Albion’s impressive unbeaten run is over after dishing up the worst 45 minutes of the season. Dylan Lawson got his first goal for RACA to put his side in front after just 4 minutes, but a defensive collapse overshadowed Lawson’s special moment as Thornaby struck with two first half double whammies, Mackenzie Ciciccio netting in both the 18th & 21st minute, then right at the end of the half, Ciciccio & Luca Nelson both scored within a minute of each other to make it 4-1 at the interval. RACA did improve in the second half, Louis Calvert reducing the deficit in the 57th minute but by then the damage had been done.

A match that an hour before kick off looked like being played in heavy rain & a strong westerly ended up in somewhat more pleasant conditions for the 207 spectators as the rain stopped, the wind died right down & the low sun even came out to cause more than a few visibility problems. Albion were looking to extend their unbeaten run to 11 games following a scintillating September & a decent October to date, & Thornaby, with a healthy away following making their way up from Teesside, on their own run of five games unbeaten.

It took RACA only four minutes to breach the notoriously frugal Thornaby defence, Joe Groves-Forbes racing through the centre of the visitors’ defence before laying the ball to Dylan Lawson who slotted it past keeper Mark Foden to score his first senior goal for Albion & set his side on their way to another game unbeaten…. or so we thought. Thornaby, in their ‘Anderlechtian’ lilac strips, drew level on 18 minutes when Mackenzie Diciccio took full advantage of a poor defensive clearance to fire home from the right flank to open his account for the season, celebrating the occasion with a backflip. If that didn’t take the wind out of Albion’s sails, another Diciccio goal just three minutes later did. A ball lumped forward from defence evaded everyone, & the Thornaby No9 picked up the loose ball & slotted it past the advancing Brogan Colquhoun to turn the game on its head. There was little in the way of meaningful chances for either side until the closing moments of the half when the visitors’ Charlie Hindson launched a ball into the Ryton box & Luca Nelson was there to head flick the ball into the net to make it 3-1. Within a minute 3-1 became 4-1 when an up and under found Diciccio who outpaced his marker & lobbed Colquhoun to surely put the game to bed with a whole half to go, Diciccio completing his hattrick in the process.

HT RACA 1 THORNABY 4

Thornaby started the second half the stronger without ever threatening to get a fifth goal, but it was Ryton who were to score next having been awarded a free kick on the left flank. Rhys McLeod curled the kick round the defensive wall, the ball striking the post, leaving Louis Calvert to tap home & give Albion a lifeline in the 57th minute. While the hosts spent a good while on the front foot in the second half, Thornaby’s relentless closing down & a half fragmented with free kicks, ensured Albion wouldn’t close the deficit any further. To add insult to injury, Ryton also picked up their first red card of the season in the 88th minute, when Abu Salim was dismissed for a two footed lunge on Connor Gant on a day to forget for those of a black and blue persuasion.

FT RACA 2 THORNABY 4 Attendance 207

RACA- Colquhoun, Skivington, Ledger (Caygill 48), Lynch, Errington (cap), Oldfield, Lawson (Salim 75, sent off 88), McLeod, Calvert, Groves-Forbes (Dart 65), Hayton (Todd 58).

ENL Pos: 5th.

Should RACA beat Horden in the re-arranged 1st Round tie in the Durham Challenge Cup, we will face FC Hartlepool in the 2nd Round at the Oldhaulage Stadium. The full draw is-

Stockton Town FC v Shildon AFC
Easington Colliery AFC v Durham United/Consett AFC
Dunston FC v Seaham Red Star/Farringdon Detached
Bishop Auckland v Birtley Town
Hebburn Town FC v Sunderland West End
Ryton & Crawcrook Albion/Horden CW v FC Hartlepool
Spennymoor Town FC v Boldon CA/Whickham FC
West Auckland Town v Gateshead FC

The tie would be played on Wednesday 6th November should we overcome Horden.

With tonight’s Durham Challenge Cup tie against Horden a victim of the weather, next up is a visit from Thornaby on Saturday providing the rain abates. The Teessiders currently sit in 6th place in the table & rather like Chester-le-Street United last week, are on a run of five games unbeaten, aren’t prolific scorers but have a mean defence, having only conceded 14 goals in their 17 league games to date. They’ve also played out three goalless draws, all at home, something we’ve not done for 97 league games now! We’ve played Thornaby a total of 22 times in the Northern League, winning 8, drawing 4 and losing 10 of those games, but last season proved our best yet against The Blues, winning 4-1 at Teesdale Park & 3-0 at home, Fergus Lynch, Aaron Costello & Glenn Caygill each bagging a goal in the game at HQ.

Kick-off on Saturday is 3pm if you want to head down to the Oldhaulage Stadium to see if RACA can push the unbeaten record out to eleven games, hope to see you there.

