Ryton threw two points away as they let a 1-0 lead slip in stoppage time at the Mo Mowlem today. Having led for most of the game thanks to Matty Todd’s 9th minute goal, they drifted from total dominance to hanging on to the lead as the game progressed, but Sam Barnard’s 93rd minute leveller for Town ensured the points were shared.

MATCH SUMMARY

Albion finished 2024 with a trip to 17^th placed Redcar Town, hoping to make it two away wins in three days & took little time in taking control of the game. In the fourth minute, RACA had three goal attempts in quick succession, Joe Groves Forbes raced forward & laid the ball to Matty Todd whose shot was saved by Town keeper Will Cowey, the loose ball was gathered up by Rhys McLeod whose shot was also blocked by Cowey, the loose ball falling to Morgan Dart who didn’t hit his first time strike cleanly & Redcar defender Jake Williams-Muthana was able to get himself in the way of the shot and this time the ball was hoofed to safety. However the visitors were ahead just two minutes later when Scott Oldfield found Louis Calvert in the Redcar box, his acrobatic volley crashing off the bar, landing on the head of Todd who nodded home for his second goal of the season. At that point it looked like RACA could go on and win the game comfortably as Redcar were offering next to nothing up front, but as the half wore on Albion posed less and less of a threat and Redcar steadied themselves and finally got a foothold in the game although the visitors were still creating more chances without ever seriously threatening Cowey’s goal, the nearest being a Calvert shot on 39 minutes the wasn’t too far wide of the Town goal. Redcar’s best chance came just before half time when Jos Storr broke down the left wing & crossed to the onrushing Mustapha Abdullahi who just couldn’t quite make contact with the ball as if he had, he had half an empty net to aim at.

HT Redcar Town 0 RACA 1

The hosts continued to grow into the game after the interval & a move in the 56^th minute saw Connor Smith set up Liam Williams who got his shot on target but it lacked power & was a comfortable gather for Colquhoun. Calvert put an effort a yard over Redcar’s bar on 63 minutes & Rhys McLeod & Morgan Dart both brought out easy saves out of Cowey but in truth there were few real chances to excite the 107 spectators. There was a bit of a scare for Ryton on 83 minutes when Abdullahi jinked his way into the box & while his progress was checked by both defender & keeper there was a significant appeal for a penalty but referee Daniel Forbes wasn’t interested although he did have a brief consultation with linesman Andrew Tyrell. The Teessiders however, were to have the last laugh in stoppage time when a punt upfield from Cowey was flicked on by Abdullahi to substitute Sam Barnard who slotted home with his first ever Northern League goal to rescue a point amid scenes of jubilation on the home bench. Such a late leveller makes it feel like two points dropped & there was the added blow for Ryton of Dale Burrell looking to have picked up a nasty looking knee injury. On the positive side with Thornaby losing, Albion sneak back into the play-off places with the point.

FT REDCAR TOWN 1 RACA 1 Attendance 107

RACA- Colquhoun, Groves-Forbes, Oldfield, Grieveson, Burrell (Cairns 87), Caygill, Dart, Lynch, Calvert (Hoggins 79), McLeod (Ledger 76), Todd (Adotey 62)

Little time for Albion to bask in derby glory as we head to the Mo Mowlem Memorial Ground to face Redcar Town tomorrow (Saturday). Redcar sit in 17th place in the table but don’t look to be in any relegation danger & beat strugglers Grangetown BC on Boxing Day to put a healthy gap between them and the second bottom placed side. This is Town’s fourth season in the Northern League & out of our seven games against them, all league games, the Teessiders have won 5 to our 2 with no draws to date, though we beat Redcar 2-1 at home in September with Fergus Lynch & Jack Errington on the scoresheet for us. If you’re planning heading down the A19 to cheer on the lads, the full address of Redcar’s home is Mo Mowlem Memorial Park- 19 Trunk Rd, Redcar TS10 5BW. Howay the RACA!!

