2023/24 goal machine Aaron Costello is back at The Albion following his lengthy injury & surgery that has kept him out of the game for over the season. Cossy famously scored 34 goals from 35 starts that season, 33 in the league and a league cup goal against Easington Colliery, & Nathan Beckham will be hoping he can replicate some of that magic, though he’s going to need a while to be back to his goalscoring best. Welcome back Aaron
YARM & EAGLESCLIFFE 1 RACA 0 Attendance 116
Albion succumbed to a late Josh Larkin goal in a scrappy but competitive game at Bedford Terrace thus ending the 5 game unbeaten run & the perfect start to 2026. With goalmouth action at a premium, Josh Larkin’s goal ironically came as Yarm looked as if they were flagging, but they held on to the three points without too many concerns that RACA would get the equaliser.
MATCH SUMMARY
Albion made the trek down the A19 in fine form to face another side flying high in Division 2, Yarm & Eaglescliffe, who were bouncing after their midweek win over National League North side Scarborough Athletic in the North Riding Senior Cup. Any fears the game might be a victim of the weather were dispelled on arrival at Bedford Terrace, with conditions dry & the pitch perfectly playable. The expectancy was for a close game and so it proved.
There was little to report in the opening quarter hour as both defences were on top, though there was lengthy treatment to Yarm players Sam Conway and Josh Marsh. The first chance fell to Albion on 18 minutes when Louis Anderson teed up Morgan Dart on the edge of the box, but defender Jack Dalton, alert to the danger, raced back to deflect the effort out for a corner. Fergus Lynch took the said corner which ended up at the feet of Glenn Caygill who prodded his shot narrowly wide. Another Ryton corner on 21 minutes saw Anderson outjump everyone but his header went just over the bar in the best chance to score to date. The Eagles really should have taken the lead on 25 minutes when a flick from Conway to Eagles’ top scorer Tom Atkinson caught the RACA defence flat footed & with just keeper Callum Corkhill to beat, uncharacteristically put his effort beyond the far post. Harry Williams brought a comfortable save out of Corkhill with a shot from distance in the 37th minute but that it for first half goal action & the sides went into the interval; all square.
HT Yarm & Eaglescliffe 1 RACA 0
The second half opened up as just as even as the first, though a break down the right wing for Y&E saw Atkinson fire a cross across the box that just evaded Conway who had slid into the box hoping to make the telling contact. As the half went on, the hosts looked to begin to flag, possibly the exertions at Scarborough taking their toll, and Ryton were looking the more potent though home keeper Lee Roberts wasn’t really troubled by Albion’s wayward shooting. So it was a bit against the run of play when Josh Larkin‘s cross come shot from the right evaded Corkhill & ended up in the net, despite Albion defenders looking to have scrambled the ball clear but only to Jack Dalton who blasted the ball into the top corner, but referee Callum Donnelly had already decided Larkin’s 82nd minute shot has crossed the line. Albion plugged on for the leveller, Dart put one over the bar & Josh Skivington got a shot on target but it was an easy gather for Roberts. However it wasn’t to be for RACA and a delighted Eagles took the three points to bolster their title aspirations.
FT YARM AND EAGLESCLIFFE 1 RACA 0
A disappointing result in a game that Albion deserved something out of, but the shooting boots were left in the changing room today. Next up it’s cup action at home for Ryton on Wednesday who stay in 8th place in the division.
RACA– Corkhill, Beesley, Oldfield, Lynch (Driver 88), Hayton, Caygill, Lawson (Skivington), Dart, Anderson, Fletcher (McLeod 84), Calvert (Johnston 63) Substitute not used- Bailey
Saturday’s Other Division 2 Results
Billingham Synthonia 5 (Healy 2, Smith 2, Raby) Seaham Red Star 0
Durham United 1 (Kay) Jarrow FC 2 (Hardie, Bates)
Park View AFC 2 (Siyanbola, Young) Redcar Town 2 (Carmichael, Harrison)
Albion face a trip to Teesside on Saturday when Yarm & Eaglescliffe are the opponents. This is the third game in a row we are facing opposition above us but confidence will be high having defeated Seaham Red Star & Park View Academy since the turn of the year. The Eagles will also be buoyant having knocked Scarborough out of the North Riding Senior Cup on penalties in midweek, and sit in third place in Division Two having also won comfortably at Seaham in their last league game. Yarm also beat us 2-0 in the reverse fixture in September and have the edge over us in our five meetings to date with three wins to two. Kick off at Bedford Terrace is at 3pm & the post code is TS23 4AG.
Eight clubs have submitted applications to join the Northern League from the three feeder leagues. From the Northern Alliance only Cramlington United, from the Wearside League, Gateshead Leam Rangers, Durham Corinthians, South Moor, Seaton Carew and Washington & from the North Riding League, Stokesley Sports Club and Kader.
