Saturday sees Albion heading down the A19 to face Billingham Town for the second time this season having beaten the Blues 2-1 at home in August. Bedford Terrace hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for Ryton over the years our last win there being in the 2016-17 season, & although Town have had a disappointing season so far currently in 16th place, they come into the game buoyed by a 6-1 win over Sunderland RCA at home last Saturday.

If you fancy the trip to Teesside the address for Bedford Terrace is- Bedford Terrace, Billingham, Cleveland, TS23 4AE. Howay the RACA!

Declan Bisset has left RACA and joined Chester-le-Street Town. He made 13 starts after joining us in the summer & came on 4 times as a substitute, scoring one goal for us, in the 2-0 County Cup win over Darlington Town. We wish Declan well at the Cestrians.

Albion’s unusually poor form against their Tyne Valley neighbours continued with a 0-2 defeat at home to Newcastle University. A 13th minute Ryan Redford penalty & a 33rd minute Jacob Milner goal was the difference in the sides as RACA went down to a fourth successive defeat.

Match Summary

 Newcastle University made the short trip to Albion hoping to extend their winning sequence over RACA to four games & in doing so inflict a fourth straight defeat in league and cup on Nathan Beckham’s out of form troops. They got a good chance to take the lead on 9 minutes when Jacob Milner was fouled on the edge of the RACA box but Ryan Redford’s free kick while going under the flimsy wall was an easy gather for keeper Brogan Colquhoun. Milner was again a key figure in the 13^th minute when what looked a good tackle in the box on the University number 11 by  Joe Groves-Forbes was deemed a foul by the referee Mr Tones & a penalty was awarded. Redford took the spot kick & while Colquhoun got a hand to the ball, the power took it into the back of the net. Albion’s first half chance came on 23 minutes when a mis-kicked clearance was seized upon by Matty Hayton but his weak effort from inside the box trundled wide. Albion had hopes for a penalty of their own on 28 minutes when there were strong claims that Scott Oldfield was pushed as he tried to latch on to a cross but after consulting with his linesman the referee declined to award anything. Hayton did test Uni keeper Leo Anderson a minute later with a powerful shot from the left flank that was palmed out for a corner which unfortunately for Albion came to nothing. Hayton was in the thick of things again on the half hour mark when Morgan Dart drilled the ball across the box from the left corner which landed at the feet of Hayton who looked sure to score with a tap-in but he got his legs in a tangle & by the time he sorted them out, there was a sea of red shirted defenders on hand to block his effort. Ryton were to rue that miss as they fell 0-2 down on 31 minutes when the Students broke quickly and a move involving Dominic Griffin, Joel Manning and Jacob Milnerhad the RACA defence back-pedalling & Milner had the simple task of slotting home past the exposed Colquhoun to give them a comfortable half time lead.

HT RACA 0 Newcastle University 2

If the first half was short of meaningful chances, the second was a positive desert with defences clearly on top. Ryton were having the bulk of the possession but it took until midway into the second half for a decent scoring opportunity, Glenn Caygill getting his head onto a corner, but he headed the ball down into the turf, losing its power & it ended up as an easy gather for Anderson. Colquhoun wasn’t called into action until the 83^rd minute when a move involving Theo Wong & Luca Cassidy saw the latter’s shot from an awkward angle blocked by the Albion custodian. In fairness there was little else to report so the game went the way of recent form between the two with another University victory.

FT RACA 0 NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY 2 Attendance 195

RACA- Colquhoun, Groves-Forbes, Ledger, Lynch, Caygill (Cairns 88), Oldfield, Dart (Lawson 75), Craggs (Harrison 55), Hayton (Adotey 85), McLeod (Armstrong 82), Todd

ENL Pos: 6th.

