathan Beckham’s side hanging on a bit for the victory that sent his side up to 5th place.

MATCH REPORT

In this, only the clubs’ third competitive fixture against each other, Albion had brand new signing Keros Lizinde, ironically from AFC Newbiggin, in the starting XI returning to the club after a brief spell at Kingsley Park in the 2022/23 season. The visitors had a few familiar faces with them, not least the recently departed Dan Ord on the backroom staff along with Eoghain Sherrard & Kyle Downey (also from RACA’s 22/23 campaign) and also fielded Aaron Costello’s brother Dan in their starting line up. Newbiggin also brought a six game unbeaten run into the game that had propelled them up to 4th place in the table.

In breezy but pleasant conditions for football Albion got off to a blistering start when after four minutes they were awarded a corner. Louis Calvert swung the ball into the box and Glenn Caygill powered the ball with his head into the net, giving Biggin keeper Oliver Huddleston little chance of stopping. That was swiftly followed by a second goal in the 7th minute when Rhys Hutchinson took advantage of some shoddy footwork from the visitors, chipping the ball to Calvert who outpaced the Newbiggin defence and slotted home past the exposed Huddleston. There wasn’t much else created at either end for the rest of the half, though if Calvert’s 41st minute cross was a smidgeon lower, the unmarked Louis Anderson would have had a great chance to head home for 3-0, as it was it was just too high for him.

HT RACA 2 AFC Newbiggin 0

Newbiggin had barely laid a glove on Ryton in the first half but with a change around in personnel they were to be more effective after the break though Albion keeper Callum Corkhill won’t have many quieter shifts this season. It was RACA who created the first chance of note in the 57th minute when Evann Jardine & Calvert took advantage of hesitant defending combining in the Biggin box resulting in Calvert striking another shot on target from an acute angle which was well blocked by the legs of Huddleston. Ryton sub Ethan Bewley caught the eye with some nifty footwork in the 83rd minute when he somehow managed to get in a shot despite a sea of pale blue shirts twixt him and the goal. Unfortunately for Bewley his shot was narrowly wide. Then came the pivotal moment of the second half, when on 87 minutes from a Corkhill punch out following a Matthew Nelson free kick. Matthew Bowles from not far in front of the half way line, punted the ball high back towards the RACA goal looking for all bets that it would go out for a goal kick, but with Corkhill back-pedalling, the ball dropped suddenly & ended up in the back of the net with the Ryton keeper tangled in his own net adding to the absurdity of the situation. Only Bowles will know if it was a beautifully crafted lob or a speculative punt but either way he became Newbiggin’s 17th different scorer this season. This galvanised the visitors & they began to spray the ball about in a manner hitherto absent, pinning the Ryton defence back into their box for periods, but in fairness they never looked like getting an equaliser. Albion might well have nabbed an injury time 3rd goal when Joe Groves-Forbes found Bewley racing through Newbiggin’s stretched back line, but his attempted close range lob over Huddleston saw the keeper get an outstretched hand to the ball & gather safely. Still Newbiggin pressed on but their final ball was lacking & RACA collected another three points.

FT RACA 2 AFC NEWBIGGIN 1

Some nervy moments at the end when there really shouldn’t have been but we held out for three points & it’s six wins out of the last seven league games now, so we’re doing just fine, but a stiff test at one of the front runners, Boldon CA, on Saturday awaits us next.

RACA-Corkhill, Hayton, Beesley, Hutchinson, Plunkett, Caygill, Lizinde, Jardine (Gascoigne 85), Anderson (Grieveson 81), Groves-Forbes, Calvert (Bewley 74). Substitutes Not Used- Costello, Fletcher

American Boys Emigrate To Whickham

Both Kyle Atkinson and Tristan Ajavon have moved to first division Whickham. The American boys both scored this season, Kyle three times from 12 appearances & Tristan once from 4 substitute appearances. We wish them well in teaming up with their academy coach at The Glebe & hope they enjoyed their brief stay at The Albion.