Albion face two trips to Wearside in the next five days, one in the cup & one in the league. On Tuesday night it’s a second trip of the season to Meadow Park to face Sunderland RCA in the Brookes Mileson Memorial League Cup 1st Round. Nathan Beckham will be hoping that his side fair better than in early August when we lost 3-1 in the corresponding league game, Louis Anderson the man on target that sunny afternoon. Then on Saturday it’s a trip to the Ford Hub to face Sunderland West End in a league fixture. Albion have the opportunity to attain their first double of the season having already beaten the Westenders 1-0 at the Oldhaulage Stadium in July, Kurtis Dodds with the deciding goal.

If you’re planning on attending either game, the postcodes for your Satnav are-

RCA – Meadow Park 22 Beechbrooke, Ryhope, Sunderland SR2 0NZ

West End – Keelmans Lane, Sunderland, Tyne & Wear, SR4 0HB

This month’s lucky winners are-

1st prize No 18 Sam Moore who wins £100

2nd Prize No 75 also Sam Moore who wins £75

3rd Prize No 16 S Murray who wins £25

next draw is on Sunday 07/12/2025

Well done to our two 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 Kevin Wilkinson at the club. Thank-you

FT RACA 1 FC HARTLEPOOL 2 Attendance 204

Albion’s poor form against the division’s top clubs continued as second placed FC Hartlepool completed the double over RACA at the Oldhaulage Stadium. Despite an improved performance from the hosts, Pools led 1-0 at half time from a Fin Smith goal. Rhys McLeod levelled early in the second half only for Smith to grab what would be the winner for Hartlepool just two minutes later.

RACA– Corkhill, Fletcher (Higgins 71), Dart, Lynch (Whittaker 78), Hayton, Beesley, Hyde, McLeod (Emmerson 71), Anderson, Johnston (Groves-Forbes 58), Calvert. Substitute not used- White

MATCH SUMMARY

FC Hartlepool travelled to the Tyne Valley in second place in the table & having won the last three encounters with RACA, who had a bit of a squad shake up with Nathan Beckham starting new signing Nathan Beesley in defence & having another new midweek acquisition, Ryan Higgins on the bench.

In bright & breezy conditions, it was the visitors who created the first chance in the 9^th minute when a clearance landed at the feet of Mikey McGee who, spotting Albion keeper Callum Corkhill off his line, tried to lob him from 30 yards out, but the ball just went over the bar despite dipping rapidly. Corkhill was twice called into action just two minutes later when his defence struggled to deal with an FC cross, the ball falling to Josh Daley whose shot was clawed away by the Ryton keeper, but only to Jake Stott, & his effort was also blocked by Corkhill & Daley could only fire his second bite of the cherry wide. RACA were straight on the attack & broke swiftly, the referee playing a good advantage when Rhys McLeod was fouled, and Louis Calvert was in possession. He found Anderson who skipped goal side of the Pools defence but Harry Carr stretched out a leg to block the Albion man’s shot. Hartlepool were on the scent of an opening goal on 28 minutes when Aidan Chainey & McGee combined, the latter bringing another save out of Corkhill. Fin Smith did open the scoring in 31 minutes from his position on the left flank, he received the ball from Chainey, cutting in and unleashing a shot that beat Corkhill and just crept inside the post despite the difficult angle. That would prove to be the only goal of the half, leaving Ryton with a tough second half assignment