It will feel a bit like after the Lords Mayor’s Show on Wednesday night as we return to Northern League action against neighbours Newcastle University. It’s been a torrid November for RACA so far with that late defeat at Jarrow & being put out of both the Durham Challenge Cup & the FA Vase, and what we really don’t need just now is a fixture against a side who have a recent hoodoo over us. Since beating them in the E Armstrong Cup final in 2022, we’ve picked up just one point from a possible fifteen in games against them & already lost 1-3 to them this season at Essity Park in our first away game. The Students should be well rested by the time the game comes round as they won’t have played for 18 days since a 3-1 win over struggling Sunderland RCA on October 26th. Overall the Uni are having an in and out season, while in the bottom half of the table they can boast to defeating Blyth Spartans in the Northumberland Senior Cup last month. Let’s hope we can end this poor run against them & get the promotion push back on track. Kick off on Wednesday is at 7:30pm, hope you can make it. Howay RACA!!

With the league fixtures not experiencing a backlog due to waterlogged pitches so far, draws have been made for both the Brookes Mileson Memorial League Cup and the Ernest Armstrong Cup (which we are still holders of remember). Our ties are- (both at home- 14 home draws on the trot in the various cup competitions now!!)

League Cup- Home to Kendal Town in the 1st Round on Wednesday 4th December

E Armstrong Cup- Home to Billingham Town in the 1st Round on Wednesday 18th December

This month’s lucky winners are-

1st prize No 62 A Hudson who wins £100

2nd Prize No 61 N Renwick who wins £75

3rd Prize No 69 D Slee 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 were eliminated from the second cup competition in four days when West Didsbury & Chorlton proved just too strong for RACA in their FA Vase 2nd Round tie. A Jack Bannister goal had the South Mancunians ahead at half time & following Glenn Caygill’s 90th minute dismissal, Albion were left stretched as they battled for an equaliser & Reuben Dass wrapped things up for West deep into stoppage time.

MATCH REPORT

Ryton And Crawcrook Albion v West Didsbury And Chorlton might have been one of the FA Vase’s biggest ties in number of letters but Albion were one win from club history in the FA Vase as a win would take them further than ever before in that competition. Standing in the way were aforementioned West Didsbury & Chorlton who by a twist of fate are managed by Paul Marshall who masterminded Cheadle Town’s victory at Kingsley Park in last season’s competition.

 In front of a noisy crowd with a vociferous & good natured away following, RACA’s higher ranked opponents should have opened the scoring in the first minute, Jack Banister sending a curling cross into the box that Jordan Lazenbury ran on to but managed to send his shot over the bar from a few yards out. Ryton’s first meaningful chance saw Louis Calvert get a shot on target after receiving the ball from Matty Hayton, but it was a relatively easy save for West keeper Oliver Martin who dived to smother the effort. On 13 minutes the RACA defence were tested when Fergus Lynch blocked a dangerous cross & Josh Skivington got his body in the way of the rebound that Banister struck goalwards. Ryton were back on the offensive in the 21^st minute following a sustained spell of West pressure, Rhys McLeod firing narrowly wide on that occasion. Hayton came closer to scoring for the hosts after dispossessing West defender Paul Riley in the box & his shot brought out a good save from Martin & from the corner the keeper again had to be alert to prevent Dale Burrell’s effort from sneaking past him. RACA were proving dangerous on the break & Morgan Dart was the latest to test Martin in the 27^th minute though his shot was straight at the stopper having the close attention of defender Max Sutton to contend with. The deadlock was broken at the other end however when in the 31^st minute a Lazenbury shot in a typically crowded Albion box, bounced off a defender into the path of Banister whose low drilled shot evaded everyone & ended up in the net. Lazenbury wasn’t too far off doubling West’s lead on 35 minutes when his free kick from 25 yards out curled round the wall but didn’t quite have enough bend on it & the ball went narrowly wide of Brogan Colquhoun’s post.