FT PRUDHOE YC SENIORS 0 RACA 1

Albion finally put one over their Tyne Valley neighbours at the sixth attempt winning 1-0 in the early kick off at Essity Park. Morgan Dart’s first half goal was the difference in the sides in a poor game that was riddled with stoppages particularly in the second half, but it was the occasion and result that mattered for the Albion fans as they await how the other play off chasers get on in a day of staggered kick offs.

MATCH SUMMARY

This much awaited Tyne Valley derby looked as if it briefly may have been in doubt as from nowhere the fog off the Tyne rolled in during the warm ups, shrouding the pitch and causing the kick off to be put back 15 minutes to allow the bright sun overhead to burn off the mist. The game started off as brightly as the now mist free Essity Park, the first chance of note falling to RACA on 4 minutes when Fergus Lynch flicked on a ball from a throw in to Louis Calvert whose shot from a tight angle was palmed out for a corner by Tom Dawson in the Prudhoe goal. The Seniors’ first chance of note was on 8 minutes when a fine ball across the width of the pitch from Lucca Taylor found Matty Law who raced down the right wing, cut in & tried to lob Albion keeper Brogan Colquhoun but saw his shot bounce back off the post. There was more than a little controversy on 27 minutes when Prudhoe’s Michael Wright was brought down on the edge of the Ryton box & initially it looked as if referee Ellie Mason had awarded a penalty to the hosts, but in the end a free kick was given & after much protestation from the Prudhoe players the free kick proved anti-climatic as it was blasted straight into the RACA wall by Taylor & away to safety. How pivotal that was to prove as RACA took the lead a minute later when Glenn Caygill lobbed the ball upfield to Morgan Dart who sprung the off side trap, darted forward & slotted the ball past the advancing Dawson. The Seniors immediately responded with Law forcing Colquhoun to dive low & block his low drive but that was the nearest they or Albion would come to adding to the goal tally in the first half

HT Prudhoe YC 0 RACA 1

Unfortunately the second half of this derby game was remembered more for countless stoppages, some but not all, due to injuries as a result of meaty challenges, although Calvert did test Dawson on the hour mark with a clever dipping shot that the keeper gathered at the second attempt. Albion were reduced to ten men following the ugliest of the industrial challenges on 66 minutes when Fergus Lynch and Prudhoe’s Liam Dalton had a coming together going for a high ball but Lynch’s feet were on the high side & Dalton clearly came of worse, the result of which was a red card for Lynch & Dalton going off with an arm injury. The extra man didn’t seem to spur Prudhoe on too much, in fact Ryton had a penalty claim waived away on 73 minutes, and ended up against ten men when in stoppage time, Prudhoe’s Jordan Plunkett also got his marching orders after leading into a challenge with Charlie Grieveson. Albion held on to the lead without a great deal of difficulty & finally got the better of their neighbours. Apart from the result, RACA fans would have been particularly pleased to see Richie Hoggins make a cameo appearance as substitute following his health issues. The win puts a bit of daylight between ourselves & Prudhoe although the other key results didn’t go in Albion’s favour.

FT PRUDHOE YC SENIORS 0 RACA 1 Attendance 286

RACA- Colquhoun, Skivington (Groves-Forbes 46), Oldfield, Burrell, Errington, Caygill, Lynch (s/o), Grieveson, Calvert (Todd 80), Dart (Hoggins 87), Hayton (McLeod 70)

Albion make the short trip to Essity Park on Boxing Day to kick off the Ebac Northern League’s festive calendar with a 10:30am kick off against Prudhoe YC Seniors. RACA’s record against the Seniors since they joined the Northern League in 2022 makes grim reading, with us picking up a solitary point in the five games we’ve played to date & the men in red and black have already beaten us 2-0 on our own patch this season so we’re well overdue putting one over former Albion stalwart Mark McMeekin who is Prudhoe’s current manager. The Seniors are on a decent run in the league at least, having gone eight games unbeaten since losing at home to Darlington Town in October, but their upward trajectory has been tempered a little with the last three games being drawn. There’s precious little to separate the clubs in the league table, both on 46 points and only a superior goal difference of one keeping Ryton ahead of Prudhoe but we do have a game in hand.

