Albion have the opportunity to put Wednesday’s second half collapse behind them with a visit to Darlington Town who sit a point and two positions behind us in the table. In this just their third season in the Northern League, Darlo have only played us on five occasions, four in the league and once in the County Cup with Ryton unbeaten at the Eastbourne Sports Complex, drawing 2-2 and winning 3-0 in our two visits to date. Town have had a mixed bag at home so far, losing their last two in DL1 to the Billingham sides but put surprise package AFC Newbiggin to the sword to the tune of 6-1 in August so they are capable of turning on the style in front of their own fans. Charlie Grieveson has served his one match ban so is available for this game if Nathan so wishes.

If you’re heading down the details for your SatNav are- Eastbourne Sports Complex, Bourne Ave, Darlington DL1 1LJ. HOWAY THE RACA!

Hot on the heels of Daniel Craggs returning to Albion, Dan Ord has left Albion to join AFC Newbiggin mainly in a coaching capacity, while Danny Driver returns to NE40 after a very brief spell at Tow Law at the start of the current season. Dan Ord first played for RACA in the 2019/20 season but the injury jinxed defender only made intermittent appearances in different spells with the club, totalling 18 starts with 14 as a substitute. Danny Driver, of the long throw-in meanwhile, joined us last season and clocked up 24 starts, coming on an extra 10 times as a substitute. We wish both Dans the best of success in their new & not so new ventures.

FT RACA 3 BILLINGHAM SYNTHONIA 5 Attendance 135

In a bizarre game that after 37 minutes had 0-0 written all over it, RACA then grabbed a deserved 2-0 lead against a Synners side who hitherto had enough trouble keeping the ball in play let alone threaten the Ryton goal. Then just before the interval, Billingham from nowhere pulled a goal back & everything changed. The Teessiders blitzed RACA with four second half goals with only Rhys Hutchinson replying for Albion. The five game winning streak was over & Synners leapfrogged Ryton in the table.

MATCH REPORT

RACA went into this game looking for a fifth straight league win that would propel them into the play-offs, but it had to be done without the suspended Charlie Grieveson. Mid-table Billingham Synthonia were the opponents on a drizzly night and also on a green pitch as the recent rain transformed the Oldhaulage Stadium surface from Shredded Wheat to grass again.

A scrappy start had Albion doing almost all the pressing as Synners were struggling badly with their early distribution. The first shot of note came on 6 minutes from an unexpected source as left back Scott Oldfield chested down a clearance from a Ryton corner, & struck the ball sweetly, only for Synners keeper Jacob Crowle to dive to his right & push the ball to safety. Albion almost took the lead on 24 minutes when Kyle Atkinson got his head on the end of a Louis Calvert corner, but his effort went just wide. The hosts did take the lead on 38 minutes when George Hayton headed forward a Billingham clearance to Calvert, whose lay-off found Louis Anderson who in turn fired home a lovely shot from the edge of the ‘D’ that sailed over Crowle and into the net. A fine goal that such a scruffy game didn’t deserve. The 135 spectators didn’t have to wait long for a second goal, as just a minute later Calvert played the ball out to Anderson on the right flank. He spotted Ethan Bewley charging in on goal but his cross by-passed Bewley & the ball hit the luckless Synners captain Jacob Owen on his side and trundled into the net for 2-0 to the Albion. So 39 minutes gone & two goals up against a side that had offered almost nothing up front, what could go wrong? The catalyst for it all unravelling came just before half time on pretty much the Teessiders’ first serious attack of the game. Josh Hodgkinson managed to play in a ball from the by-line that somehow was missed by all the Ryton rearguard & Jack Lamb had the simple task of tapping into an empty net. If Ryton thought this was going to be a temporary blip, they were in for a rude awakening.