HT RACA 0 West Didsbury & Chorlton 1

The second half started competitively with plenty of meaty tackles from both sides, but the first chance of note fell to the visitors on 51 minutes when Jack McConnell fired over from close range following a knock down from a corner ball. Albion responded two minutes later with a powerful strike from substitute Matty Harrison, on for the injured Louis Calvert, that was only a yard wide of the West goal. In the 63^rd minute a great run from the visitors on the left wing saw Sutton beat the attention of Albion defenders somehow managing to keep his balance when gravity looked odds on to win & lay the ball to Victor Abadaki but his slightly scuffed shot was blocked by Colquhoun and Billy Matthews’ strike from the clearance was charged down by a Scott Oldfield sliding block. Chris Rowney the West captain was next to try his luck in the 67^th minute, having been set up by Matthews, his effort clipped the outside of the post & out for a goal kick. There was more drama in the RACA goalmouth on 70 minutes when Banister saw his shot crash against the post & back into the danger zone, only for Abadaki to fire the rebound over the bar. Ryton huffed and puffed to get the leveller without really threatening the West goal, that was until the 86^th minute when Rhys McLeod’s low shot in a crowded box brought out another fine save from Martin. With three minutes to go, there was real drama in the visitors’ box when a free kick was met by the head of Burrell who headed across the goal area to Caygill but he could only fire his shot wide. Caygill’s afternoon was to get worse on 90 minutes when he was sent off for holding back Abadaki when he was the last man so Ryton were faced with having to get a stoppage time equaliser a man light. Instead it was the South Mancunians who were to score, Reuben Dass ensuring West would be in the hat for the 3^rd round draw with a goal in the 93^rd minute, his initial shot being blocked by debutant Jack Wilson, his second hitting the back of the net.

A brave effort from Albion but just fell short on the day. Best wishes to WD&C in the rest of the competition

FT RACA 0 WEST DIDSBURY & CHORLTON 2 Attendance 329

RACA- Colquhoun, Skivington (Wilson 85), Oldfield, Burrell, Lynch, Caygill, Craggs (Todd 57), Dart, Calvert (Harrison 50), McLeod, Hayton.

BIG ONE TOMORROW

Albion can make history tomorrow by progressing to the 3rd Round of the FA Vase for the first time with a win at the Oldhaulage Stadium possibly in front of a record competitive game attendance (currently 475 at our game v Prudhoe YC in August). Standing in the way are well supported North West Counties Football League Premier side West Didsbury and Chorlton FC (from South Manchester) who will be hopefully bringing a healthy away support to boost the numbers. With Newcastle United not playing until Sunday and neighbours Prudhoe YC switching their league fixture v Chester-le-Street United to tonight (Friday), non-league fans in the Tyne Valley can indulge in a double dose of footy entertainment. (I’ll be at Essity Park tonight trying to promote our game to anyone who’ll listen but I know of a few Prudhoe fans are looking to attend both games & there are a few RACA fans who also watch Prudhoe when the fixtures don’t clash)

With the bar area expected to be busy, the club plan to have an outside can bar plus a club souvenir stall selling scarves, badges, what few hats we have left and the matchday programme. We will also be selling Christmas raffle tickets, the proceeds of which will be shared with the RACA Youth Charity. With our share we hope to earmark putting 220 seats into the stand behind the goal & any tickets sold will help us achieve that goal.

It’s forecast to be a dry day to it should be a landmark occasion for Albion & it would be great to give a RACA welcome to any visiting support making the trip. Kick off is at 3pm (7:30 at Prudhoe tonight) so do try & make this special occasion for the club if you can. HOWAY THE RACA!!

An Aaron Jackson hattrick helped FC Hartlepool dump Albion out of the County Cup at the Oldhaulage Stadium and gain some revenge for the 0-5 drubbing in the league handed out to them by RACA two weeks earlier. Despite RACA leading 2-1 at half time from goals from Dan Craggs and Louis Calvert, Pool claimed their Durham Challenge Cup last eight berth with three second half goals albeit two very late ones & two from the penalty spot & inflict Albion’s first cup defeat of the season.

