The re-arranged away game at Seaham is scheduled for Friday evening but that might be subject to the forecasted rainfall later this week. Star had the disappointment of being put out the Ernest Armstrong Cup on Wednesday by Yarm & Eaglescliffe but won their last league game at Prudhoe although that was over two weeks ago. Albion’s historical form against Seaham isn’t great- In our last six meetings we’ve drawn one and lost five including this season’s reverse fixture where we lost 0-1 to a Lewis Porritt goal, the only game this season where we’ve had a man sent off. We have to go back to 2011/12 for our last win at what is now The Alexandra Steakhouse Stadium though we also won there in 2008/09. Best check the Northern League website or RACA’s twitter account before heading off for this one but if you are planning on heading there, the postcode & address is-

271 Station Rd, Seaham SR7 0BH.

Tuesday’s Ernest Armstrong 1st Round Result

Yarm & Eaglescliffe 2 (Atkinson, Marshall) Seaham Red Star 1 (Wilds)

Tuesday’s Brookes Mileson League Cup Results

Alnwick Town 2 (Agostinho, Smith) Shildon 4 (Played at Shildon)

Kendal Town 5 Chester-le-Street Town 2 (Stephenson, Conroy)

Wednesday’s Division 2 Result

Jarrow 3 (Bates, Karim, Cunningham) Billingham Synthonia 2 (Irvine)

FT RACA 2 PRUDHOE YC 2 Attendance 135

For the second consecutive game RACA let a lead slip, this time in the Tyne Valley Derby played in horrendous conditions at the Oldhaulage Stadium. In the only Division 2 game on grass that wasn’t either postponed or abandoned due to the torrential rain, Louis Anderson’s 27th minute had the hosts 1-0 up at the interval. When he doubled the lead just after the break it looked rosy for Ryton but former RACA man, Jordan Plunkett scored a quick brace to salvage a point for Prudhoe & deny Ryton doing the double over their neighbours.

MATCH SUMMARY

With the Ernest Armstrong Cup tie between RACA and Prudhoe being postponed on Wednesday, the sides were keen to get this one on despite the forecast of heavy rain. Thankfully the expected arrival of the rain clouds kept getting deferred, ensuring the game would at least start, but by kick off, the skies were dark & the first of what were to be many raindrops began to fall on the already wet playing surface. The weather also had a major impact on the derby day attendance with only 135 hardy souls braving the elements which also included a stiff breeze, when three times that figure might be expected in more clement conditions.

The opening period of the game gave little for the soaked spectators to cheer, Prudhoe pumping decent crosses into the Ryton box, but keeper Callum Corkhill intercepting them with relative ease as the visitors had no-one to meet the ball. Albion hadn’t offered much up front until the 25^th minute when Rhys McLeod picked up a stray ball following a tackle outside the Prudhoe box. He found Louis Anderson who slipped the ball past the advancing Seniors keeper Sam Wilson & it fizzed into the net. Anderson could have had a second goal just two minutes later when Ryton played a good move upfield, Louis Calvert laying the ball to Anderson, but this time Thomas was able to block the shot with his legs, the ball bouncing away to safety. Another chance for RACA to double the lead came on 37 minutes when following a period of pressure on the Prudhoe goal, Rhys McLeod on the left flank, drilled in a low cross that evaded everyone in the box and just went beyond the far post & it remained 1-0. Calvert and Anderson combined again in the 42^nd minute, the latter breaking clear of his marker but again he was thwarted by the advancing Thomas in the one-on-one, the keeper getting his foot in the way of the shot. A minute after that & Prudhoe had Corkhill diving in the mud when Freddie Marr laid the ball off to James Simpson & his shot was scrambled past the post by the RACA keeper and the goal remained intact.

HT RACA 1 Prudhoe YC 0

In increasingly difficult conditions RACA took only two minutes to get on the scoresheet again,this time from a corner which Anderson powered home with his head to give his side a bit of breathing space. He wasn’t too far off getting his hat-trick on 55 minutes when his shot from distance skidded not far wide of the Prudhoe post with Wilson scrambling in his muddy box to block the effort. There was some sever goalmouth drama in the 58^th minute when a McLeod free kick struck the Prudhoe post, the ball rebounding to an off balance Craig Scott whose shot crashed into defender Will Morris, the ball now striking the Prudhoe bar off Morris, bouncing downwards where Wilson could push the ball out to relative safety. And how Ryton were to rue those near misses as from nowhere the Seniors got back in the game. A 62^nd minute Marr free kick was connected with by Jay Plunkett, the ball bouncing in the box & off into the corner of the net to make it 2-1. This spurred on the visitors & on 67 minutes they won a corner following a Morris shot. Marr’s ball in instigated some head tennis which ultimately saw Plunkett on target again with his header to equalise, the ex Albion player haunting his ex employer with a 5 minute brace. Prudhoe could well have gone ahead on 73 minutes when Elijah Berman found the unmarked Tom Wilson whose shot from a tight angle was only partially blocked by Corkhill the ball rolling towards the goal line until RACA captain George Hayton was able to scramble the ball clear. The last chance of note fell to Albion on 73 minutes when an intended Prudhoe clearance stuck in the surface water & McLeod fired in a decent low drive that was just wide of the post, though Wilson looked to have it covered. The players & officials were to be commended for being able to provide a competitive spectacle for the closing minutes even if there was no significant goalmouth action, the honours even in this drenched derby.