It will be interesting to see how the early kick off influences the attendance, hopefully a few neutrals planning on taking in two games will be present, but it would be great to see plenty of black and blue scarves in the ground as there always is on this occasion. If you’ve never been to Essity Park, the post code for your sat nav is NE42 5EH. Have a great Christmas & hope to see lots of you at the game. Howay the RACA!

Merry Christmas from everyone at Ryton & Crawcrook Albion Football Club!

The Draw for RACA’s Christmas Raffle was done today & the winners are-

1st Prize-Ticket Number 0986 which wins 4 corporate Newcastle United tickets in The Four Corners with a 3 course meal.

2nd Prize-Ticket Number 3420 which wins a Marks and Spencer Indulgence of Christmas Collection Hamper

3rd Prize-Ticket Number 3438 which wins a Marks and Spencer Joy of Christmas Collection Hamper

4th Prize-Ticket Number 4053 which wins a Marks and Spencer Deluxe Collection Hamper

5th Prize-Ticket Number 3711 which wins Afternoon Tea for Two at No19 Close House

Congratulations to all our winners and a big thanks to everyone who took part in the raffle.

Two late goals from Synners’ Ash Lavan ensured the Teessiders beat Albion since the 21/22 season, Morgan Dart put Ryton ahead on 4 minutes but Lewis Porritt levelled on 12 minutes for the hosts. Ryan Appelby’s 38th minute goal had Billingham 2-1 up at half Time. Louis Calvert’s 64th minute converted penalty looked to have earned Albion a point, but Lavan’s brace on 89 & 94 minutes won the points for Synthonia

MATCH SUMMARY

Albion made the trek down to a breezy Map Group UK Stadium to face Billingham Synthonia with a substitution bench that had last season’s top scorer Aaron Costello & also Friday’s signing from North Shields, Alby Fletcher on it. Both sides came into the game having won their last games but it was Albion who made the first impression on the game taking the lead on 5 minutes. Fergus Lynch crossed the ball into the Synners’ box, Louis Calvert flicked the ball to Morgan Dart who reset himself and fired past a crowd of defenders to score his 5^th goal of the season. The lead didn’t last too long as Billingham levelled in the 12^th minute when Lewis Porritt picked up a loose ball from a clearance, powered down the left flank & slotted home from an unlikely angle. Charlie Grieveson came close to restoring Ryton’s advantage on the quarter hour mark, a nice move from the visitors ended with Lynch setting up Grieveson who drilled his angled shot low past the despairing dive of Sam Taylor in the Synners’ goal, but also just past the post. The gusty wind was having quite an influence & when Billingham defender Foster Garton didn’t fully control a difficult cross to him on 23 minutes, Dart darted in, nicked the ball off Garton but fired just wide though gained a corner for RACA which was delivered perfectly by Lynch, but no-one from either side could get a touch on it. The hosts had a good chance to get their noses in front on 26 minutes when Ryan Appelby raced forward following a slip by Albion’s Scott Oldfield but keeper Brogan Colquhoun blocked his shot, the ball falling to Billingham’s no7 Ben Priestley whose shot took a nick off defender Jack Ledger and all they had from a golden chance to score was a corner which the Ryton rearguard comfortably dealt with. However they failed to deal with a Billingham attack in the 38^th minute, losing possession to Ash Lavan who set up Appelby who with the Ryton defence stretched had time and space to land his shot into the back of the net. The only other effort of note in the first half came from Albion’s Dale Burrell on 44 minutes when his looping shot dipped just the wrong side of the bar, but Taylor arguably had it covered anyway