Keen not to suffer a repeat of the 5-0 drubbing handed out by RACA a fortnight earlier, Hartlepool looked revved up for the game & should have taken the lead in the first minute when Joe Spalding broke right through the middle of Albion’s defence but with just goalkeeper Aaron Carr to beat, he blasted it straight at the onrushing stopper. Almost straight after that incident, it was Ryton’s turn to spurn a chance when Matty Hayton collected a ball left by a Pool defender’s fresh air shot & played a super pass to Morgan Dart who crossed to Louis Calvert running into the 6 yard box but he just couldn’t sort his legs out & the ball and the ball spun wide. Albion’s adoption of the long ball game was proving fruitless with Pool picking up the ball and immediately counter-attacking, and it was such a move that led to the game’s opening goal on 26 minutes, Spalding laying the ball to Aaron Jackson who ran between two defenders & slotted past the exposed Carr to put his side 1-0 up. RACA levelled on 32 minutes when Scott Oldfield launched a long ball that ought to have been a simple catch for Hartlepool keeper George Briggs who opted instead to push the ball out, but unfortunately for Briggs the ball landed on the head of Daniel Craggs whose looping header ended up in the Pool net. Ryton turned the game around in the 36^th minute when Matty Harrison showed how the long ball game should work with a great 60 yard ball to Calvert who shrugged off his marker and slotted past Briggs to ensure the hosts went into the interval ahead

HT RACA 2 FC Hartlepool 1

Albion started the second half the brighter of the two & Dale Burrell was to test Briggs on 56 minutes when his strong tackle dispossessed Connor Gales then he went on to fire towards goal forcing the Pool keeper to dive to his left & push the ball to safety. But it was to be Hartlepool who would restore parity & from the penalty spot on 67 minutes when Harrison brought down Spalding just inside the box and the referee awarded the spot kick that Jackson despatched despite Carr guessing correctly. Barely had the dust settled from that when at the other end a mad scramble following a Ryton corner saw a pile of Pool defenders falling on their goal line to prevent a goal with vehement claims from the RACA players that an arm prevented the ball from crossing the line, but the referee was having none of it after much consultation with his assistant and half of the players. The pendulum swung back to the Teessiders in stoppage time when a fine cross from the left wing evaded the Ryton defence & reached Jackson who volleyed home to make it 3-2. As Albion pushed forwards for a late leveller, two Pool substitutes combined to seal the deal on the break, Jacob Cowan crossing to the unmarked Nathan Bayes who was clattered into by Carr & a second penalty was awarded. Bayes took the kick himself, the ball just going under Carr who guessed correctly again but with the last kick of the game it finished 4-2 to FC Hartlepool.

FT RACA 2 FC HARTLEPOOL 4 Attendance 126

RACA- Carr, Groves-Forbes, Oldfield, Craggs, Errington (Harrison 12), Caygill, Dart (Adotey 88), Burrell (Skivington 73), Calvert (Salim 57), McLeod, Hayton (Lawson 60)

On Wednesday we welcome FC Hartlepool back to the Oldhaulage Stadium for the Durham Challenge Cup 2nd Round tie before both sides take on North West Counties Football League opposition in the FA Vase on Saturday with the two clubs being the last survivors from the Northern League Second Division. Back to the County Cup & Pool have beaten Darlington Railway Athletic in the previous round but were here two weeks ago in the league where we triumphed 5-0. Since then FC Hartlepool have twice won handsomely in the league, beating Grangetown BC 4-1 & Washington 4-0 but with the Vase games in the near horizon, both sides may field fringe players for this tie. Kick off is 7:30pm for what should be an interesting tie with the carrot of a likely big name in the 3rd Round.

Full 2nd Round Draw
Stockton Town v Shildon
Easington Colliery v Consett
Dunston v Seaham Red Star
Bishop Auckland v Birtley Town
Hebburn Town v Sunderland West End
Ryton & Crawcrook Albion v FC Hartlepool
Spennymoor Town v Whickham (@ Whickham)
West Auckland Town v Gateshead