Albion’s next game is an important home one against fellow promotion hopefuls Esh Winning on Wednesday night. The Stags are sitting in fourth place with games in hand but are going through a lean time having lost their last three games, allowing the chasing pack of RACA, Chester-le-Street United and Thornaby to close up on them. RACA have won the last five encounters with Esh including a 1-0 at West Terrace in early August in this season’s reverse fixture, Matty Harrison’s goal the difference in the sides. On the flip side we have dropped points from winning positions in our last two games at the Oldhaulage Stadium, against Alnwick and Darlington Town, so need to get back to winning ways having not won in our last three games. Kick off on Wednesday is at 7:30pm, hope you can make it. Howay the RACA!

For the second consecutive home game Albion have let a 1-0 lead slip & had to settle for a share of the points, this time it was Darlington Town who did the damage, cancelling out Luke Page’s first half opener with a 51st minute James Beauchamp leveller to take a point back down the A68. However other results went our way in the chase for play-off places so the afternoon could have been a lot worse.

MATCH SUMMARY

Ryton & Darlington locked horns for the third time this season on a murky day & a heavy pitch at the Oldhaulage Stadium. Chances were at a premium in the early stages, the first falling to Matty Hayton for the hosts on 13 minutes whose shot was well blocked by Ryan Coles, but from the resultant corner Luke Page bullet headed home from Fergus Lynch’s cross to open his account for the club. There was plenty of end to end play but both defences were on top although on 26 minutes, Lynch’s 25 yard shot wasn’t too far above Philip Pentony’s bar, & Town were relieved to see Lynch’s 33^rd minute free kick scrambled to safety after the ball bobbled around the crowded Darlington box. In Albion’s best period of the game it was Lynch again in the thick of thing a minute later, beating his marker before firing across the goal but just going wide of the far post. A minute after that Louis Calvert had his initial shot blocked by Town defender Cameron Holiday but his attempt from the rebound wasn’t far over the visitors’ goal. The half finished without further significant goalmouth action, and at this stage things were looking comfortable for RACA as Town struggled to make any threat into the hosts’ goal.

HT RACA 1 Darlington Town 0

 Darlington in their fetching mauve and yellow change kit came out a much different side to their first half selves, Brennan Fitzpatrick fining a shot not far wide in the 49^th minute, & it was Fitzpatrick who was instrumental for Town’s equaliser on 51 minutes, looping the ball to James Beauchamp who controlled it well before firing the ball home past Brogan Colquhoun to make it 1-1. Ryton’s first chance of note after the interval was Morgan Dart’s 61^st goalbound shot defected narrowly wide, while Hayton’s cross-come-shot three minutes later bounced off the top of the Darlington bar. RACA were back on the ascendency & on 69 minutes Hayton put in a cross from the left which Calvert just couldn’t make contact with from a yard out, else it would have been a certain goal with his marker left & Pentony at the nearside of his goal. A minute later Joe Groves-Forbes brought a comfortable save out of Pentony, while on 72 minutes, George Pinder forced Colquhoun into a tougher save having been set up by Beauchamp. RACA substitute Michael Baxter was next to chance his arm on 83 minutes having been set up by Hayton. He turned his marker but his shot from inside the box was blasted way too high. Albion kept on pressing for a much needed three points, Calvert on 85 minutes bringing a save out of Pentony having done well to get his shot on target from an acute angle & with the attentions of defender Coles to deal with too. Hayton brought another low save out of Pentony on 88 minutes, but in stoppage time Hayton thought he’d grabbed the winner with a great lob over Pentony but the keeper was just able to tip the ball over the bar & Town were able to hang on to their point.

 Two points dropped at home but with Esh Winning & Chester-le-Street United both losing it may not be such a bad result after all.

FT RACA 1 DARLINGTON TOWN 1

RACA- Colquhoun, Skivington, Oldfield, Page, Caygill, Errington, Dart (McLeod 74), Lynch, Calvert, Groves-Forbes (Baxter 78), Hayton

RACA welcome reigning Wearside League champions Darlington Town to the Oldhaulage Stadium for their league debut in NE40 but for their second visit this season as they were Albion’s opponents in the preliminary round of the Durham Challenge Cup. Ryton ran out 3-0 winners that evening the scorers being Abu Salim, Declan Bisset and Noah Adotey, the latter two named getting on the scoresheet for the only time this season. The corresponding league game at the Eastbourne Community Stadium saw the points shared in a 2-2 draw in which, Glenn Caygill and Louis Calvert converted for us with Jim Wilson and Liam Jarvie scoring for Town. Before Friday night’s games, Darlington sit in 17th place but have slightly better form on the road than in DL1 having won five league games on their travels, at Alnwick, Sunderland RCA, FC Hartlepool and twice down the road at Essity Park defeating both Prudhoe and the Uni. Albion will be hoping to get back on track with a win after the poor showing on Teesside on Tuesday and move back into the play off places, while Darlington are safe from any threat of relegation.

