This month’s lucky winners are-

1st prize No 34 R Cunningham who wins £100

2nd Prize No 8 K Thompson who wins £75

3rd Prize No 83 C Stygal who wins £25

Next month’s draw is on 01/03/2026

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

The persistent rain has not surprisingly resulted in today’s game at Essity Park against Newcastle University being called off & no doubt it won’t be the only Northern League casualty today. The new date for the fixture is Thursday 26th March.

Saturday’s Division 2 Results

Billingham Synthonia 0 Redcar Town 1 (Carmichael)

Sunderland West End 0 Chester-le-Street Town 2 (Robson 2)

Yesterday’s heavy rain has made the Kingsley Park pitch unplayable for our cup game against Chester-le-Street Town tonight. A new date for the game will be confirmed in due course.

If you still want your footy fix in NE40, the clubhouse will still be open tonight for the live screening of Newcastle United’s UEFA Champions League match against PSG.

Wednesday Night’s E Armstrong Cup Result

FC Hartlepool 2 (Burrows, Spalding) Alnwick Town 2 (Smith, Clark) (FC win 10-9 on penalties)

Wednesday night sees regular opponents Chester-le-Street Town visit the Oldhaulage Stadium in the 2nd Round of the Ernest Armstrong Cup and this will be the third time that we have met The Cestrians in the Second Division’s showcase tournament. Back in 2018 we lost 0-2 in the final that was played up in Consett, then, on our own way to winning the trophy in 2022, we knocked Chester out 3-2 at home at the same stage, Konnor Lamb, Rhys McLeod and Joe Thompson on target for RACA. Town beat Grangetown 3-0 on Teesside in this season’s 1st round while we of course despatched neighbours Prudhoe YC 4-1 to earn this last 16 tie, but we’ll need to do much better than we did in the corresponding league game in late September when we were trounced 0-4, our heaviest defeat this season, Ryan Wright (2), Owen Kingsland and Scott Robson were the men on target that day for Town.

Kick off is at 7:30pm but as an extra treat, the PSG v Newcastle United match is on in the clubhouse for a choice of viewing if for some reason you prefer black and white stripes to black and blue ones, United being in some Mickey Mouse Cup apparently. Hope to see you there, Howay the RACA!

2023/24 goal machine Aaron Costello is back at The Albion following his lengthy injury & surgery that has kept him out of the game for over the season. Cossy famously scored 34 goals from 35 starts that season, 33 in the league and a league cup goal against Easington Colliery, & Nathan Beckham will be hoping he can replicate some of that magic, though he’s going to need a while to be back to his goalscoring best. Welcome back Aaron

YARM & EAGLESCLIFFE 1 RACA 0 Attendance 116

Albion succumbed to a late Josh Larkin goal in a scrappy but competitive game at Bedford Terrace thus ending the 5 game unbeaten run & the perfect start to 2026. With goalmouth action at a premium, Josh Larkin’s goal ironically came as Yarm looked as if they were flagging, but they held on to the three points without too many concerns that RACA would get the equaliser.

MATCH SUMMARY

Albion made the trek down the A19 in fine form to face another side flying high in Division 2, Yarm & Eaglescliffe, who were bouncing after their midweek win over National League North side Scarborough Athletic in the North Riding Senior Cup. Any fears the game might be a victim of the weather were dispelled on arrival at Bedford Terrace, with conditions dry & the pitch perfectly playable. The expectancy was for a close game and so it proved.

There was little to report in the opening quarter hour as both defences were on top, though there was lengthy treatment to Yarm players Sam Conway and Josh Marsh. The first chance fell to Albion on 18 minutes when Louis Anderson teed up Morgan Dart on the edge of the box, but defender Jack Dalton, alert to the danger, raced back to deflect the effort out for a corner. Fergus Lynch took the said corner which ended up at the feet of Glenn Caygill who prodded his shot narrowly wide. Another Ryton corner on 21 minutes saw Anderson outjump everyone but his header went just over the bar in the best chance to score to date. The Eagles really should have taken the lead on 25 minutes when a flick from Conway to Eagles’ top scorer Tom Atkinson caught the RACA defence flat footed & with just keeper Callum Corkhill to beat, uncharacteristically put his effort beyond the far post. Harry Williams brought a comfortable save out of Corkhill with a shot from distance in the 37^th minute but that it for first half goal action & the sides went into the interval; all square.

HT Yarm & Eaglescliffe 1 RACA 0

The second half opened up as just as even as the first, though a break down the right wing for Y&E saw Atkinson fire a cross across the box that just evaded Conway who had slid into the box hoping to make the telling contact. As the half went on, the hosts looked to begin to flag, possibly the exertions at Scarborough taking their toll, and Ryton were looking the more potent though home keeper Lee Roberts wasn’t really troubled by Albion’s wayward shooting. So it was a bit against the run of play when Josh Larkin‘s cross come shot from the right evaded Corkhill & ended up in the net, despite Albion defenders looking to have scrambled the ball clear but only to Jack Dalton who blasted the ball into the top corner, but referee Callum Donnelly had already decided Larkin’s 82^nd minute shot has crossed the line. Albion plugged on for the leveller, Dart put one over the bar & Josh Skivington got a shot on target but it was an easy gather for Roberts. However it wasn’t to be for RACA and a delighted Eagles took the three points to bolster their title aspirations.

FT YARM AND EAGLESCLIFFE 1 RACA 0

A disappointing result in a game that Albion deserved something out of, but the shooting boots were left in the changing room today. Next up it’s cup action at home for Ryton on Wednesday who stay in 8^th place in the division.

RACA– Corkhill, Beesley, Oldfield, Lynch (Driver 88), Hayton, Caygill, Lawson (Skivington), Dart, Anderson, Fletcher (McLeod 84), Calvert (Johnston 63) Substitute not used- Bailey

Saturday’s Other Division 2 Results

Billingham Synthonia 5 (Healy 2, Smith 2, Raby) Seaham Red Star 0
Durham United 1 (Kay) Jarrow FC 2 (Hardie, Bates)
Park View AFC 2 (Siyanbola, Young) Redcar Town 2 (Carmichael, Harrison)

Albion face a trip to Teesside on Saturday when Yarm & Eaglescliffe are the opponents. This is the third game in a row we are facing opposition above us but confidence will be high having defeated Seaham Red Star & Park View Academy since the turn of the year. The Eagles will also be buoyant having knocked Scarborough out of the North Riding Senior Cup on penalties in midweek, and sit in third place in Division Two having also won comfortably at Seaham in their last league game. Yarm also beat us 2-0 in the reverse fixture in September and have the edge over us in our five meetings to date with three wins to two. Kick off at Bedford Terrace is at 3pm & the post code is TS23 4AG.