Tuesday night will mark the third time Seaham Red Star will try to get our game there to beat the weather and finally get played. Like us, Star haven’t played a game in 2026, their last game being a 3-1 Boxing Day win over fellow promotion hopefuls FC Hartlepool but they still remain in second place in the table. In our last six meetings we’ve a poor record, having drawn one and lost five including this season’s reverse fixture where we lost 0-1 to a Lewis Porritt goal. We have to go back to 2011/12 for our last win at what is now The Alexandra Steakhouse Stadium though we also won there in 2008/09, but overall Seaham have the historical advantage over us including winning all three cup ties in which we’ve been drawn together. The postponements mean it’s taking a while for Joe Groves Forbes to serve his suspension & he sits out of this game too & if you are planning on heading there, please check the game is on before setting off, but the postcode & address is- 271 Station Rd, Seaham SR7 0BH. Howay the RACA!

No surprise to report our game at St James’ Park today has been postponed due to a frozen pitch, as have all today’s other Division 2 games

We try again on Tuesday evening with an already rescheduled away trip to Seaham Red Star

Hot on the heels of Tom White, Charlie Whittaker has also moved to West Allotment Celtic. While Charlie only made one start for RACA, against Crook in the County Cup, he made twelve appearances from the bench after signing for us last summer & goes to Craik Park with our best wishes.

Albion have signed former Stobswood & Blyth Town midfielder Harrison Borley from AFC Newbiggin. The 21 year old joined The Biggin in June 2024 but hasn’t played since their 3-2 defeat to Newcastle .University in November and becomes RACA’s first footer of 2026. Welcome aboard Harrison

Wednesday’s League Cup Result

Darlington Town 2 (Brown, Hewitt) Prudhoe YC Seniors 2 (Symington, Anderson)

(Darlington win 5-4 on penalties)

Very much weather permitting, but our next scheduled game is a trip up the A1 to face Alnwick Town. The Wick are in a similar position to ourselves, just about hanging on to the coat tails of the play-off contenders, though hitting a sticky patch not having won since November, drawing the last two games at St James’ against Sunderland West End and AFC Newbiggin. Albion won the reverse fixture 2-0 in August, Louis Calvert scoring both goals, & Alnwick remain the only team above us in the table we’ve taken points off this season.

We’ve faced The Wick on twenty one occasions in our Northern League era, all league fixtures, winning nine (including our biggest away win in the NL, 8-1 in 2006/07 season), drawing four times & losing eight. Until the win this season, Alnwick had the better of us in recent years, RACA not having won since October 2014 when four goals from Dan Robinson helped us in a 6-0 win up in NE66, though our opponents did drop into the Northern Alliance at the end of the 2017/18 campaign for a few seasons. Joe Groves- Forbes is still suspended for this game & if you’re up for the trip north, the address and post code is- St James’ Park Weavers Way, Alnwick, NE66 1BG. Let’s hope the game is ON!

This month’s lucky winners are-

1st prize No 68 S O’Neill who wins £100

2nd Prize No 71 V Stewart who wins £75

3rd Prize No 42 D Robinson who wins £25

Next month’s draw is on 07/02/2026

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 on 07720 413390. Thank-you

Albion keeper Tom White signed for Division One strugglers West Allotment Celtic & went straight into their starting line up for their tough trip to Shildon today. Tom played six times for RACA this season, in three cup ties & in the last three league games covering Callum Corkhill’s injury. We wish Tom all the best in his move to Celtic.

Well 2026 has got off to a flying stop with today’s game at home to Boldon being called off due to a frozen pitch. This means our next scheduled game is a trip to Alnwick on Saturday 10th January

Saturday’s Division 2 Results

Billingham Synthonia 2 (Lamb, Irvine) Sunderland West End 2 (Clarke, Deeham)

Darlington Town 3 (Bondarenko, Woodford, McCowie) Durham United 4 (Boothroyd 2, Stewart, Challinor)

It’s Boldon CA who are the first visitors to the Oldhaulage in 2026 as they travel west on Saturday. Following a good start top the season, The ‘Villa’ are going through a bad run just now, having just won one league & cup game since beating Prudhoe at Essity Park in early September but have bolstered their squad recently with two signings from West Allotment Celtic, Max Cowburn and Jordan Laidler. Their only win in the 17 games since was a 4-2 win over Tow Law in early December & are gradually sliding towards the danger zone. The reverse fixture at Boldon was a rare 0-0 for RACA that ended a run of over 140 competitive games without a goalless draw in an Albion match & since Boldon got promoted to the Northern League, RACA have managed to avoid defeat in the nine previous games with six wins and three draws to date. Joe Groves-Forbes is still suspended for this game which kicks off at the usual 3pm as Albion try to make it four games without defeat. Howay the RACA!