Meanwhile fifteen clubs who applied for the feeder leagues this season have fallen by the wayside, resigning, folding & in some cases not even starting the season. There are 5 casualties in each feeder league. Locally in the Alliance there were Ovingham, Lynemouth, Walbottle Seniors, Walker Central and Whitburn & Cleadon. In the Wearside League Coundon Cons, Sunderland West End Reserves, New Durham, Norton & Stockton Ancients and Park View Reserves have all left & the North Riding League has lost AFC Teesville, Normanby United, Redcar Athletic U23s, TIBS & Yarm & Eaglescliffe Reserves who you might recall, had a high volume personnel movement over to Billingham Synthonia early in the season.
Tuesday’s Division 2 Result
Grangetown BC 3 (Urwin, Mahoney, Martin) Park View 0
North Riding Senior Cup Result
Scarborough Athletic 2 Yarm & Eaglescliffe 2 (Larkin, Thompson) Yarm win on penalties
The date for our Brooks Mileson League Cup tie at Birtley Town has been set for Tuesday 17th February with a 7:30 kick off
FT RACA 1 PARK VIEW ACADEMY 0 (Attendance 190)
Albion ended Park View’s hope of an eighth straight league win with a hard fought 1-0 victory in which dogged defences were on top. A first half Louis Calvert strike, the fifth consecutive game in which he has scored, was the difference in this tight match, where the players on both side gave their all
MATCH SUMMARY
Fourth placed Park View Academy were Albion’s belated first-footers to the Oldhaulage Stadium & came in fine league form at least, boasting seven straight division two victories, although they were beaten 0-3 in midweek by West Auckland in the League Cup.
Nathan Beckham was forced into one change from the starting eleven who won at Seaham, with the injured Callum Johnston replaced by Albe Fletcher & Rhys McLeod taking Fletcher’s place on the bench.
In a game punctuated by goalmouth scrambles, the first one occurred in the Ryton box in the 3rd minute when a Michael Mallaburn free kick saw close range efforts from Ben Gallacher and Dylan Wilkinson blocked by the feet of keeper Callum Corkhill and the Albion defence respectively. The defining moment of the game came on 21 minutes when Corkhill launched a kick upfield, the bounce deceiving defender Bradley Hughes but not Louis Calvert who raced towards the Park View goal and slotted home past keeper James Hughes who had come out to try and narrow the angle. Despite the visitors’ protestations that Calvert was offside, referee Robert Cowan awarded the goal and Albion were ahead. Park View were denied a leveller following a 40th minute scramble in the RACA penalty area, this time Jamie Frizzel and Stephen Siyanbola were the men denied by dogged defending on this occasion & Albion went into the interval with their lead intact.
HT RACA 1 Park View Academy 0
The second half saw the visitors press further forward as the surface began to cut up badly, but while there was a dearth of significant goalmouth action, there was no shortage of commitment as both sides gave their all. Ryton created a half chance following a swift break from Louis Anderson and Rhys McLeod on 71 minutes, Anderson laying the ball wide to McLeod whose shot whistled across the box ,but out for a goal kick. Another Albion break on 76 minutes saw Nathan Beesley power up the right wing & he unleashed a low drive that Hughes saved with an outstretched leg. Three minutes later and a similar break saw McLeod and Morgan Dart combine, the latter shooting around a yard wide of the Park View far post. As the Academy pressed for an equaliser, they had a golden chance on 82 minutes when Charlie Loveday found the unmarked Siyanbola three yards out, but the Park View top scorer had a head in hands moment as he produced a fresh air shot. Seconds later Gallagher got his effort on target but Corkhill smothered the shot comfortably, & despite the late pressure RACA didn’t look like conceding & kept up the impressive start to 2026.
FT RACA 1 PARK VIEW ACADEMY 0
Albion go five games unbeaten but remain in 8th while Park View drop to 7th as the latest results mean it’s all change in the play off positions.
RACA- Corkhill, Beesley, Oldfield, Lynch, Hayton, Caygill, Lawson, Dart (Driver), Anderson, Fletcher (Skivington 79), Calvert (McLeod). Substitutes Not Used Bailey, Hyde
Saturday’s Other Division 2 Results
AFC Newbiggin 0 Durham United 1 (Kay)
Billingham Town 3 (Watt 3) FC Hartlepool 1 (Bayes)
Chester-le-Street Town 5 (Greenwood, Robson 2 Marriott, Munro) Grangetown Boys Club 1 (Martin)
Darlington Town 2 (Brown, McCowie) Tow Law Town 0
Esh Winning 0 Boldon CA 2 (Cowburn, Gateshill)
Prudhoe YC Seniors 0 Jarrow FC 3 (OG, Dalton, Bisset)
Redcar Town 2 (Carmichael, Gott) Alnwick Town 3 (Agostinho, OG, Bright)
Seaham Red Star 0 Yarm & Eaglescliffe 3 (Atkinson 2, Jones)
Sunderland West End 0 Newcastle University 2 (Morris, Pow)
RACA are running out of home games and all being well with the weather, we will knock another one off tomorrow as we welcome Park View Academy to HQ. Formerly Chester-le-Street United this is their fourth season in the Northern League & t looks like their best as they sit in 4th place in the table, but have two games in hand over the 2nd & 3rd placed clubs only a point above the. Honours are even between the two clubs with both winning two games & drawing three of the seven games played to date. The reverse fixture in August was a 2-0 win for Park View in Chester le Street, Nathan Conroy and Stephen Siyanbola getting the second half goals for the hosts. Joe Groves Forbes has to sit this one as game 3 of 4 of his suspension. Kick off is 3pm off you fancy seeing if Ryton can keep the fine start to 2026 going. Howay The RACA!