FT RACA 2 PRUDHOE YC SENORS 2

RACA will feel this as two points dropped having led by two goals, but the filthy conditions were a real leveller & Prudhoe came into their own midway into the second half & showed that from set pieces at least, they are more than capable of converting chances. This was Albion’s first point against the Seniors at Kingsley Park having lost the three previous encounters but that will be of scant consolation to the RACA management. It was also the first draw at home & the first score draw home or away this season.

RACA– Corkhill. Beesley, Fletcher, Lynch (Skivington 79), Scott, Hayton, Hyde (Lawson 79), Groves-Forbes, Anderson, McLeod (Parker 84), Calvert (Driver 90). Substitute not used Dodds

Saturday’s Other Division Two Result

Durham United 0 Alnwick Town 3 (Agostinho, Anderson 2)

After Wednesday’s cup postponement we try again on Saturday for a league Tyne Valley derby which will be the eighth Northern League meeting of the two sides. RACA have finally put their stamp on the fixture of late, winning the last two games including the 4-1 win over Dean Walker’s men at Essity Park in August. The injured Jack Salkeld, Joe Groves-Forbes and Louis Anderson were on target for RACA in that game, while Prudhoe’s Brad Rogers put the ball in his own net. The Seniors’ goal in the right net came from Tom Wilson . It hasn’t always been like that though as Albion managed to pick up a paltry one point from fifteen in the opening five derbies & have lost all three home games against the red & black side of the Tyne Valley, so Albion gaffer Nathan Beckham will be keen to break with tradition there.

Kick off tomorrow is at 3pm so hope you can get down to what’s always a much awaited fixture, your support is appreciated by all. The weather forecast in NE40 is for a fair bit of rain so keep an eye out on social media & the Northern League website just in case this match is in jeopardy too, but hopefully we can enjoy a full blooded derby game. Hope to see you there.

Tonight’s E Armstrong Cup game v Prudhoe has been postponed due to an unplayable pitch. Hopefully it will dry/thaw out sufficiently for Saturday’s league game against Prudhoe to go ahead.

Wednesday Night’s North Riding 2nd Round Cup Results–

Stokesley SC 0 Redcar Town 2 (Duffield, Carmichael)

Yarm & Eaglescliffe 3 (Dalton, Roberts, Williams) York City 3 (Yarm win 3-0 on penalties)

Last Saturday’s postponed game at Seaham Red Star has been re-arranged for Friday 5th December, with kick off at 7.30pm. That weekend was originally empty.

Tuesday’s Ernest Armstrong Cup Results

AFC Newbiggin 1 (Smith) Alnwick Town 5 (Aziakonou 2, Anderson, Lively, Baston)

Billingham Town 7 (Stephenson, Stiff 2, Robinson, Hogan, Littlefair 2) Billingham Synthonia 4 (Mallia, Owen, Waller, Hodgkinson)

Grangetown BC 0 Chester-le-Street Town 3 (Brownsword, Stephenson, Marriott)

Sunderland RCA 2 (Stanton) Park View Academy 2 (Sykes, Mallinson) (RCA win 4-1 on penalties)

The Northern League fixture computer & the velvet bag have contrived to pair RACA & Prudhoe YC Seniors together twice in 4 days.

First up on Wednesday evening we host our neighbours in an Ernest Armstrong 1st Round tie, then on Saturday it’s a rinse & repeat in the league with The Oldhaulage Stadium the venue again.

The club will be producing a Tyne Valley derby double header programme to mark the occasion, this the first time that Ryton & Prudhoe YC have met in a cup competition, and on Saturday it will be the eighth Northern League meeting of the two sides. RACA have finally put their stamp on the fixture of late, winning the last two games including the 4-1 win over Dean Walker’s men at Essity Park in August. But it hasn’t always been like that as Albion picked up a paltry one point from fifteen in the opening five derbies & have lost all three home games against the red & black side of the fence, so Nathan Beckham will be keen to break with tradition there.

Kick off tomorrow is at 7:30pm so hope you can get down to what’s always a much awaited fixture, your support is appreciated by all. The weather forecast in NE40 isn’t the best with sub zero temperatures overnight but a mild if drizzly day tomorrow. Keep an eye out on social media & the Northern League website just in case the match is in jeopardy, but hopefully we can enjoy a Wednesday derby battle under the lights. Hope to see you there.

Please note that today’s game at Seaham Red Star has been postponed due to the weather. It has now been rescheduled for Friday 5th December at 7.30pm.