Kick off is at 3pm on Saturday & hopefully we can get a decent attendance in the cheer on RACA in the quest for promotion. Howay the RACA!

Albion’s play off hopes took a knock with a 0-3 defeat to Yarm & Eaglescliffe who moved to the top of the table with the win. Trailing 0-1 at the interval, RACA’s cause was made harder when Jack Errington was dismissed on 47 minutes & the hosts went on to score another two goals to inflict Ryton’s first defeat of 2025

MATCH SUMMARY

Albion came into this clash with second placed Yarm And Eaglescliffe unbeaten since before Christmas, but facing a side high in confidence and unbeaten in eleven games across all competitions.

 It was the hosts who created the first chance of note in the game from a 9^th minute Sam Lawrence corner which swung dangerously towards Dan Jones’ head but Brogan Colquhoun in the Albion goal was able to push the ball to safety before Jones could make contact. Yarm almost did open the scoring just a minute later when from a breakaway, Tom Atkinson laid a ball through to Harry Williams whose shot beat Colquhoun, but Josh Skivington was able to get back in time to clear the ball off the line. The Eagles continued to create the chances, Colquhoun plucked an Atkinson header out of the air on 13 minutes & on 26 minutes Josh Marshall saw his goalbound shot deflected for a corner from which a Joe Dalton header clipped the top of the Ryton bar. Josh Larkin brought a comfortable save out of Colquhoun in the 32^nd minute while Atkinson fluffed his lines just seconds later when set up by Williams. At the other end of the park, Yarm keeper Lee Roberts was a virtual spectator as RACA lacked their usual punch up front, & on 40 minutes the hosts deservedly went ahead, Josh Larkin’s chip up front finding Atkinson whose shot bobbled off Colquhoun’s leg and just had enough to trickle over the line. Out of nowhere RACA could and maybe should have had a penalty just before half time when Michael Baxter was brought down by Jack Dalton from what looked a good two feet inside the box. However referee Mr Batty only awarded a free kick just outside the box & Fergus Lynch’s effort was charged down by the two man wall.

HT Yarm & Eaglescliffe 1 RACA 0

 RACA got the second half off to a bad start when Jack Errington was shown a straight red card for an industrial lunging tackle on Josh Marshall, & the Tyne Valley outfit were now right up against it. Following treatment Marshall responded by putting his side 2-0 up in the 48^th minute, heading home from Lawrence’s free kick awarded following Errington’s tackle. The game was put beyond Ryton’s reach on 62 minutes when Williams found an unmarked Larkin in the box & he duly fired home to make it 3-0. All a bit late but thereafter Albion became more dominant in the game and even had Roberts in the Eagles’ goal stretching when substitute Joe Groves Forbes’ shot from distance wasn’t too far from the top corner on 82 minutes. Five minutes later & Skivington’s ambitious 30 yard shot at least got Roberts’ kit dirty as the stopper had to dive down to block the shot though in fairness it was a routine save. Tom Atkinson almost had the last say in the game, his stoppage time short range shot deflected on to the post by Glenn Caygill’s block but despite a late rally from Albion following the substitutions, they were second best throughout and produced an uncharacteristically punch-less performance, though will be facing easier opponents than this in the run in to the end of the season.

FT YARM & EAGLESCLIFFE 3 RACA 0 Attendance 64

RACA- Colquhoun, Skivington, Oldfield, Lynch (Fletcher 72), Caygill, Errington (s/o), Dart (Lawson 83), Page, Calvert (Todd 69), Baxter (Ledger 63), Hayton (Groves-Forbes 69)

Albion head down the A19 to face second placed Yarm and Eaglescliffe on Tuesday night at Bedford Terrace no doubt buoyed by how the results went on Saturday with our fellow play-off chasers. The Eagles look to have flown clear of the chasers along with Horden and Jarrow leaving two play-off places up for grabs but RACA will have to be at their very best to take something back home as Y&E have lost just once at ‘home’ in the league and that was back in August to Chester-le-Street United. The Eagles so enjoy playing at Bedford Terrace, they hammered their landlords 5-0 last Tuesday before a 2-1 win over Redcar Town at the same venue on Friday night meaning they’re unbeaten since November, an impressive feat as this is just their second season at Step 6. As a result the two clubs have only met three times to date, Albion winning both games at Crawcrook & Yarm winning the one game on Teesside.