HT RACA 2 Billingham Synthonia 1

Synners came out a different side to the first half, clearly more confident & knocking the ball around sweetly. And it was an eye-catching move that brought about their equaliser on 54 minutes, Hodgkinson involved again, finding Charlie Raby whose deft back-heel found top scorer Sam Irvine who left the RACA defence for dead, slotting past the exposed keeper Callum Corkhill to make it 2-2. More comedy capers in defence followed when on the hour mark a Ryton throw in back to Corkhill lacked the desired legs & with Irvine bearing down on him, the keeper was forced into a clearance which wasn’t a great one, landing meekly at the feet of Raby who made no mistake in racing forwards, rounding Corkhill & slotting home. In an increasingly tetchy game, Albion didn’t have the monopoly on poor defending though & Albe Fletcher took advantage of Synners defender Seb Waller dilly-dallying with the ball at the edge of the box, forcing him into a rash clearance that Rhys Hutchinson latched on to and he was able to pull Ryton level on 68 minutes. A combination of Billingham substitutes combined to put their side back in the lead on 85 minutes, Harry Healey finding Harvey Poole who spun round Oldfield, storming forward before squaring to Spencer Evans whose low shot was blocked by Corkhill’s feet but Michael Smith drilled home the rebound through a sea of legs to make it 4-3 to the visitors. Synners wrapped the game up on 88 minutes when a through ball left the Albion defence flat-footed and Harry Lambert raced through & despite the best efforts of Corkhill, finally rounded the keeper to make it 5-3

FT RACA 3 BILLINGHAM SYNTHONIA 5

A good game for the neutral but some alarming defensive frailties on show from Ryton, ironically after some good recent performances at the back especially at Seaham. Plenty to ponder then before Saturday’s trip to Darlington Town

RACA- Corkhill, Hayton (Ajavon 61), Oldfield, Atkinson, Plunkett, Caygill, Beesley, Fletcher (Craggs 72), Anderson (Hutchinson 61), Calvert, Bewley (Bell 70). Substitute Not Used- Basham

Today Albion have re-signed Dan Craggs as a player coach from Whickham. Craggsy is part of the exodus from the Division One club & has played over 50 times for RACA scoring 8 goals although he was restricted to one substitute appearance last season. Welcome back Dan.

Home game number eight (already) for Albion sees Billingham Synthonia make the trip up the A19 on Wednesday for this re-arranged fixture. Synners sit in 11th place in the table with a game in hand over most of their division 2 counterparts & in their last game on Saturday, looked like they’d put leaders Boldon CA to the sword having taken a two goal lead after 24 minutes. Unfortunately for the Teessiders, Boldon struck back with four goals condemning Synners to their fourth league & cup defeat of the season. Albion did the double over Billingham Synthonia last season winning 2-0 at home & 3-1 on Teesside, and have the edge over our opponents in the 24 league games played to date, winning 11 drawing 5 and losing 8 encounters. Synners did however win probably the most important game against us when winning the 2010 Durham Challenge Cup final 2-0 at Hetton. Should Ryton win this game it would be a sixth straight victory, something not achieved since the aborted 2019/20 season. Kick off is at 7:30pm, so howay down and help roar the black & blue on to victory. HOWAY THE RACA!

FT RACA 1 STOKESLEY SC 0 Attendance 185

An important late goal from substitute Tristram Ajavon in just his second appearance for the club, made it five wins in a row for Ryton against Stokesley as the hosts struggled to make their dominance count at the Oldhaulage. The win does move Albion up a place to 6th, while Stokesley drop a position to 18th.

MATCH REPORT

Four days after RACA’s win against Seaham Red Star, they were back in action for today’s fixture against Stokesley SC. With Albion hoping to continue their successful form, Stokesley were desperate to gain 3 points after their draw against Sunderland RCA on Thursday. 

A slow first 15 minutes saw a lack of chances being taken in the final third. The first opportunity at goal came from a Ryton corner in the 17th minute, whipped in by Beesley, a header aimed for Grieveson however his effort was rejected by the crossbar and it glided beyond. Stokesley’s first opportunity was prevented by an excellent sliding block from Hutchinson, who desperately put his body on the line to restrict any further chance for Drazdamskas. Just before halftime, a ball was played from the left wing for Anderson to connect with and hopefully fire home before the whistle blew, however his effort didn’t hit the target but instead went just wide of the post. 