Results of the Division 2 games that went ahead-

Billingham Synthonia 5 (Mallia, Connelly, Lamb, Marsay, Evans) Durham United 0

Billingham Town 3 (Mitchell, Robinson, Stiff) Chester-le-Street Town 3 (Stephenson, Greenwood, Robson)

FC Hartlepool 4 (Bayes 2, McGee, Spalding) Boldon CA 1 (Watts)

Prudhoe YC 1` (Plunkett) Darlington Town 2 (Brown, Wilson)

Sunderland West End 3 ( Deehan, Appleby, Davis) Esh Winning 0

Albion dust themselves down from the disappointment at Durham United to travel to the coast to face Seaham Red Star on Saturday. Third place Star have had a week to recuperate following a 3-2 win over neighbours Prudhoe at Essity Park on Saturday & that coupled with our form against Seaham would suggest the East Durham side would be favourites. In our last six meetings we’ve drawn one and lost five including this season’s reverse fixture where we lost 0-1 to a Lewis Porritt goal, the only game this season where we’ve had a man sent off (ignoring the Prudhoe mistaken identity debacle). We have to go back to 2011/12 for our last win at what is now The Alexandra Steakhouse Stadium though we also won there in 2008/09. Overnight rain might play a factor in local non league games so best check before heading off for this one but if you are planning on heading there, the postcode & address is-

271 Station Rd, Seaham SR7 0BH.

FT DURHAM UNITED 2 RACA 1 Attendance 42

Albion let a 1-0 lead slip at a frosty Maiden Castle as Durham United turned the game on its head with two late goals to win the first completed fixture between the two sides. Louis Anderson’s 57th minute lob looked to see RACA extend the winning run to 4 games, but the Students struck back with a goal from Seb Hopkins plus an o.g. to take all three points.

MATCH SUMMARY

Albion travelled to Maiden Castle on a cold and frosty evening to replay the match abandoned following Jack Salkeld’s horror injury. In front of an understandably sparse crowd it was the visitors who created the first chance when Rhys McLeod picked up a stray ball, a pattern to be repeated throughout the game, stormed forward & found Callum Johnston out wide & his shot while full of venom, cleared the Durham bar. In an early period scant on goalmouth action, it was RACA who produced the next move of note & once again it was McLeod the creator. He found Louis Calvert who in turn played the ball wide to Johnston & this time his shot was on target, stinging the palms of United keeper Patrick Dixon whose parry was picked up by Calvert but he was crowded out by a posse of defenders & the ball was eventually played out to safety. Having lost Elliott Clarke to a nasty head injury, Durham were on the back foot again on 38 minutes, McLeod this time bringing a save out of Dixon before defender Maximillian Nissim blasted the ball in the face of Seb Chambers, the man who had replaced Clarke, in an attempted clearance flooring the substitute. This fixture was getting a worrying trend of injuries if no goals, but Chambers would be OK to continue. For all Durham’s absence of creating anything in the first 45 minutes, they burst into life in stoppage time, Jakob Routledge finally getting a shot on target two minutes into stoppage time, quickly followed by another from Oliver Dixon which Callum Corkhill blocked. Then just before the whistle, Corkhill made a triple save with his feet from Harry Stewart, Seb Chambers and Hamza Rob respectively & the Ryton goal remained intact, the sides going into the break goalless.

HT Durham United 0 RACA 0

Albion also started this half the brighter of the two sides & deservedly took the lead on 57 minutes when Scott Oldfield pumped the ball upfield to Louis Anderson who despite being flanked by two defenders, saw Dixon off his line & coolly lobbed the keeper to put his side ahead. Barely two minutes later Calvert could have made it 2-0 when he latched on to an Anderson cross but could only put his header over the bar. Albion were to rue not pressing home the advantage as the Students began to dominate the latter stages of the game & Seb Hopkins took full advantage of a partial clearance from the Albion defence,curling the ball beyond Corkhill on 77 minutes. It was to get worse for Ryton on 84 minutes when a cross from Nissim looking for Hopkins on the far post was intercepted by the luckless Kurtis Dodds who could only divert the ball into his own net for what would prove to be the winning goal.

FT DURHAM UNITED 2 RACA 1

Albion’s mini winning spree comes to an end but they remain in 9^th place, this the seventh game in a row where RACA have either won or lost by the odd goal. As a side note, Durham United were Ryton’s 65th different Northern League opponent since joining the league.

RACA– Corkhill, Beesley, Oldfield, Lynch (Whittaker 83), Dodds, Hayton, McLeod (Hyde 68), Skivington, Anderson, Calvert (Groves-Forbes 62), Johnston (Fletcher 78). Unused Substitute- Driver

It’s Thursday night action for RACA as they take on Durham United again following the abandonment of the original game following Jack Salkeld’s horrific injury. Apart from that curtailed fixture, the clubs have never met. Durham are currently in 17th place, 15 points behind Albion, though have had a 3 point deduction. Remember this is a Thursday kick off at 7:45pm & if you’re heading down to hopefully cheer the lads on to a fourth straight win, the address and postcode for Maiden Castle is The Graham Sports Centre, Stockton Rd, Durham DH1 3SE.

Tuesday’s League Cup Result

Yarm & Eaglescliffe 1 (Garton) Prudhoe YC Seniors 3 (Rogers, Anderson, Marr)

Wednesday’s League Cup Result

Jarrow 3 (Cunningham, Armstrong, Hudson) Billingham Synthonia 3 (Connelly, Mallia, Lamb) Synners win 5-4 on penalties