Albion will be up against Division 2’s top scorer in Tom Atkinson who has netted 35 times this season, 34 in the league, so Brogan might have a busy night. That said we kept them at bay in the opening game of the season at the Oldhaulage Stadium with our 1-0 opening day win in which Joe Groves-Forbes got the only goal of the game.

If you are heading to Billingham the post code for your sat nav is Bedford Terrace, Billingham, Cleveland, TS23 4AE. Drive safely & Howay The RACA

This month’s lucky winners are-

1st prize No 19 W Graham who wins £100

2nd Prize No 36 C Lain who wins £75

3rd Prize No 90 J Le Patourel who wins £25

next draw is on 01/03/2025

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 at the club on 07720 413390 . Thank-you

RACA 1 Alnwick 1

Albion conceded another late late goal to lose two points having led for most of the game thanks to Morgan Dart’s 14 minute goal. However another red card for RACA sprung a hitherto drab second half into an action packed stoppage time as Alnwick levelled through Max Anderson three minutes later and hung on to claim a share of the spoils.

MATCH SUMMARY

In a game lacking the energy and excitement that Wednesday’s game offered, the first half-chance of the game fell to Albion in the 13^th minute when Jack Errington headed over a cross from a corner, but almost immediately Morgan Dart put Ryton ahead after Louis Calvert outfought his marker to lay off the ball to Dart who sped forward to drill his shot past Matthew Alexander in the Alnwick goal. It was almost 2-0 from another corner just 2 minutes later when a back header from Calvert was headed off the line by Brandon Patterson. On 26 minutes Calvert had a chance to extend the lead when Dart set him up but he lost his footing as he struck the ball & the weak shot was an easy gather for Alexander. Alnwick were offering very little up front, a tame header from Evan Wilkinson from a 36^th minute corner being about the nearest to trouble the RACA goal & the half ended with no goalmouth incidents.

HT RACA 1 Alnwick Town 0

The second half was somewhat lacking in quality with little to concern either goalkeeper, Town with some particularly wayward shooting & only a Richie Hoggins header over Alnwick’s bar from a Michael Baxter 84^th minute corner, being of any note until Baxter found himself through on goal on 87 minutes but as he tried to round Alexander, the Wick keeper snatched the ball from him and the chance to wrap up the points had gone. The game was to have an eventful ending when Albion’s Charlie Grieveson was given a straight red for a cynical trip on Yannick Aziakondu & the injured party was to have a say in Alnwick’s equaliser when he set up Max Anderson whose shot found the back of the Ryton net on 90 minutes as the visitors took full advantage of their numerical supremacy. To RACA’s credit they went straight on the offensive rather than protect the point, and Matty Todd wasn’t far off target with a powerful shot a minute into a stoppage time period that was in stark contrast to the rest of the half as it was incident packed. Usmain Ogidan brought a low save out of Albion’s Brogan Colquhoun on 95 minutes, but it was Jordan Dobie who was to be Alnwick’s late hero by preventing a certain Hoggins goal as his shot bounced off the prostate Alexander and looked destined for the net until the Wick substitute hoofed the ball off the line to rescue a point for Alnwick.

Disappointment as RACA surrender two more points late on & also in picking up a fourth red card in five games. Alnwick’s unbeaten run in NE40 extends to six games as Albion drop back out of the play off positions.

RACA 1 ALNWICK TOWN 1 Attendance 135

RACA- Colquhoun, Skivington, Oldfield, Lynch (Todd 86), Errington, Caygill, Page, McLeod (Grieveson 60 s/o), Calvert (Hoggins 78), Dart (McCabe 82), Hayton (Baxter 67)

Alnwick Town visit the Oldhaulage Stadium on Saturday after an absence of eight years while they have been in the Northern Alliance. The Wick won the reverse fixture at St James’ Park in August, Brannan Patterson scoring the only goal of the game, and for what it’s worth we haven’t beaten Town in Crawcrook since the 2012/13 season. After a moderate start to the season, Alnwick’s form has vastly improved since Christmas, winning four of five games since & the one they didn’t win, they threw away a two goal lead against the University at Essity Park to go down 2-3. However RACA are in decent form too with a 100% record in 2025 with the carrot of possibly moving up to 4th place by Saturday evening. Kick off for this one is 3pm so hope to see a few of you at HQ on Saturday. Howay the RACA!

RACA moved back into the final play-off berth with a 4-1 victory over Sunderland RCA at the Oldhaulage Stadium tonight. Goals from Morgan Dart, Louis Calvert, Glenn Caygill and Fergus Lynch earned the victory with Jackson Ward getting Sunderland’s goal. The only downside was another red card for a Ryton player, this time for Luke McCabe on his home debut, Albion’s third dismissal in the last four games, but it’s 10 points from the last 12 available and a great start to 2025.

