Albion played out a 0-0 draw at a drizzly Boldon Colliery, their first goalless draw in 147 games A lively opening few minutes petered out into a dull spectacle for the wet spectators, a game which got increasingly feisty as it progressed with fouls and yellow cards the order of the day. Still it’s not a bad away point, it’s two clean sheets on the bounce & Ryton move up a place to 12th.

MATCH SUMMARY

RACA travelled to South Tyneside buoyed by the impressive win on Saturday & boasting an unbeaten record against their opponents. In autumnal conditions the match started brightly enough & as early as the second minute, Albion had a half chance when a James Blakey cross evaded the Boldon defence & the unmarked Jack Elliott picked up the loose ball & fired narrowly wide. Within a minute RACA were on the attack again when Declan Bisset’s lob over the home defence found Louis Anderson whose shot was blocked by Villa keeper Olly Walker & while it looked like the ball would spin over the prostate stopper and into the net, he managed to pluck the ball from the air & avert the danger. From there the goalmouth action petered out, Louis Calvert had 12^th and 17^th minute shots that were straight at Walker & on the quarter hour mark at the other end,Scott Purvis found Joel Smith whose drive was fumbled by Albion keeper Callum Corkhill, but fortunately for Albion the ball was booted clear. Corkhill did much better in the 37^th minute when Liam Heywood despite being closely marked by two Ryton defenders, was able to despatch a shot on target that the keeper blocked with his legs but neither side went particularly close to scoring and the sides went into the interval at 0-0 though the visitors felt aggrieved that a penalty wasn’t awarded on 45 minutes when Calvert went over in the box following a challenge but the referee was having none of it, going as far as booking Calvert for simulation.

HT Boldon CA 0 RACA 0

The wind picked up and drizzle intensified, covering the RACA match-day camera lens with water and making the pitch very greasy at the same time. The drenched players were unable to provide the 95 spectators with much to enthuse about in the second half although a Calvert shot on the hour mark wasn’t too far off the mark for Ryton. On 77 minutes Fergus Lynch brought a fine diving save out of Walker & at the death, Corkhill had to produce a double save to keep parity but in the end the conditions were the winner & both sides had to settle for a point.

FT BOLDON CA 0 RACA 0

RACA– Corkhill, Blakey, Skivington (Adotey 76), Lynch, Cayhill, Dodds, Elliott (Fletcher 65), Salkeld, Anderson, Bissett, Calvert (Scott 81). Unused Subs- D Ord, Luke,

Tuesday’s Other Division 2 Results

AFC Newbiggin 0 Prudhoe YC 0

Alnwick Town 1 (Potts) Seaham Red Star 1 (Appelby)

Grangetown BC 2 (Eglington, Dixon) Billingham Town (Stares 2)

Wednesday Division 2 Results

Billingham Synthonia 0 FC Hartlepool 2 (McGee, Smith)

Esh Winning 1 (Bower) Redcar Town 4 (Clark 4)

Jarrow 2 (Karim 2) Chester-le-Street Town 0

Park View 2 (Loveday, Beattie) Sunderland RCA 0

RACA’s next game is a trip to Boldon CA on Tuesday evening. The Villa have had a decent start to the season sitting in 7th place with just the one defeat in their seven games so far with the stand out result surely the 3-0 home win over FC Hartlepool. Without tempting fate, Albion are unbeaten against the South Tynesiders since their promotion to the Northern League, winning six and drawing two of the eight games, including the 7-0 win at the Villa last season. Louis Calvert (2), Abu Salim (2), Daniel Craggs, Matty Todd and Rhys McLeod were the men on target for Ryton that September evening, a win that moved us up to third place in the table. Boldon have an early season hot-shot in Jack Robertson who has netted 6 of their 15 goals, though it was Liam Heywood who scored both goals in Villa’s impressive 2-2 draw at Seaham Red Star on Saturday.

If you’re planning on heading down to see if RACA can keep the unbeaten run against the Villa going especially following the 8-0 win on Saturday, the address is Boldon Colliery Welfare Ground, Boldon Colliery, South Tyneside NE35 9AN. The kick off is at 7:30pm

Joe’s Red Rescinded

Joe Groves-Forbes’ red card he got in the derby game at Prudhoe has been rescinded after a case of mistaken identity when match referee David Batty admitted Groves-Forbes’ first yellow ought to have been given to Declan Bisset instead.

