Ryton & Crawcrook Albion kick off September by travelling to Boldon on Tuesday in the Ebac Northern League Division Two.

Albion – 4th in the table – go into the match following back-to-back home wins and clean sheets, and are looking for three straight wins for the first time this campaign. Nathan Beckham’s side beat Washington 3-0 last Wednesday and Billingham Synthonia 2-0 on Saturday.

Boldon – who sit second-from-bottom – are still looking for their first win of the season, with 5 draws and 5 defeats so far. However, they are the only side to stop league leaders Jarrow from winning all their games so far, picking up a 1-1 draw at Perth Green last month.

RACA won both encounters last season. A 2-1 comeback win on home soil last September thanks to goals from Michael Baxter and Daniel Craggs was followed by a handsome 5-2 win at the Ford Hub in the rescheduled “return” fixture in April. A hat-trick from Aaron Costello and second half strikes from Lucas Lowery and Rhys McLeod secured the three points. Hopefully more of the same tonight!

Join us at the Boldon Colliery Welfare Ground from 7.30pm.

Abubaker Salim’s two penalties either side of half time helped earn Ryton & Crawcrook Albion an excellent 2-0 win over Billingham Synthonia at The Oldhaulage Stadium on Saturday.

RACA: Colquhoun, Skivington, Ledger, Lynch, Errington, Harrison (Caygill 46), Walker (Grieveson 57), Craggs, Calvert (Todd 66), Bisset (McLeod 63), Salim (Lawson 76).

Attendance: 245

ENL Pos: 4th

Ryton & Crawcrook Albion host Billingham Synthonia at The Oldhaulage Stadium on Saturday in the last of three consecutive home games to end a hectic first full month of the Ebac Northern League Division Two season.

Nathan Beckham’s side will be hoping to secure back-to-back victories following Wednesday night’s largely comfortable 3-0 win over basement boys Washington. That took Albion up to 5th in the table and confirmed a steady start to the campaign, recording 6 wins, 1 draw and 3 defeats.

The Synners have picked up 14 points from their opening 9 games. They have not won in their last two league matches, suffering a disappointing 3-2 home defeat against Sunderland West End on Tuesday night. Their last win – other than the FA Vase penalty shoot-out victory over Alnwick Town last Saturday – was a 1-0 win over fierce rivals Billingham Town in mid August.

Last season, Albion won 5-2 in Stokesley in October thanks to a brace from Richard Hoggins, and strikes from Daniel Craggs, Noah Adotey and Aaron Costello. The meeting at RACA HQ in March finished 1-1 with Costello’s second half penalty rescuing a point.

Hope you can join us for a 3pm kick off!

Ryton & Crawcrook Albion extended their winning sequence over Washington to nine games with a comfortable 3-0 win at The Oldhaulage Stadium on Wednesday.

A 10th minute penalty converted by Abubaker Salim put the hosts ahead and Louis Calvert quickly doubled the lead on 15 minutes as Albion made the perfect start.

Albion dominated the chances and Washington offered very little threat but Brogan Colquhoun saved a Jack Robertson penalty in the 43rd minute to maintain a clean sheet for Albion.

And Salim wrapped up the points scoring RACA’s third goal just before the hour mark.

Albion move up to 5th place with the much-needed win which followed last Friday’s desperately disappointing derby defeat against Prudhoe YC Seniors.

Nathan Beckham’s side will be hoping to secure back-to-back wins on Saturday when they host Billingham Synthonia in Crawcrook.

FT RACA 3 WASHINGTON 0 Attendance 117

RACA- Colquhoun, Skivington, Ledger (Oldfield 46), Lynch (Grieveson 59), Harrison, Errington, Lawson (Walker 51), Craggs, Calvert (Todd 51), Salim (Mitchell 57)

ENL Pos: 5th.