MATCH SUMMARY

Sunderland RCA made their first visit to Ryton since the 2010/11 season in a Division One fixture which they won 4-0. Times have changed since then & Albion were looking to achieve the double over the Wearsiders having won 3-2 at Meadow Park earlier in the season, knowing the win would move them back into a play-off place.

Albion stated their intent in the first 90 seconds when after some midfield head tennis, Louis Calvert sprayed the ball out to the wing where Morgan Dart cut inside & his shot looked certain to go in having beaten Sunderland keeper  Philip Mills, but a fine goal-line clearance from Keigan Turns prevented the early opening goal. The hosts should have gone ahead in the fourth minute when a quick move forward culminated in Josh Skivington crossing to Dart who could only strike his shot off the bar from five yards, before the ball was scrambled clear. Dart was to redeem himself in the 14^th minute when he broke the deadlock. Matt Hayton advanced down the right wing, cut in and fired in a low shot which Mills got a hand to, but the ball ran to Dart who slotted home from close range despite the attentions of two defenders. Three minutes later and Ryton doubled the advantage following a clearance that was lumped forward. Calvert took full advantage of his marker Adam Cocks losing his footing, cutting in and sliding the ball past Mills to take his tally for the season to 18. RCA were beginning to get more of the ball following the second goal & on 33 minutes pulled a goal back. Sam Spenceley’s cross was parried out by Colquhoun, but it was Sunderland forward Jackson Ward who was first to the ball & he tucked the ball into the corner of the net to make it 2-1. However Albion restored the two goal advantage in the 41^st minute when the RCA defence made a complete Horlicks of clearing Fergus Lynch’s corner, a mis-directed header falling to Glenn Caygill wo stabbed the ball home from three yards.

HT RACA 3 Sunderland RCA 1

 The second half started off with RACA searching for a fourth goal within seconds of the kick off with Calvert breaking down the left flank, lobbing Mills in the Sunderland goal, but also clearing the bar. Only a minute later & a dipping shot from the ‘Real Reds’ number 10 Daniel Maw from outside the box, forced Colquhoun to tip the ball over his bar, shortly followed by a Chris Thompson shot that the Albion keeper had to smother as Ryton went through a sloppy spell. The hosts tightened up again and on 70 minutes put the game beyond the Wearsiders with a gem of a goal from Fergus Lynch who managed to curl the ball in the top corner of Mills’ goal almost from the touchline giving the RCA stopper no chance at all. If that was intended, it was one of the best goals witnessed at Kingsley Park for many a year. Ironically Lynch was instantly substituted for Roman Sparks, the recent Prudhoe signing to make his Albion debut. Another substitute, Matty Todd could have made it 5-1 on 73 minutes, breaking clear of the RCA defenders only to strike the ball into the side netting with just Mills to beat. Sunderland were given the faintest glimmer of hope of salvaging something from the game when in the 82^nd minute RACA were reduced to ten men. Luke McCabe was given a straight red card after a lunge on Alberto Dumba who in fairness got straight up from the tackle, but referee Mr Marriner wasted little time in dismissing McCabe to the astonishment of the home fans. However the visitors were unable to make any inroads to the deficit, Callum Hughes’  shot from distance over the bar on 84 minutes being the closest scare for Ryton. Louis Calvert was much closer to scoring in the 87^th minute striking the RCA post from a free kick, but there were to be no further goals & Albion ran out comfortable winners in the end.

The three points propel us up two places into 5th, leapfrogging both Thornaby and Chester-le-Street United and back into a play-off berth.

FT RACA 4 SUNDERLAND RCA 1 Attendance 180

RACA- Colquhoun, Skivington, Oldfield, McCabe (s/o), Caygill, Errington, Lynch (Sparks 71), Page (Todd 72), Calvert, Dart (Baxter 61), Hayton (Hoggins 65)

Next up is our third attempt to host Sunderland RCA on Wednesday evening when we hopefully welcome the Wearsiders for a re-arranged game at NE40 after a gap of 14 years since they were last up. The clubs did meet at Meadow Park earlier this season where RACA edged out the Wearsiders 3-2 with goals from Calvert, Skivington and Salim earning the three points. Following relegation last season RCA have had a disappointing season this time round too, sitting down in 20th place in the table but at least saw an upturn in fortunes in December, although 2025 didn’t start well with a 4-1 defeat to surprise package Chester-le-Street United in their only game to date this side of Hogmanay. Sunderland will go into the game relatively fresh not having played on Saturday while Albion are still buzzing from that win at Horden. Kick off is at the usual 7:30pm. Keep up to date with developments via our Twitter feed, the Northern League website & on here. Here’s hoping for a go-ahead this time & Howay the RACA!!