Friday’s Division 2 Result
Sunderland RCA 1 (Nicholas) Billingham Synthonia 1 (Irvine)
Two recently postponed games have new dates for your diaries:-
Away to Alnwick on Tuesday 3rd February
Home to Boldon on Wednesday 11th February
RACA have signed another keeper for cover for Callum Corkhill with Tom White having moved to West Allotment. The new man is teenager Zamo Khalil who has signed from Heaton Stannington A in the Northern Alliance Premier League. Welcome to RACA Zamo.
Wednesday’s Division 2 Results
Jarrow 1 (Karim) Redcar Town 0
Prudhoe YC Seniors 0 Sunderland West End 2 (Benali, Hodgson)
League Cup Result
Park View 0 West Auckland 3
FT SEAHAM RED STAR 1 RACA 5 Attendance 112
Albion got 2026 off to a blistering start with a remarkable 5-1 win at second placed Seaham Red Star. Louis Anderson opened the scoring on 11 minutes, then on 19 minutes Star’s Cameron McHarg was dismissed & Louis Calvert made it 2-0 to Ryton just seconds later. Three minutes later & it was 3-0 thanks to a Callum Johnston goal. Anderson scored a worldie on 63 minutes, then completed his hattrick on 69 minutes to make it 5-0, before Matty Weirs got a late consolation for the home side on 87 minutes. RACA finally move off 9th spot up a place to 8th as a result.
MATCH SUMMARY
RACA made their first trip to Station Road since being on the wrong end of a 0-6 drubbing in the 2014/15 season & facing a Star side in second place in the table and on a run of four straight wins conceding just one goal in that sequence. This was both sides’ first game of 2026 so any ring rustiness was liable to be exploited.
Albion looked keen & hungry in the opening stages of the game with a high press that was giving the Seaham some early problems, & were rewarded for their persistence on 11 minutes when Morgan Dart crossed into the box from the by-line & Louis Anderson relatively unmarked, glanced the ball off his head & beyond Seaham keeper Shaun Newbrook and into the net. Newbrook was called into action three minutes later when Callum Johnston swung in a powerful free kick that the keeper pushed away leading to frantic activity in the box before the referee blew for an infringement to release the pressure on the Red Star defence. Seaham received a further blow on 18 minutes when referee David Mitchell gave Cameron McHarg a second yellow card just two minutes after issuing the first one. To add insult to injury Albion doubled their lead within a minute, Johnston firing in a cross that was only partially cleared to Louis Calvert who fired home from close range to score his seventh goal in four games. It just got better for RACA as on 21 minutes a ball forward from Anderson was headed past the despairing arms of Newbrook & into the net from the head of Johnston to put Albion firmly in the driving seat against a Seaham side who looked anything like a promotion hopeful. The home side did finally steady the ship and make some forays into the Ryton defensive area, Lewis Porrit testing hitherto virtual spectator Callum Corkhill in the Ryton goal with a 37th minute shot but by and large the yellow defensive wall stood firm. Albion could well have gone into the interval four up but Johnston came out second best in a one on one with Newbrook late in the half but an unexpected three goal and one man advantage was more than satisfactory.
HT Seaham Red Star 0 RACA 3
The early stages of the second half saw a more even encounter but any hopes of a comeback from the hosts were blown out of the water with a rocket of a fourth goal on 63 minutes. Glenn Caygill pumped the ball upfield to George Hayton who cut inside his marker and laid the ball to Anderson who thumped the ball first time past the helpless Newbrook and into the net for 4-0. Albion went nap on 69 minutes with Anderson getting his hattrick, again from a ball from the left wing, this time Anderson controlled it despite the attentions of the Seaham defence, sped past his markers & slotted home for 5-0. Red Star plugged on for a consolation goal, Jack Thynne saw his effort charged down by Corkhill before their persistence paid off on 87 minutes when Matty Weirs sneaked in that consolation to total silence in the stadium, to salvage something from a bad night at the office for the hosts.
FT SEAHAM RED STAR 1 RACA 5
Albion off to a perfect start to the new year with their best ever result over Star, with a fine energetic performance where they fully deserved the three points.
RACA- Corkhill, Beesley, Oldfield, Lynch (Hyde 59), Hayton, Caygill (Driver 73), Lawson (Bailey 75), Dart (Fletcher 70), Anderson, Calvert (Skivington 50), Johnston.
Tuesday’s Other Division 2 Result
Chester le Street Town 3 (Marriot, Greenwood, Robson) Newcastle University 2 (Morris, A Redford)