Kieran Moves On

Defender Kieran Russel has reportedly left the club. Former Prudhoe YC & Winlaton Vulcans man Kieran made three starts this season, all away games at Sunderland RCA, Prudhoe YC and Redcar Town & also played 12 times for RACA in 2022/23 scoring once. We wish him well wherever he next ends up.

RACA earned their most emphatic league win for over 19 years when comfortably despatching a youthful Esh Winning side 8-0 at the Oldhaulage Stadium. In a rampant first half Albion were 6-0 up at the interval with a brace each from Declan Bissett and Louis Calvert, a goal from Fergus Lynch and a Louis Anderson penalty on the stroke of half time. To Esh Winning’s credit they plugged on in the second half, snuffing out the Ryton attacks & looked to maybe finish the game without conceding another goal, but a late comical o.g. and a superb goal from a Bisset free kick in stoppage time denied the young Stags of that milestone as Ryton equalled the 8-0 they beat Sunderland RCA by in the Northern League fixture at Kingsley Park back in August 2006. Albion move up to 13th place with the win.

MATCH SUMMARY

RACA were aiming to pick up their first points on a Saturday this season as they welcomed Esh Winning to the Tyne Valley for their 39^th competitive match since Ryton’s elevation to the Northern League, our most regular opponents in that time. Albion had new signing Alfie Ord on the bench, younger brother of Dan as well as veteran Daniel Craggs for the first time this term. The Stags were bang out of form & it took only four minutes for their goalkeeper Patrick Crombie to get an inkling of the afternoon he’d be facing when Declan Bisset picked up a stray clearance & drove a powerful shot which Crombie was equal to, pushing the ball out for a corner. Esh’s James Bower made what was to be a rare Stags incursion into the RACA box making a fine 11^th minute run down the left wing before cutting in, only to find Jack Salkeld’s intervening foot blocking his close range effort. Albion took the lead on 18 minutes, Bisset picking up a partial clearance, turning his marker & striking the ball sweetly past the outstretched hands of Crombie to get his first goal of the season. The Esh stopper was called into action on 23 minutes when Louis Anderson after some keepy-ups in the Stags box, found Louis Calvert unmarked but his low shot was well saved by Crombie before being booted to safety. After a few minutes a relative calm before the storm, RACA doubled the lead on 34 minutes when the ball from an Esh punt forward was returned to the Esh half, where Calvert curled in his first of the season past Crombie. The Stunned Stags were to fall further behind in the 38^th minute, Albion again taking advantage of a clearance blocked by Bisset that led to some intricate play from the men in black & blue ending in Calvert finding Bisset who dinked the ball home from a tight angle. A minute later it was 4-0 when an Esh Winning attack broke down and the ball was thumped upfield to Calvert who despite the attention of two defenders, had the composure to nod the ball down before sweeping the ball first time past Crombie. The Albion faithful in the 195 attendance had barely stopped clapping when it was 5-0. Good work on the left flank by Jack Elliott saw him nip across the touchline and lay the ball to Anderson who due to the close attention of Esh’s Brandon Fort, tapped it to Fergus Lynch whose daisy cutter might just have taken a slight deflection off Esh skipper Jonathan Swift, deceiving Crombie & trickling into the net, & Lynch was also off the mark for 2025/26. There was room for a sixth goal before the half was done, this time from the penalty spot when Crombie was adjudged to have brought down Anderson as he ran past him. Anderson took the spot kick himself slotting home to make it a staggering 6-0 with half the game still to play.