HT RACA 0 FC Hartlepool 1

Whatever was said in the RACA changing room had a positive effect on the players as Anderson went on a fine solo run through a wall of defenders, but he was again thwarted by Carr. Better was to follow in the 52^nd minute when Albion’s dominance of the early period of the second half was rewarded with an equaliser. A Corkhill kick upfield saw Callum Johnston lay off Rhys McLeod who had raced forward & he struck home his first goal of the season with the FC defenders trailing in his wake.The Teessiders almost drew level on 55 minutes when the tricky McGee waltzed through the Albion defence, his blocked shot landing to Daley, whose shot struck the underside of the bar, the loose ball being headed by Tom Gavin who couldn’t get enough power on his effort & Corkhill gathered safely. The visitors didn’t have to wait long for their second goal as on 56 minutes a Carr punt upfield was chested down by Chainey to Smith who cut in and slotted home despite the efforts of the defence sliding in to try & block the shot. And Smith had a half chance to grab his hat-trick on 72 minutes when taking advantage of a short back pass to Corkhill, but his chip cleared the bar to the relief of the home fans among the 204 spectators. McGee almost got a third goal for the visitors with a 75^th minute shot from inside the box that just went wide of the post, then out of nowhere Louis Calvert hooked a 79^th minute clearance goalward which Carr had to dive to push wide and prevent the equaliser.. And as the sun set on the Oldhaulage Stadium in the first game following the clocks going back, so went the chance of RACA salvaging anything from the game & Pool would head down the A19 with the three points. Despite the defeat, RACA stay in 9^th place but they are seeing their play-off rivals disappearing in the distance.

FT RACA 1 FC HARTLEPOOL 2

RACA– Corkhill, Fletcher (Higgins 71), Dart, Lynch (Whittaker 78), Hayton, Beesley, Hyde, McLeod (Emmerson 71), Anderson, Johnston (Groves-Forbes 58), Calvert. Substitute not used- White

Saturday’s Other Division 2 Results
Alnwick Town 2 (Clarke, Anderson) Jarrow 2 (Barber, Barnett)
Boldon CA 0 Durham United 2 (Hopkins, Kay)
Esh Winning 2 (Curl, o.g.) Grangetown Boys Club 0
Newcastle University 2 (Storr 2) Billingham Town 1 (Watt)
Redcar Town 6 (Clark 3, Robinson-Coley, Stares, Smith) Tow Law Town 0
Seaham Red Star 0 Sunderland West End 0
Sunderland RCA 3 ( Guy 2, Stanton) Prudhoe YC Seniors 1 (Plunkett)
Yarm & Eaglescliffe 1 (Hillerby) Chester-le-Street Town 0

Albion have signed defender, Ryan Higgins from Whitley Bay who joined the Seahorses from West Allotment Celtic in the summer of 2024 having previously been on a year’s scholarship in the USA. The 27 year old will be bolstering the RACA rearguard as the team aim to get the promotion push back on track.

Also on Thursday we signed 24 year old Kian Parker from Jarrow.

And to complete the trio we signed 22 year old defender Nathan Beesley from Whickham, welcome aboard gents!

Wednesday’s Division 2 Result

Park View 1(Frizzel) Billingham Town 0

Friday’s Division 2 Result

Park View 3 (Siyanbola 2, Young) AFC Newbiggin 1 (Elliott)

Promotion seeking FC Hartlepool are Albion’s next opponents as Albion host the side currently sitting in second place in Division 2. This fixture is the reverse of the season’s pipe opener at Grayfields Enclosure where Pools ran out 3-1 winners, Fin O’Gorman (now at West Auckland) scored a brace and Jake Stott also netted for FC, while Callum Johnston scored our consolation. Hartlepool do have a stronger record at home but have still won four of their ten league games on the road. Before Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Sunderland RCA, which knocked them off top spot, they had won their previous four games, scoring 18 goals in the process, including a half dozen in a 6-4 thriller at Darlington Town in the County Cup. We’ve a close record against the Teessiders since they joined the Northern League in 2023, winning two and losing three of our league encounters & both sides having won a Durham Challenge Cup tie each. We’ve never drawn against Pools & we are also on a bit of a draw related run just now- having gone 23 games without playing a score draw stretching back to the 4-4 at Bedlington Terriers in our last away game of 24/25 season. Our two draws this season (at Boldon & at Crook in the County Cup) were both 0-0s, a result we’ve not had at the Oldhaulage Stadium since 3rd August 2022 against the then named Chester-le-Street United, now Park View Academy. (Cue a 0-0 on Saturday!) One RACA regular who won’t feature is Josh Skivington is suspended for this game having to serve a one match ban.

Kick off is the usual 3pm & no clash with Newcastle United thankfully, so hope you can get along and cheer the RACA on to another three points.