RACA welcome Washington FC to the Oldhaulage Stadium on Wednesday evening as they aim to put the derby disappointment behind them. First glance would suggest The Mechanics are the ideal opponents as Albion have won the last eight encounters against them & the Wearsiders are on a solitary point at the foot of the table having sustained four heavy defeats in their nine games so far. However closer inspection of the results show that it’s on a Saturday that Washy are prone to being hammered, their midweek form reads much better with all three defeats by a single goal including against early leaders Jarrow, plus they fully deserved their point against the University at Essity Park a couple of Thursdays back, coming back from 0-2 down to finish 2-2. That said, they’ve not won in 18 Northern League games stretching back to last season, & have found goals hard to come by this term, netting only six times with Jack Robertson scoring half of them.

Albion are also struggling in front of goal just now with the derby game’s blank meaning we’ve not scored in two of our last three games. We only failed to score on three occasions in our 46 games last season, though we are advancing towards another century of no goalless draws with the current standing of 95 competitive games without one.

For the record, this fixture last season saw RACA run out 2-0 winners with Fergus Lynch & Rhys McLeod scoring our goals in front of 177 spectators. Kick off is 7:30pm & hope plenty can head down to cheer on Nathan’s charges as they aim to get back to winning ways.

RACA 0 PRUDHOE YC SENIORS 2

Albion saved their worst performance of the season for the Tyne Valley Derby in front of 475 spectators, the second division’s biggest crowd of the season. First half defensive errors cost Albion dear as Craig Fairley & Matty Law took full advantage to take the points two miles upstream.

This local derby turned out to break RACA’s record home league game attendance previously 473 against Whickham in the 2017 Easter groundhop but it was to prove a disappointing spectacle for those home fans who had turned up. Prudhoe’s mix & match kit looked like Spain’s from the back with red shirts, blue shorts & black shorts but they didn’t have to play like the Spanish to take the spoils. They opened the scoring on 9 minutes with their first attack when Matty Law crossed from near the corner flag, the ball bouncing off the crossbar & out to the six yard box where Craig Fairley was first to react and fired home. Despite having most of the possession & knocking the ball about ok, Ryton were unable to trouble their ex keeper Tom Dawson in the Prudhoe goal & the home sides’ frustration increased in the 32nd minute when Joe Groves-Forbes hobbled off injured. Dawson’s biggest cause for alarm in the first half came on 36 minutes when a fluffed clearance from Jordan Plunkett went back-over & bounced off fellow defender Liam Dalton’s shoulder towards the goal & he had to dive low to prevent a freak own goal. The visitors doubled their lead on 40 minutes when a succession of defensive errors led to the ball landing at Law’s feet & he had the simplest of tasks to slot past the exposed RACA keeper Brogan Colquhoun. Albion created one more chance in first half stoppage time when a quickly taken short corner was launched into a crowded box, but Louis Calvert couldn’t get enough contact on the ball & Dawson was able to gather the ball comfortably.

The second half was mainly played in midfield as the sides cancelled each other out in the blustery conditions. Colquhoun was forced into making a decent low save in the 69th minute when a cross from a Prudhoe corner was headed by substitute Michael Wright but it was pushed out for another corner. This second period was epitomised by niggly fouls & free kicks being awarded much to the frustration of the home support as Prudhoe did their best to break up what little rhythm Albion could muster. Prudhoe’s Bradley Rogers wasn’t far off on 80 minutes with a shot from distance that Colquhoun had to deal with but there was little to cheer the majority of the spectators who left the newly named Oldhaulage Stadium bitterly disappointed

FT RACA 0 PRUDHOE YC SENIORS Attendance 475

RACA– Colquhoun, Grieveson, Oldfield, Skivington (Walker 62), Errington, Lynch, Lawson (Bissett 62), Burrell (Craggs 46), Calvert, Salim (Todd 76), Groves-Forbes (Mitchell 32)

It’s the big one at the newly named Oldhaulage Stadium tonight as we welcome our neighbours Prudhoe YC Seniors for our Friday night clash. Manager Nathan Beckham will be hoping that RACA can finally get the better of the Seniors having picked up a solitary point against them in our four Northern League games to date. Last season’s encounter at home saw us go down 1-3 in front of 422 spectators, Fergus Lynch scoring our goal in a game in which Aaron Costello was dismissed, so we’ll be looking for a different result but a similar attendance, so hope you can get down to cheer on the black & blue or black & red depending on your loyalties & hope it’s a magnet for a few groundhoppers too. Kick off is at 7:30pm. The Matchday Programme and pin badges will be on sale on the gate. The match is kindly sponsored by Mr Colin Dixon.