HT RACA 6 Esh Winning 0

Albion took up where they left off, Calvert bringing another good save out of Crombie on 48 minutes with a powerfully struck shot. Elliott came as close to scoring as he would in the 57^th minute, dispossessing an opponent & pairing up with Calvert who fed the ball back to Elliott who’d run half the length of the field only to put his lob wide. Esh created a chance on the hour mark, Michael Harland & Bower combining but with just the Ryton keeper to beat, Bower put his shot wide. Bisset was close to getting his hattrick when he struck a 67^th minute free kick on target, but Crombie was able to push the effort away, but in the following melee in the box and a Bisset shot, only a valiant goal line block from Esh Winning substitute Callum Moore prevented a seventh goal from being conceded. Ryton had a claim for a penalty waived away in the 76^th minute when Anderson & Crombie had another coming together & with the keeper stranded on the floor, the ball broke to Albion sub Noah Adotey but his shot was cleared off the line by Alex White. To the credit of the Esh young side they were snuffing out the Ryton attacks far more effectively in the second period & when Crombie denied Adotey with an 89^th minute save, they could be forgiven for thinking they’d kept RACA at bay in the second half. But when your luck is out…..a Josh Skivington free kick caused mayhem in the Esh box, the ball bouncing off an assortment of players before two Esh defenders went for the same header & the luckless Moore nodded into his own net. The 8^th & final goal goal two minutes later was the total opposite as Bisset curled in a beauty to notch his hattrick & equal the club’s best result in over 19 years.

FT RACA 8 ESH WINNING 0 Attendance 195

RACA– Corkhill, Salkeld (A Ord 84), Skivington, Lynch (Cairns 70), Dodds, D Ord (Scott 79), Elliott (Adotey 66), Luke, Anderson, Bisset, Calvert. Unused sub- Craggs

Saturday’s Other Division 2 Results

Billingham Town 3 (Stares 2, Hutchinson) Durham United 2 (Kay, o.g)

Chester le Street Town 1 (Nelson) AFC Newbiggin 1 (Bell)

Darlington Town 2 (Dixon 2) Jarrow 0

FC Hartlepool 1 (McGee) Yarm & Eaglescliffe 0

Grangetown BC 1 (Eglinton) Newcastle University 1 (Morris)

Park View 0 Sunderland West End 3 (Norton, Benali 2)

Prudhoe YC 0 Redcar Town 1 (Clark)

Seaham Red Star 2 (Appleby, Burton) Boldon CA 2 (Heywood 2)

Sunderland RCA 0 Alnwick Town 0

Tow Law Town 2 (Alderson, Tomlinson) Billingham Synthonia 3 (Webb, Riley, Lawrence)

RACA welcome old foes Esh Winning to The Oldhaulage Stadium tomorrow as Nathan’s lads look for their third win of the season against a club we have a great recent record against. The sides have met 38 times in our Northern League era & recent seasons have seen us win six and draw two out of the last eight encounters. Furthermore the Stags have got off to a poor start this season, having picked up a solitary point since their opening day 2-1 win over Grangetown, that in a 1-1 draw with Sunderland West End. Goals are also proving hard to come by for Esh, having netted just three times in their six games to date so they’ll be looking for an overdue win over Ryton tomorrow. The corresponding fixture last season finished 1-1, Louis Calvert netting for the Albion before Cobi Jones grabbed the equaliser for Esh Winning.

Albion will be wanting to put the disappointment at Redcar on Tuesday behind them but will have to do so without Albe Fletcher who is suspended for this game following his red card against Seaham Red Star. Kick off is at 3pm if you’re planning to head to the game and if the Premier League floats your boat, the clubhouse has the Aston Villa v Newcastle game on live, that one kicks off at 12:30pm.

Good news for Albion from the County HQ in that we have avoided being drawn in the Preliminary Round of the Frank Pattison Durham County Challenge Cup unlike another 22 teams, including six from the Northern League Second Division, who have the fixture to accommodate. RACA will enter the tournament in the 1st Round

Division 2 Wednesday Results

Billingham Synthonia 0 Grangetown BC 2 (Patterson, O’Brien)

Esh Winning 0 Seaham Red Star 4 (Luaba, o.g., Appleby, Weirs)

FC Hartlepool 1 (McGee) Park View 0

Jarrow 0 Billingham Town 0

Division 2 Thursday Result

Newcastle University 4 (Foster 3, Iverson) Durham United 0

Albion were sunk by a first half Redcar blitz that had the Teessiders 3-0 up at the interval. Nathan Beckham rang the changes at half time and his side responded, Jack Salkeld pulling a goal back on 71 minutes but it was to prove to be a mere consolation as the win moved Town up to fourth in the table while Ryton suffered a fourth defeat of the season.