Tuesday’s Division 2 Result

Yarm & Eaglescliffe 2 (Hillerby, Atkinson) Newcastle University 1 (Cassidy)

**Note that Billingham Synthonia’s six point deduction has kicked in & they are back bottom of the table with 7 points.

RACA 2 GRANGETOWN BOYS CLUB 1 Attendance 83

RACA finally got the win they desperately needed, but made hard work of it against a resolute Grangetown side. The two Louis, Calvert and Anderson scored in the 27th & 37th minutes respectively to put Albion in a comfortable position, but a first half stoppage time goal from James O’Brien changed the complexion of the game as both sides cancelled each other out in a scrappy second half where both sides struggled to retain possession. Boysie’s hopes of salvaging a point were dented when their keeper Luke Teare was dismissed late in the game & RACA were able to end their winless run.

MATCH SUMMARY

This fixture brought together two sides bang out of form, collectively having lost their last eight league games & while it was a bright and breezy day, Newcastle United having a home kick off at 3pm had its inevitable impact on the attendance as it dipped to two figures for the first time this season. Alfie Hyde made his Albion debut in midfield while midweek goalscorer Callum Johnston was only on the bench. In an opening quarter of the game where both keepers were virtual spectators, it was Grangetown who probably shaded things, not looking like a side short of confidence if not creating a final product. It look until 24 minutes for a keeper to get their top dirty when Rhys McLeod’s low free kick was tipped round the post by Boysie keeper Luke Teare. The visitors cleared the resulting corner and broke smartly, Morgan Dart in the RACA defence twice denying James O’Brien who saw his second shot blocked just a yard off the line before the home defence were able to clear to safety. Ryton pushed forward, Declan Bisset played the ball wide to Jack Elliott who popped the ball into a crowded box where Bisset flicked the ball to Louis Calvert who poked it home past Teare to break the deadlock. The lead was doubled in the 37th minute when Calvert dispossessed Andy Doddy midway in the Grangetown half, raced forward & found Louis Anderson who blasted a beauty into the top of the net giving Teare no chance and a distraught Doddy on his knees. It was Albion’s turn to be caught in possession in the 39^th minute when Danny Driver received the ball with both O’Brien and Brandon Gredziak bearing down on him. Gredziak got a touch on the ball which ran to O’Brien who jinked past two defenders but his curling shot was a yard wide. O’Brien was to get on the scoresheet before the interval though, when Gredziak found Joe Dixon in space & the Boysie captain tried to lob Callum Corkhill from distance, the ball going over the keeper and bouncing off the bar and back into play. O Brien reacted the quickest and he just had to slot the ball past Corkhill to bring his side back into the game.

HT RACA 2 Grangetown BC 1

RACA didn’t look to be too shaken by the late Grangetown goal, and in the 49^th minute Declan Bisset did his trademark dance past three defenders then unleashed a powerful shot with an upward trajectory that just went over the bar,but promised much for the half ahead. Instead neither side were able to keep a hold of the ball for long, forays forward breaking down before reaching the respective danger areas though in the 57^th minute McLeod did have a shot but it was blocked by the Teessiders’ defence, the stray ball falling to Calvert who fired high and wide. In fact the main moot point of the second half came on 83 minutes when Teare was deemed to have handled the ball outside the box with RACA’s Davie Luke bearing down on him. Referee Michael Moore didn’t hesitate in producing the red card to Teare who might well have shed a few as he trudged off leaving Boysie to reshuffle the pack, Adam Lincoln taking over duties between the sticks. After a four minute build up to the subsequent free kick, it proved anti-climatic as Bisset put it over the bar. Ryton weren’t able to take advantage of the extra man although Luke wasn’t too far off with a stoppage time shot, but most importantly came away with the three points.

FT RACA 2 GRANGETOWN BOYS CLUB 1

Not a convincing performance against a struggling Grangetown side who put in a decent shift but mission accomplished in getting the win and moving back up the table to 9^th place. As a side, RACA also maintain their 100% record against Grangetown BC.