We’ve also signed right sided forward Owen Mitchell from Newcastle Blue Star on Thursday.

Ryton & Crawcrook Albion Football Club are today delighted to announce a transformative stadium naming rights deal with Blaydon-based Oldhaulage.

The undisclosed five-year sponsorship deal is the largest commercial agreement in the Club’s 54-year history and will see Kingsley Park renamed as The Oldhaulage Stadium at Kingsley Park.

Oldhaulage Director Amanda Old, pictured with Ryton & Crawcrook Albion Director John Thompson, said: “We are excited to become involved with Ryton & Crawcrook Albion Football Club.

“It’s a great club and facility to have in the heart of the local community.

“The newly-named Oldhaulage Stadium is literally at the end of the street where our business started many years ago!

“We wish all the teams the very best for the season.”

Ryton & Crawcrook Albion Chairman Richard Hands said: “In the current economic climate, this is a fantastic multi-year deal for the club, and we look forward to working closely with Amanda and her team at Oldhaulage.

“Our attendances and junior memberships continue to go from strength to strength with record numbers year on year making the club a big part of the Ryton and Crawcrook community.

“Without the support of local businesses and the great work of our volunteers, this wouldn’t be possible.”

The name change will take effect immediately and the first fixture is set to take place on Friday 23rd August 2024, when Ryton & Crawcrook Albion host local rivals Prudhoe Youth Club Seniors in the first Tyne Valley derby of the 2024-25 Ebac Northern Football League Division Two season.

Oldhaulage are a family-run business offering professional HIAB hire and general haulage services in Tyne & Wear and beyond. Contact: 0191 413 4185 or visit www.oldhaulage.co.uk for more information.

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RACA’s first ever game against Grangetown saw that never say die attitude return as they came from a 0-1 half time deficit to win 2-1. Aaron Bell put the hosts ahead on 8 minutes, but a 74th minute Abu Salim penalty & a goal from the returning Dale Burrell on 81 minutes ensured Ryton got their fifth win of the season (all by a solitary goal), leaving the Teessiders still seeking their first win in the Northern League.

Despite a bright start for RACA, it was Grangetown who took the lead on 8 minutes when a quick free kick was taken & Matty Jenkinson ran forward and found Aaron Bell who blasted home from inside the box. In the 18th minute, Ryton’s Abu Salim on the left flank beat two defenders, then tried to lob ‘Boysie’ keeper Michael Duff from a very tight angle but the stopper prevented the ball from going over his head. There were a few half chances here & there in the remainder of the half but the sides went into the interval with the Teessiders having a one goal lead.

The early part of the second half was a scrappy affair with chances at a premium although Louis Calvert’s 65th minute strike from distance wasn’t too far wide of the Grangetown goal. The turning point in the game came on 73 minutes when Duff upended Calvert in the box & Albion were awarded a penalty which Abu Salim fired in to Duff’s left to make it 1-1. The winner was scored in the 81st minute when Dale Burrell received the ball at the edge of the box, beat his marker and slotted home his second goal of the season. The wind picked up & the rain began to fall but the conditions didn’t dampen the mood in the RACA camp as another three points were picked up on the road & they move up one place in the table to 7th position.

FT GRANGETOWN BOYS CLUB 1 RACA 0 Attendance 270

RACA- Colquhoun, Skivington, Oldfield, Burrell, Harrison, Errington (capt) Lawson, Walker, Calvert (Cairns 88), Bisset (Todd 62), Salim (Armstrong 82).

ENL Pos: 7th

Defender Scott Oldfield has officially re-signed for Albion & should be eligible to play this evening. Oldfield made 31 starts for us last season plus one as a substitute and scored in our 6-1 win at Easington Colliery on that windswept rainy night at the Welfare. Welcome back Scott.