MATCH SUMMARY

RACA were hoping to build on the derby victory over Prudhoe as they visited Redcar Town for the 6^th game of the campaign while Town were still smarting from conceding two stoppage time goals at Seaham on Saturday which cost them two points. Albion started brightly, a second minute move saw Declan Bissett lay off the returning Louis Calvert who had the legs of his marker but Town keeper Will Cowey was alert to the situation and quickly closed down the Ryton man before he could get his shot in. A minute later David Luke picked up a loose ball on the edge of the Redcar box & struck a shot that wasn’t too far wide of Cowey’s right hand post. An Albion defensive mishap in the 4^th minute could well have led to a Redcar goal when McCorie Carmichael saw Alex Bruton in space to his left and laid the ball of to him but Bruton fired tamely wide with just the keeper to beat. Carmichael came close to opening the scoring himself in the 8^th minute as the frenetic start to the game continued, clipping the top of the Albion bar with his shot from 25 yards. RACA were soon back on the attack, the two Louis combining, Calvert finding Anderson but he screwed his shot wide. Town were to be more clinical in the 13^th minute when Carmichael played a defence splitting pass to Kyran Clark who slotted home past the exposed RACA keeper Callum Corkhill. Both Kieran Russel and Bisset brought comfortable saves out of Cowey but it was the Teessiders who were to extend their lead on 32 minutes when Jayden Sekete played a peach of a ball behind the Ryton back line for Clark to tap home from near the far post. It nearly got a whole lot worse for Albion in the 39^th minute when Josh Beach struck a peach from the edge of the box that hit the underside of the bar before being cleared to safety. However the home fans didn’t have to wait long for the third goal, that coming on 42 minutes with more messy defending forcing Corkhill to have to race out of his area to block shots from Clark and Connor Smith, the ball landing at Smith’s who with the RACA keeper now stranded, cleverly lobbed the Ryton defenders scrambling back to their positions to put his side firmly in the driving seat.

HT Redcar Town 3 RACA 0

Ryton manager Nathan Beckham made significant changes bringing on four substitutes at the start of the 2^nd half including new signing James Blakey from Heaton Stannington It certainly resulted in a much quieter half than the first one, the first chance of note being a Bruton run and cut in to the Ryton goal area in the 63^rd minute but he could only find the site netting from an awkward angle. The 69^thminute saw Albion’s first chance of the half when Anderson picked up a stray pass then chanced his arm from the edge of the box where his effort was narrowly wide. A minute later Scott could have made it 4-0 when he combined with substitute Owen Clarkson but after beating the defence he could only put his shot wide. Albion reduced the deficit on 71 minutes, Joe Groves-Forbes beating two Redcar defenders on the by-line before finding Jack Salkeld on the edge of the box & he scooped the ball past Cowey to make it 3-1. Redcar’s Jude Harrison brought a save out of Corkhill and Clarke was twice thwarted by the Ryton stopper when trying to lob him at close quarters but there were to be no more goals in this one and RACA headed north empty handed in what was always going to be a difficult game.

FT REDCAR TOWN 3 RACA 1 Attendance 191

RACA– Corkhill, Groves-Forbes, Fletcher, Russel (Blakey 45), Salkeld, Dodds, Luke (Skivington 45), Ord (Lynch 45), Anderson, Bisset (Adotey 47), Calvert Sub not used Bailey

Tuesday’s Other Division 2 Results

AFC Newbiggin 0 Darlington Town 0

Alnwick Town 3 (Shell, Potts 2) Sunderland West End 1 (Anderson)

Boldon CA 3 (Wilkinson, Robertson, Zych) Sunderland RCA 1 (Stanton)

Chester-le-Street Town 1 (Martindale) Prudhoe YC 2 (F Marr, Lowes)

Yarm & Eaglescliffe A Tow Law Town A (floodlight failure 68 minutes)

It’s a Tuesday trip to Redcar Town for the Albion as the games come thick and fast. Sixth place Town looked to be cruising to a fourth victory in five league games on Saturday when 2-0 up at Seaham but conceded two injury time goals to Star & had to settle for a point. Of our eight previous meetings with Town, all league games, we’ve won two, drawn one and lost five, the last time we met was at the Mo Mowlem in our last game of 2024 when we drew 1-1 in front of 107 spectators, Matty Todd scoring for RACA before Redcar got a late equaliser.