RACA- Corkhill, Groves Forbes (Fletcher 52) Dart, Hyde, Dodds, Driver (Emmerson 53), Bisset, McLeod, Anderson, Elliott (Luke 63) Calvert (Johnston 68). Unused Substitute- Skivington

Saturday’s Other Division 2 Results

Alnwick Town 2 (Clarke, Aziakounou) Chester-le-Street Town 0
Billingham Synthonia 4 (Gray 2, Irvine, Poole) AFC Newbiggin 2 (Johnstone, Hills)
Esh Winning 0 Jarrow 2 (Hardie 2)
Redcar Town 2 (Clark, Carmichael) Durham United 1 (Kay)
Seaham Red Star 2 (Thynne, Lines) Tow Law Town 0
Sunderland RCA 2 (Stanton, Dodds) FC Hartlepool 1 (Gavin)

RACA host Grangetown BC at the Oldhaulage Stadium on Saturday needing three points to prevent the other play-off hopefuls disappearing over the horizon for good. And on paper Albion couldn’t ask for better opposition, as the Teessiders are on a worse run that what we are, having lost their last six games & also lost both matches against Albion last term in their Northern League baptism season. If only predicting football was that straightforward! That said, ‘Boysie’ aren’t the best of travellers, this season they’ve only come away with the three points at Billingham Synthonia and that was back in early August, though did come away from Newbiggin with a point, which is more than we did on Wednesday and also a played a draw at Boldon way back in July. But while Albion’s record against the top teams in Division 2 is nothing short of awful, they usually despatch struggling sides quite comfortably. The Teessiders sit in 18th place in the table & of the current bottom six sides we have played against we have beaten Esh Winning 8-0, Synners 2-0 and Prudhoe 4-1, so there is cause for some optimism tomorrow in the black and blue ranks.

Kick off is at the usual 3pm if you can make it

Howay RACA!

Friday’s Division 2 Matches Results

Billingham Town 1 (Stephenson) Yarm & Eaglesciffe 0

Park View 0 Darlington Town 1 (Mallaburn)

Sunderland West End 1 (Benali) Prudhoe YC 1 (Dalton)

RACA’s poor run continued with a 2-1 defeat at Holcim Park despite taking a 9th minute lead thanks to a spectacular overhead strike from Louis Anderson. Brendan Balmbra drew the hosts level on 22 minutes & Cameron Elliott’s 70th minute goal ensured the points stayed on the Northumberland coast. Newbiggin leapfrog Albion into 9th place though have played three games more than us.

MATCH SUMMARY

This was RACA’s first competitive game at Newbiggin’s Holcim Park and with Louis Calvert still suspended Nathan Beckham gave Oliver Emmerson his first start for RACA. After an opening period where the ball spent a lot of time in the air, Albion finally broke their recent goal drought when on 9 minutes Louis Anderson played a cross from the right wing into the box which Callum Johnston met beautifully, volleying home, giving Biggin keeper Jed Scott no chance at all. And so endeth 295 minutes without a goal for RACA! Biggin pushed for an equaliser & got their reward in the 21^st minute though this one was no contender for goal of the season. Matty Nelson swung in a corner which bounced among players in the box, Bradley Higgins getting some goalbound contact on the ball for the hosts & James Cooper looked to get the final touch from afar, but it was Newbiggin defender Brendan Balmbra who was credited with the equaliser with his first goal of the season. The half hour mark saw Albion’s Declan Bissett given a half chance to score when he collected a loose ball following Biggin making a Horlicks of clearing the ball & while he jinked past two defenders his shot was straight at Scott. Johnston made the Newbiggin keeper pull off a fine save just a minute later, winning the ball in midfield then racing forward before unleashing a shot that Scott was equal to, Curtis Williamson booting the ball to safety for the hosts. Joe Groves-Forbes made Scott work again on 38 minutes cutting in from the left & drilling a low shot that Scott dived low to parry, the loose ball being gathered up before a RACA player could capitalise. The half petered out to towards the end but the 84 spectators were treat to a stop-start fireworks display by local youngsters, the smoke seemingly making a beeline for the pitch at the community stadium.