HT Billingham Synthonia 2 RACA 1

Synners had the first good chance of the second half on 49 minutes when Porritt raced down the left wing & his cross found Appelby but his close range effort hit the post & RACA were still in the game. Calvert wasn’t too far off levelling on 55 minutes when Matty Hayton set him up but his curling shot was well saved by Taylor then Calvert had a golden opportunity to restore parity on 64 minutes when Albion were awarded a soft penalty which he despatched sending Taylor the wrong way. Albion had a good spell as they pushed for a winner, Jack Ledger hit the side netting on 68 minutes while Hayton pulled a good save out of Taylor two minutes later & then RACA struck the Billingham bar on 76 minutes. But it was to be Synthonia who’d walk away with the points as Lavan made it 3-2 on 89 minutes, picking up the ball in his own half before going on a fine solo run past several Ryton players & slotting home off the far post. As Albion pushed for an equaliser they were caught out again, substitute Matty Willshaw forcing a save from Colquhoun with his feet, but when the ball rolled back to Willshaw he laid it off to Lavan who smashed home to seal the the points with the last kick of the game deep in stoppage time.

BILLINGHAM SYNTHONIA 4 RACA 2 Attendance 70

RACA- Colquhoun, Skivington (Fletcher 75), Ledger, Burrell, Oldfield, Errington, Grieveson, Lynch, Calvert, Dart (Todd 72), Hayton.

Albion travel to Stockton tomorrow to face Billingham Synthonia, who now play at Stockton Town’s Map Group UK Stadium on Bishopton Road West, having moved from Stokesley’s Broughton Road where they played last season.. Synners are having a slightly disappointing season so far but results are slowly improving with just one defeat in the last six league games. Albion beat the green half of Billingham in the reverse fixture in August, Abu Salim bagging both goals, meaning Ryton have won four & drawn one of the last five games between the clubs. Synners have won five and lost six of their league games at home, including a handsome 7-1 victory over Sunderland RCA and also could be RACA’s next opposition in the Ernest Armstrong Cup depending on how things pan out against the blue half of Billingham following the floodlight failure on Tuesday evening. If you’re planning to head down the A19 to cheer on the black and blue the full address for your sat nav is Bishopton Road West, Stockton-on-Tees TS19 0QD. Kick off is at 3pm, Howay the RACA!

The Ernest Armstrong Cup First Round tie between RACA and Billingham Town ended up being abandoned as the Teessiders chose not to resume play after the floodlights went off for over half an hour on the stroke of half time. Albion were leading 2-0 with goals from Charlie Grieveson and Louis Calvert but after 43 minutes all the lights went off at the Oldhaulage Stadium. With no sign of an immediate return of power, referee Elliot Cowens wisely blew half time early to give maximum opportunity for remedial action with minimum disruption.

Unfortunately by the time the lights came back on at 8.50pm; and Mr Cowens had stated that the game would restart at 9:25pm – giving players 25 minutes to warm up again at the request of the visiting management team and agreed by Ryton; incredibly Town players were dressed & ready for the trip home while the Albion players were warming up again on the pitch!

Ultimately though, Billingham chose not to resume playing and the match was officially abandoned at 9.20pm. The league will presumably have to decide on the outcome of the tie.

Attendance: 101.

Albion belatedly begin the defence of the Ernest Armstrong Cup on Tuesday evening when Billingham Town travel to the Oldhaulage Stadium. We’ve played the Blues twice in this competition previously, losing 3-2 at Bedford Terrace in the 2014/15 second round while winning 1-0 at home at the same stage in the 2017/18 tournament but more relevant is the need to get revenge for that 6-0 drubbing Town handed out to RACA a month ago on Teesside. Please note that due to Newcastle United’s League Cup tie at home to Brentford being played on Wednesday evening, we’ve switched this game to 7:30 on Tuesday to avoid the clash. As this is the last cup Albion are still in this season plus the fact that we’re the holders, hopefully there will be a decent attendance despite being so close to Christmas. Hope to see a good few of you there, howay the RACA!