If you can make it to our furthest league game of the season, the address of the ground is Mo Mowlam Memorial Park, Trunk Road, Redcar, TS10 5BW. Kick off is 7:30pm

Albion came from a goal down to beat neighbours Prudhoe YC 4-1 at Essity Park in front of 361 spectators with a significant proportion in attendance cheering on RACA. Tom Wilson had the hosts a goal up on 7 minutes before Jack Salkeld levelled on 21 minutes. Two quick second half goals from Joe Groves-Forbes & an own goal had Ryton in the driving seat, and despite Groves-Forbes later being dismissed, the ten men added a fourth goal thanks to Louis Anderson on 80 minutes to round off a fine victory in the Tyne Valley Derby.

MATCH REPORT

RACA and Prudhoe YC Seniors met for the seventh time since Prudhoe’s promotion to the Northern League, with RACA having just won the once, that being on Boxing Day last year at Essity Park. And it was Essity Park that hosted this Friday night fixture that pulled in 361 spectators on a fine evening for watching football.

With neither side having the best of starts to the campaign, there was much at stake and it was Albion who started brightly, Kieran Russel hitting the bar with a header on 5 minutes, the rebound falling to Kurtis Dodds whose follow up shot was blocked from which Prudhoe broke away and won a corner. Connor Lane floated in the corner kick, finding the head of Thomas Wilson who nodded home powerfully to put the hosts ahead in an early setback for Ryton. The visitors were almost level in the 11^th minute when a free kick was delivered into the box by Declan Bissett & Glenn Caygill saw his headed touched onto the crossbar by Seniors keeper Sam Wilson. Bisset was instrumental in RACA’s 21^st minute leveller when his corner was headed into the ground by Jack Salkeld & it bounced past the dive of Wilson into the back of the net to restore parity. Prudhoe’s Brad Foster had a chance to make it 2-1 on the half hour mark when a cross from the left wing found him free from his marker but he could only head the fast moving ball wide. Foster was the key man again three minutes later with some fancy footwork followed by a curling shot that might just have crept in the net but Corkhill was able to smother the shot will relative ease. At the other end Joe Groves-Forbes took advantage of a 42^nd minute sloppy attempt from the Seniors’ defence to clear the ball, cutting in between two defenders that Wilson dived to push out for a corner. From the corner Russel headed the ball into the net but the goal was chalked off immediately by referee David Batty following a foul on a Prudhoe defender and the sides went in to the interval all square.

HT Prudhoe YC Seniors 1 RACA 1

RACA were to score more than once for the first time this season when on 55 minutes, Bissett put in a fine cross from the by-line which Groves-Forbes accurately met with his head & nodded the ball home past Wilson’s despairing dive. 2-1 became 3-1 just two minutes later when a Louis Anderson ball into the six yard area found Salkeld slightly off-balance & his shot bounced off the luckless Foster and into his own net. Prudhoe might have thought they were thrown a lifeline when Groves-Forbes was dismissed on the hour for a tackle that earned him a second yellow, but like on Wednesday, the ten men closed ranks & it wasn’t obvious they were a man light. Indeed Ryton created the next chance of note on 73 minutes when awarded a free kick which Bisset curled into the Prudhoe box. Salkeld got his head to it but it looped over the bar without giving Wilson too much cause for concern. Albion wrapped the game up on 80 minutes & Prudhoe were their own worst enemy, once again being punished for indecisive defending. Jack Elliott dispossessed a dawdling defender, laying the ball to Bisset in the middle of the box. Bisset spotted
Anderson
making a run, & played the ball into his path & the RACA No9 slotted home. Prudhoe weren’t totally done with though, an 84
^th
minute Ryan Ndiweni free-kick caused some panic around the far post, Bradley Mawston getting some contact with his head but not enough to direct the ball towards goal & it ricocheted out of play. And that was that as the game concluded with a few unwanted injuries, free kicks & much added time. First Tyne Valley blood goes to RACA with a dogged performance and more than doubling season’s the goal tally in the process. Meanwhile Prudhoe are still searching for their first victory with two draws from their five games to date.

FT PRUDHOE YC SENIORS 1 RACA 4

RACA– Corkhill, Skivington, Lynch (Ord 63), Russel (Fletcher 58), Caygill, Dodds, Elliott (Dart 87), Salkeld, Anderson (Luke 81), Bisset (Cairns 85), Groves-Forbes (s/o).