HT AFC Newbiggin 1 RACA 1

The early part of the half was short on goalmouth action, though Newbiggin substitute Michael Johnstone wasn’t too far off after being set up by James Cooper on 64 minutes but his shot hit the side netting. If the home side’s first goal was scrappy, there was nothing fortuitous about their second, Nelson finding Cameron Elliott who advanced towards the Ryton goal & as the defenders backed off, Elliott took his chance & fired home sweetly past keeper Callum Corkhill to put his side ahead. Rhys McLeod, the sole Albion substitute used on the night, did get an effort on target on 74 minutes but it was straight at the keeper. Corkhill had to pull off a trademark save with his feet from a 90^th minute shot from Harrison Borley to prevent Biggin getting a third goal, but two were enough to take the three points and Ryton go down to a third straight league defeat.

FT AFC NEWBIGGIN 2 RACA 1 Attendance 84

RACA– Corkhill, Fletcher (McLeod 61), Skivington, Luke, Hayton, Dodds, Emmerson, Groves-Forbes, Anderson, Johnston, Bisset. Unused Substitutes- Whittaker, Ord, Adotey, White

RACA host 19th placed Grangetown BC on Saturday as they aim to get the season back on track.

Wednesday’s Other Division 2 Results

Jarrow P Redcar Town P (Floodlight Failure)

Tow Law Town 0 FC Hartlepool 3 (Bayes 3)

Thursday’s Northumberland Senior Cup Result

Newcastle University 2 (Manning, o.g.) Ashington 0

Albion make the trip to the South Northumberland coast to face AFC Newbiggin on Wednesday without the high winds that caused the postponement of the original fixture, this being the first competitive game between the sides at Holcim Park. RACA still shocked by Jack Salkeld’s horrible injury sustained at Durham United will be keen to end the recent goal drought, though will be without Louis Calvert whose one match suspension didn’t count on Saturday as the match at Maiden Castle wasn’t completed. Newbiggin will be on a high following their comfortable 4-0 home win over basement boys Esh Winning on Saturday that moves them up to 12th just a point behind RACA, though they have played three games more. Hopefully the conditions will be drier than the reverse fixture in Crawcrook where Albion won by the odd goal in five in heavy rain, Johnston & Bisset (2) on target for RACA, Matthew Nelson & Ethan Smith scoring for AFC Newbiggin.

If you’re travelling up to watch the boys, the address for your Sat Nav is Newbiggin Sports and Community Centre, Woodhorn Rd, Newbiggin-by-the-Sea NE64 6HG

News of a rescheduled game, away to Durham United is now on Thursday 20th November

Tuesday’s Division 2 Result

Billingham Town 4 (Mitchell, Hopson, Watt, Stiff) Sunderland West End 3 (Ajavon, Robinson 2)

DURHAM UNITED A-A RACA

Albion’s first visit to Maiden Castle was brought to a premature end as Jack Salkeld suffered what is believed to be a double leg fracture on 23 minutes. An ambulance was called and referee Evan Culling finally abandoned the game due to the expected length of time it would take to get Jack safely off the pitch. We all wish Jack a speedy recovery & hope he’s not in too much pain tonight.

Saturday’s Division 2 Results

AFC Newbiggin 4 (Nelson 2, White, Johnstone) Esh Winning 0
Chester-le-Street Town 2 (Wright 2) Boldon CA 1 (Watts)
Darlington Town 2 (Dixon, Mallaburn) Alnwick Town 4 (Clark 2, Cherry, Agostinho)
FC Hartlepool 6 (Smith 3, Bennett, Bayes, Gavin) Sunderland West End 1 (Benali)
Grangetown Boys Club 0 Seaham Red Star (Burton, Rutherford)
Tow Law Town 1 (Ashworth) Sunderland RCA 2 (Stanton, McCarthy)

FA Vase 1st Round Results (Division 2 Sides)

Redcar Town 1 (Clark) Tadcaster Albion 1 (Redcar win 5-4 on penalties)

Burscough 6 Billingham Synthonia 0

Ramsbottom United 3 Jarrow 0

Billingham Town 1 (Hopson) Brigg Town 2

Yarm & Eaglescliffe 5 (Conway, Wild, Atkinson 2, Hillerby) Colne 0

Well done to Redcar Town and Yarm and Eaglescliffe who are the Second Division’s remaining representatives left in the FA Vase following their wins on Friday night and Sunday respectively

Albion’s conquerors in the competition Holker Old Boys have made it through to the 2nd Round following a penalty shoot out victory at Wythenshawe FC