FT RACA 2 TOW LAW TOWN 2 Attendance 289

RACA finished the year coming back from a two goal deficit to earn a point at home to rejuvenated Tow Law. Trailing 0-2 at half time, a Louis Calvert penalty on the hour mark gave Albion a lifeline, the recovery being completed on 90 minutes by Callum Johnston.

MATCH SUMMARY

Tow Law made the trip to face RACA for the first time since the 21/22 season due to a three season stint in Division One. The Lawyers had a poor start to the campaign but a managerial change and an influx of new players & things were looking brighter at Ironworks Road with two wins & eight goals scored in the last two games. RACA had also netted eight in their last two games so their was a hope of plenty of goals.

The 289 spectators. had to wait less than two minutes for the first goal, and it was as scruffy as they come, as a Tom White punch out from a Lawyers free kick reached Tow Law’s Will Bennett whose shot crashed into the turf & span to teammate Harry Laviolette who in turn got the ball tangled between his legs, but it ran on to Harvey Walsh who was in the right place to tap home to keep the Lawyers’ recent momentum going. For all the time Albion spent on the offensive, it took until 23 minutes until Tom Orton’s goal was seriously threatened, when a Fergus Lynch shot from a Danny Driver throw in, that was flicked on by George Hayton, whistled just over the Tow Law bar. A 31^st minute defensive lapse was to prove costly for Ryton when Walsh took advantage of some indecision & ran out wide, goal side of his marker. He drilled the ball across the box, but just when it looked like it would evade everyone, in slid Zak Benjamin at the far post to knock the ball in with the keeper stranded. Albion nearly reduced the arrears on 39 minutes when Josh Skivington found Callum Johnston who lobbed Orton who had advanced to reduce the angle but defender Norton Tomlinson was on hand to nod the ball to safety before it crossed the line. Orton was called into action again on 45 minutes when a neat move involving Skivington & Louis Calvert saw Johnston on a one on one with the Tow Law keeper, seeing his shot blocked by Orton before the ball was booted upfield by Laviolette.

HT RACA 0 Tow Law Town 2

Albion started the second half chiefly in their opponents’ half without threatening too much until on the hour mark, when from a corner, bodies were falling down all over the box. Eventually referee Jack Whitfield had seen enough to merit a spot kick & pointed to the spot. Calvert stepped up & sent Orton the wrong way to put RACA right back in the game. Albion continued to press as Town sat deeper and deeper but the visitors’ defence held firm though Orton had to stop a close range shot from Glenn Caygill on 84 minutes. Caygill was instrumental in the Albion leveller on 90 minutes when a Scott Olffield ball upfield was nodded down by Calvert setting Caygill up for a shot that Orton could only push into the path of Johnston who was able to tap in past the keeper’s despairing recovery dive . Albion smelt blood & pushed on for the winner in stoppage time but the Tow Law defence were not to be breached a third time and the points were shared.

FT RACA 2 TOW LAW TOWN 2

A draw that felt more like a win as RACA came from 0-2 down & scored such a late leveller, going against the recent grain where Albion have been prone to lose leads. For all that, ground has been lost many the play off rivals, & with just four league home games left to play Ryton are up against it to finish in the top five. No surprise but RACA remain in 9^th place where we seem to have been stuck for weeks. Tow Law on this evidence, surely have enough to move clear of any trouble at the foot of the table.

RACA– White, Beesley, Oldfield, Lynch, Hayton, Driver, Skivington (Fletcher 65), Lawson (Hyde 75), Calvert, Johnston (Caygill 80), Dart. Substitutes Not Used- Adotey, Bailey

Saturday’s Other Division 2 Results

Billingham Synthonia 1 (Webb) Billingham Town 3 (Hogan 2, Stephenson)

Newcastle University 1 (Iverson) Prudhoe YC Seniors 0