Tonight’s Durham Challenge Cup First Round tie against Horden CW at the Oldhaulage Stadium has been postponed following the heavy rain.

The match has now been rescheduled for next Wednesday, 16th October.

In the first of five successive home games for Albion, on Wednesday evening we welcome Horden Community Welfare in the 1st Round of the Frank Pattison Durham Challenge Cup, the last 32 stage, and our reward for beating Darlington Town in the Preliminary Round. While RACA have never played ‘The Marras’ in any cup competition in our Northern League era, our recent league form against them has been poor with one draw & five defeats against then in the last 6 games, the draw coming at Kingsley Park earlier this season. Horden didn’t play in the preliminary round of this season’s tournament but have some impressive history having won the trophy on five occasions in 1935/36, 1963/64, 1980/81, 1981/82 and 2002/03 albeit as Horden Colliery Welfare. Remarkably, they are on an even better vein of form than us, having just had a twelve match winning run ended with a 1-1 draw with Yarm & Eaglescliffe on Saturday, but have still gone fourteen games unbeaten in league & FA Vase in which they have eliminated two first division sides in Birtley and Kendal. Remember if it’s all square after 90 minutes it goes straight to penalties. This really should be an interesting game with two teams in red hot form so do try & get along the the Oldhaulage Stadium on Wednesday if you can to cheer on the black and blue, kick-off is 7:30pm.

This month’s lucky winners are-

1st prize No 54 N Lawson who wins £100

2nd Prize No 10 Stevie Carter who wins £75 (no begging letters please!)

3rd Prize No 69 A Ord who wins £25

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. Thank-you

Albion extended their fine unbeaten run to ten league and cup games with a 1-1 draw away to previously draw-less Chester-le-Street United. Matty Hayton scored his second goal in as many games to put RACA a goal up on 17 minutes but United levelled the scoring through Dan Robinson just seven minutes later.

These two sides faces each other both in fine form & Ryton made their intentions clear straight from the kick off as Louis Calvert had the ball in United’s net within the first minute, only for it to be ruled as offside. Stags keeper James Hughes was called into action in the 10th minute when Matty Hayton picked up Hughes’ poor clearance & fired a low shot which the Chester le Street keeper managed to push away but only to Josh Skivington’s head, but the RACA defender could only head tamely over the bar. However Hughes only kept the visitors at bat until the 17th minute when Scott Oldfield launched a ball forward from well inside the Ryton half which the United defence were unable to deal with. Hayton nipped between two defenders & fired home past Hughes to open the scoring & take his personal tally to two goals in two games for RACA. Chester game close to levelling on 20 minutes when Dan Robinson looped a shot towards the Albion goal from the touchline, forcing back-pedalling keeper Brogan Colquhoun to tip the ball over the bar. Robinson was to equalise four minutes later when a Chester corner bounced of Steven Siyanbola’s head back-over to Robinson who blasted a pearler past Colquhoun to level the scores at 1-1. Colquhoun had to be at his best on 36 minutes when a Stags corner was headed back into the box by Dylan Wilkinson onto the head of Siyanbola whose close range header was pushed away by the Ryton keeper. Just before the interval RACA had the ball in the back of the United net again this time Jack Errington scoring from a Josh Skivington free kick, but again it was disallowed for off-side

HT Chester-le-Street United 1 RACA 1

Albion created the first half chance of the second half when in the 53rd minute, Hayton squared the ball to Skivington across the Chester box, but the RACA number 4 could only fire narrowly wide. On the hour mark Siyanbola went on a solo run & fired in a shot which Colquhoun gathered comfortably, though the shot was from a difficult angle. Both sides were limited to half chances , Siyanbola firing another shot at Colquhoun on the edge of the box on 79 minutes, while a minute later Ryton substitute Matthew Harrison picked up a loose ball in the Chester box but his shot was smothered by Hughes. The closing stages saw RACA throw everything at their hosts but United’s defence held out & both sides had to settle for a point. Albion go to ten games unbeaten & the Stags, with their first draw of the campaign, go six unbeaten in the league

FT CHESTER-LE-STREET UNITED 1 RACA 1 Attendance 57

RACA- Colquhoun, Groves-Forbes, Ledger, Skivington (Grieveson 75), Errington, Oldfield, Lynch, Lawson (Bisset 75), Calvert, Dart (Harrison 65), Hayton.

ENL Pos: 4th.

Albion revisit the venue of their 3-1 win over Sunderland West End on Saturday as they take on Chester-le-Street United in the Ebac Northern League Division 2. United are relative newcomers to the Northern League, this being their third season at Step 6 & RACA have yet to lose to The Stags, drawing both games in 2022/23 (including a 0-0 at Kingsley Park, the last time we were involved in a goalless draw, a full 95 league games ago) & winning both games last season. For now United are playing their home games at the Ford Hub instead of the Riverside so if you are attending on Saturday make sure you go to Keelmans Lane, Sunderland, Tyne & Wear, SR4 0HB.