With the scoreline remaining 0-0 at halftime, plenty chances were created but a lack of quality shown in the most vital moments left the opener yet to be claimed. Neither side dominated the first half but an intense battle for all left a decider in the second half hopeful. 

Both sides prioritised victory as they entered the second half driven by the idea of leaving with 3 points. A lovely cross by Beesley in the 70th minute gave Calvert the opportunity to cushion the ball into the back of the net. However, strong hands from Stokesley keeper Beeforth prevented the idea and he made sure to clear the ball up the pitch. Ryton’s defence remained compact despite continuous pressure from the visitors which left Stokesley desperate for any potential chance. In the 75th minute, a RACA corner fired in from Louis Calvert which aimed for Plunkett who stood at the back-post, yet his chance resulted in another which just missed the target. With less than 10 minutes to go, a change of pace from Stokesley saw an opportunity outside of the box for James Shield which fired towards Albion keeper Corkhill which required an excellent save to prevent conceding. Only moments later, Ryton substitute Oliver Bell drove an outstanding cross into the box for Ajavon who superbly split the defenders and found himself space for a header which glided past Beeforth into the back of the net. Having only previously played one substitute appearance for Ryton, he secured today’s win after a well-read cross and an accurate header. An intense last few minutes after Ajavon’s finish left the crowd on edge as Stokesley refused to give up. A last effort for The Albion from Louis Calvert’s drop of the shoulder allowed space to cross the ball for Anderson. His attempt was palmed over the crossbar as sight of a doubled lead was overruled by the final whistle. 

After 90 minutes of chances being created by both sides, the lovely play between Bell and Ajavon made the difference in Ryton’s 1-0 win. The second half showed a raise in the quality of football after a much slower first half which looked like the result could go either way. The hosts’ defence limited the majority of Stokesley’s chances after numerous accurate challenges. Another well-deserved win for RACA provides them with another 3 points ahead of Wednesday’s re-arranged game against Billingham Synthonia where they hope to advance even further with a sixth straight victory. 

RACA- Corkhill, Hayton, Beesley, Grieveson (Ajavon 45), Caygill, Plunkett, Atkinson (Fletcher 45), Hutchinson (Lawson 45, Bewley 47), Anderson, Calvert, Groves-Forbes (Bell 68). Substitutes All Used

Albion look to make it five wins on the spin as we welcome North Riding League Champions, Stokesley Sports Club to Kingsley Park for the first time in over a decade tomorrow (Saturday). Stokesley are having to play all their games away from home until upgrades are done to their Broughton Road ground so not surprisingly they’ve found wins hard to come by, though they did put six past Durham City in their sole victory. They have however picked up two draws in their last two games, the latest at Sunderland RCA on Wednesday with a stoppage time leveller from James O’ Brien. For what it’s worth, we’ve won our last four games against Stokesley but the most recent of those was eleven seasons ago.

Kick off is the usual 3pm & hope to see a few of you there as we aim for five in a row. Howay The RACA!!

FT SEAHAM RED STAR 1 RACA 2 Attendance 155

Albion made it three wins on the trot at Seaham but were made to work for it following Charlie Grieveson’s 72nd minute dismissal. Looking very comfortable with a two goal advantage with goals from Grieveson & a Calvert penalty, things changed for RACA following Grieveson’s second yellow card. Within a minute Kai Charlton had pulled one back for Red Star & the hosts suddenly with their tails up took the game to Albion, but in a classic rearguard action, the defence threw their bodies on the line to block whatever the Seaham forwards could muster in a relentless wave of attacks by the hosts.

MATCH REPORT

Yesterdays match took place at the Alexandra Steakhouse Stadium in what was Ryton’s 8th league game of the season. After Saturdays 1-0 win against Chester-le-Street leaving them 10th place, they dreamt of further advancement from yesterday’s fixture against Seaham Red Star. 