RACA make the short trip to Essity Park on Friday night to face Prudhoe YC for the first Tyne Valley derby of the season. With both sides having had disappointing starts to the campaign the match is a perfect opportunity for one outfit to kick start their season and claim local bragging rights at the same time. Kick off is 7:30pm if you want to sample the derby atmosphere.

Thursday’s Division 2 Results

Durham United 0 Yarm & Eaglescliffe 4 ( Hillerby, Marshall, Atkinson, Roberts)

Newcastle University 1 (Foster) AFC Newbiggin 2 (Douglas, Barber)

Seaham Red Star maintained their 100% record with a narrow 1-0 victory at the Oldhaulage Stadium in a tight if niggly game. Lewis Porritt’s 57th minute goal separated the two sides in a win that moves them back to the summit of the table. RACA also had Albe Fletcher dismissed for a second yellow card on another disappointing evening before Friday’s Tyne Valley derby at Prudhoe. One bright spot was the 297 attendance with a good following up from East Durham to swell the ranks. Albion drop a place to 17th in the table.

MATCH SUMMARY

Ryton faced a stern test as they welcomed unbeaten Seaham Red Star, relegated from Division one last season, to the Tyne Valley.

As early as the 2^nd minute, Seaham were putting pressure on their hosts forging a useful looking attack when John Stephenson made a darting run down the right flank & put in a low dangerous looking cross bur Albion keeper Callum Corkhill dived down low to block it before the ball reached another Seaham player. In a half where the ball spent a lot of time in the air, it was RACA who created the first chance of note on 19 minutes when Glenn Caygill narrowly headed wide from a corner. Seaham’s next chance came from a 33^rd minute good team move culminating in Ryan O’Connor finding Matty Weirs whose powerful drive from close range was well blocked by Corkhill. And that was it for meaningful efforts in the first period, which was more end to end play with little end result and more than a few niggly fouls to break up any fluency.

HT RACA 0 Seaham Red Star 0

The second half continued with much energy but little in the way of goalmouth action, that was until the 52^nd minute when the home fans shouted for a penalty when Declan Bisset on a run towards the Red Star goal was knocked over in the box by Danny Wilds, but referee Mr Carr was not to be persuaded by the howls from the RACA fans and they, probably rightly, had to settle for a corner. The corner itself created a half chance when Jack Salkeld got some head contact on the ball but not enough to give Ben Taylor in the Seaham goal any cause for concern & it rolled out gently for a goal kick. The pivotal moment in the game came on 57 minutes when a long Seaham throw into the Ryton box resulted in the defence not being able to get a clean contact on the ball to get it to safety, it falling to Lewis Porritt who showed some fancy footwork before slotting the ball home to score his second goal of the season. Albion’s hopes of taking something from the game were dealt a blow on 67 minutes when Albe Fletcher was dismissed following a second yellow card but to be fair the hosts raised their game and it wasn’t obvious who had the extra man. That said, neither side looked like adding to the scoring, the latter stages of the game punctuated with free kicks, injuries & substitutions, until three minutes into stoppage time when Corkhill launched a free kick from inside the RACA half into the box & substitute Craig Scott rose above everyone to get a clean head on the ball but it rocketed two feet over the bar and Albion drew a blank for the first time this season. Red Star in contrast, made it four wins from four and move back to the top of the table.

Another disappointment for Ryton but it was at least a more dogged performance than of late though not ideal preparation for the big one on Friday night.

FT RACA 0 SEAHAM RED STAR 1 Attendance 297

RACA– Corkhill, Fletcher s/o, Dart, Salkeld (Skivington 81), Caygill, Dodds, Luke (Lynch 65), Groves-Forbes, Anderson (Scott 68), Bisset (Ord 77), Elliott (Adotey 73)

MATCH SUMMARY

Other Division 2 Wednesday Results

Billingham Synthonia 0 Jarrow 7 (Jackson 3, Hardie 2, Cunningham, Karim)

Darlington Town 2 (Dixon, Jackson) Prudhoe YC 2 (Simpson, Foster)

Esh Winning 1 (Harland) Sunderland West End 1 (Davison)

Park View 6 (Loveday, Young, Conroy 3, Siyanbola) Grangetown BC 2 (Shields, o.g.)