Ryton can go ten games unbeaten if avoiding defeat while Chester have won their last five league games so something has to give although if Saturday’s game is a draw it will be United’s first of the season having won eight & lost eight of their league games so far. They’ve only scored 15 & conceded 18 league goals in their 16 league games, so defences have generally been on top in their games, though RACA have netted 28 times in the current unbeaten run so it could be an interesting clash of styles at the Hub. Kick of is at 3pm so hope to see plenty of black & blue clad fans there.

RACA came from behind at Sunderland West End with new boys Matty Hayton and Morgan Dart announcing their arrival by bagging all three of Albion’s goals & in doing so extended the remarkable run of nine games unbeaten, eight of those being victories.

 Albion made the first of two consecutive trips to the Ford Hub to face the regular hosts Sunderland West End with both new signings in the squad, Matty Hayton as no11 & Morgan Dart on the bench. With RACA in scintillating form of late it came as a slight surprise when West End opened the scoring on 18 minutes. Luke Page made a poweful run forward then laid the ball wide to Lewis Charlton whose cross into the box was met by Craig Linsell who wrong footed his marker & fired home to score his fifth goal of the season. It was another Linsell, Adam in the Sunderland goal who was made to work in the 29^th minute tipping a dangerous dipping free kick from Declan Bissett over his bar. Daniel Craggs called the West End stopper into action on 36 minutes firing in a shot from distance, but in fairness, Linsell gathered comfortably, despite the shot seemingly taking a slight deflection off a defender. The Wearsiders weren’t too far away from making it 2-0 when awarded a free kick on the edge of the Ryton box in the 43^rd minute. Tom Goundry struck the ball low and hard, it fizzing just the wrong side of the post from his perspective, although keeper Brogan Colquhoun didn’t look to concerned that the shot was goalbound. Colquhoun was forced into a save just before the interval when another Page run forward culminated in him laying off a good pass to Linsell whose attempted lob over the stopper was pushed out for a corner.

HT Sunderland West End 1 RACA 0

 In an early portent of things to come, Louis Calvert had the ball in the West End net after a minute of the second half but it was rightly chalked off for off-side, but just three minutes later he was on-side when Dylan Lawson took advantage of some dithering in the Sunderland defence & poked the ball forward to Calvert, but he shot wide with just Linsell to beat albeit from an awkward angle. Linsell had more to do on 51 minutes, pushing away a useful Craggs free kick out for a corner. Albion did get on level terms on 55 minutes when Linsell could only parry a Lawson  shot to the feet of debutant Matty Hayton who blasted home from close range to open his account for Ryton. There were strong calls for a Sunderland penalty and a red card when Colquhoun brought down Craig Linsell on the edge of the box, but the RACA keeper was fortunate only to be given a yellow & West End had to make do with a free kick. On the hour mark, Albion should have taken the lead when Matty Todd found the unmarked Declan Bissett, but the RACA number 10 could only sky his shot over the bar. Hayton tested Adam Linsell again with a fine strike following good work down the right wing from Joe Groves-Forbes, the keeper diving to push the ball out for another Albion corner. Another Lawson-Hayton combo saw the latter fire narrowly wide in the 78^th minute & two minutes later Linsell had to smother a Lawson shot from close range. Morgan Dart was brought on for his debut & made an almost instant impact scoring on 84 minutes having been set up by Calvert to put RACA 2-1 up after finding himself in space inside the box. Sunderland’s best effort for an equaliser a trundling shot from distance from Taylor Ford which while on target, was an easy gather for Colquhoun. Dart wasn’t finished with his contribution and got his double top in the 89th minute, taking advantage of slack defending to slot home Matty Harrison’s head flick to keep the successful run going. If he can keep this ratio of goals to minutes played up, we’re on to a good thing! Albion stay in 4th place despite the win.

FT SUNDERLAND WEST END 1 RACA 3 Attendance 60

RACA- Colquhoun, Groves-Forbes, Ledger, Burrell (Lawson 36), Errington capt (Caygill 90), Oldfield, Lynch, Craggs, Calvert (Harrison 86), Bissett (Dart 81), Hayton (Todd 76).

ENL Pos: 4th.

Albion have signed Bedlington Terriers’ top scorer forward Matty Hayton. Hayton led the scoring charts at the Dr Pitt with six goals this season & was also top scorer last season with 23 goals (22 in the league). He’s sure to be an exciting addition to an already potent RACA front line. Welcome aboard the good ship RACA Matty.