Only 7 minutes from kickoff, a foul into the back of Louis Calvert awarded RACA an early free kick. The set piece was taken by Beesley who lobbed the ball over Seaham’s defence towards the back post. Charlie Grieveson found himself positioned perfectly to roll the ball into the back of the net. Ryton celebrated confidently and returned to their half eager for another. Minutes later, Seaham found themself with an opportunity to equalise. With tidy play down the left wing, Leonard crossed the ball into the box towards his right winger. He leapt high to fire home yet his effort struck beyond the post. Tensions settled after an early flurry however both teams eventually found their rhythm and further opportunities were created. Seaham refused to let Ryton gain another, they pressed high and a ball fell to Lines for a long-range effort which only just skied the crossbar. After Louis Anderson’s penalty on Wednesday which was scored just before halftime, RACA were reluctant to drop their intensity as they reached their break. Fletcher played Calvert through for a shot at goal which Joseph Hood reacted promptly to save. 

After the Albion’s blinding start leaving them 1-0 up in only 7 minutes, the hosts saw every opportunity as a chance to score. The last 20 minutes of the half watched Seaham create numerous chances in which Ryton frantically defended. However, the clinical edge came from Grieveson’s finish, leaving them with the advantage as they enter the second half. 

HT SEAHAM 0 RACA 1

Only seconds into the last 45, a late challenge on both Groves-Forbes and Louis Calvert left the referee pointing towards the penalty spot. With another chance to secure their victory, Calvert placed the ball into the right corner netting firing past the hands of Joseph Hood. Doubling their lead less than a minute into the second half, RACA filled with the confidence to progress and defend their win. 5 minutes from the final whistle, after the sending off of Charlie Grieveson from a second yellow card, a long throw-in was taken by Lawson into the visitors box. The ball reached the back post before it was played back to Lawson and crossed for Charlton. His header struck across goal and beyond the hands of Albion stopper Callum Corkhill into the back of the net. They gained one back with less than 5 minutes to go and with tensions rising, Ryton desperately held onto their edge. The final whistle blew with Ryton’s extra goal disregarding Seaham’s roaring last efforts. An intense change of pace after Charlie Grieveson’s second yellow transformed RACA’s comfortable advantage into being under the cosh.

However, another win for the Albion positions them in 7th with a game in hand over some opponents. Saturdays league clash sees Ryton compete for their 4th consecutive win of the season hosting Stokesley SC at the Oldhaulage Stadium. 

FT SEAHAM RED STAR 1 RACA 2

RACA- Corkhill, Beesley, Oldfield, Grieveson, Caygill, Plunkett, Fletcher (Bailey 78), Atkinson, Calvert (Bell 81), Hutchinson (Bewley 60), Groves-Forbes (Gascgoine 89) Unused Substitute- Ajavon

RACA have a break from home games with one of our shorter trips down the A19 to face Seaham tomorrow (Tuesday) evening. Like us, Star have won their last two games without conceding, most recently a 2-0 win over the University on Saturday & sit in 7th place with ten points though have played a game more than us. Last season Albion came to Station Road in a January fixture and raised a few eyebrows by winning 5-1, the game setting in motion an alarming slump in form for Seaham, before they got the wheels back on the cart and they rallied in the Spring. Louis Anderson scored a hattrick that evening, while Callum Johnston and Louis Calvert also scored for Ryton, with Matty Weirs scoring a late consolation for Seaham.

If you’re heading to the game the address for your SatNav is The Alexandra Steakhouse Stadium, 271 Station Rd, Seaham SR7 0BH HOWAY THE RACA!!

Late on Friday, Albion signed a second American player in Tristan Ajavon, a 20 year old midfielder from Idaho who is Kyle Atkinson’s roommate while they are in the UK with the i2i academy. Tristan came on as a second half substitute against Chester-le-Street replacing his fellow countryman on 64 minutes. Welcome aboard Tristan