It’s quarter final action at The Oldhaulage Stadium on Tuesday night as Albion face local rivals Newcastle University in the Ernest Armstrong Cup . This is only the second time the sides have met in a cup game, the previous one being the E Armstrong Cup final of 2022 where we won on penalties. With the play offs all but a mathematical dream , this game becomes the most important game in Albion’s run in and with the University still harbouring play off hopes, their priority might well be our league clash at Essity Park on Thursday night. RACA beat Prudhoe 4-1 then Chester-le-Street Town 2-0 at home to reach the quarters, while the Uni beat Boldon 4-1 at Essity Park having received a bye in the 1st round.

The winners of the tie could face Darlington Town or Yarm & Eaglescliffe in the semi finals as they’ve both won their quarter final games, the other tie between FC Hartlepool and Jarrow is being played on Wednesday evening. Kick off is at 7:30pm, hope you can make this one. Howay the RACA!

FT JARROW 1 RACA 0 (Attendance 150)

Jarrow inflicted Albion’s sixth straight defeat against the South Tyneside outfit, the last four without scoring a goal as Ryton went down 0-1 at Perth Green, a Luke Watson penalty on 31 minutes the difference in the sides. Albion hit the post in the second half but couldn’t get the equaliser.

MATCH SUMMARY

Albion began their intensive stint of four matches in eight days with this trip to Jarrow who fielded former Ryton player Declan Bissett in their starting line up while Dylan Lawson returned to Albion’s starting XI after missing two games through injury.

In what was a slow burner it took until the 22^nd minute before a shot from either side was anywhere near troubling the respective goals, & it was an effort from RACA’s Albe Fletcher, following two shots in quick succession from Louis Anderson that were blocked by teammate Ethan Bewley, then by Jarrow defender Max Nelson, that sailed narrowly beyond the crossbar. The game swung into life on the half hour mark with the award of a penalty to Jarrow following a cross by Ryan Hardie that was handled in the Ryton box. Luke Hudson stepped up and despatched the spot kick to net his tenth goal of the season. Ryton almost responded immediately when George Hayton flicked a ball to Louis Calvert, the bounce deceiving his marker but also bobbling just too far in front of Calvert for him to get a true contact & the ball went wide of Lewis Baker’s goal. Jarrow might have increased their advantage on 38 minutes when, from a Ryton clearance, Nelson fired in a shot from 30 yards which Lewis Rutherford just couldn’t quite reach to divert into the Albion net, so they had to be content with the single goal lead at the interval.

HT Jarrow 1 RACA 0

Within the first minute of the restart, Bissett reminded his former teammates how effective he could be from free kicks when he forced a good save from Callum Corkhill who had to dive low to defect Bissett’s drive away from his goal. Albion responded on 54 minutes when they broke smartly, Joe Groves-Forbes on the left wing finding Anderson in space, but his poor control meant his shot was taken from a wider position & Baker was able to block the ball with his feet. Baker was called into action again on 64 minutes when sub Callum Johnston struck a low shot that the Jarrow keeper blocked before being booted to safety. It was Corkhill’s turn to be called into action on 67 minutes, smothering a Hardie header from a Bissett free kick, but it was RACA who almost levelled on 72 minutes when Calvert struck a beauty from 25 yards that rattled the post with the outstretched Baker beaten. Ryton pressed on for the deserved equaliser & on 86 minutes Morgan Dart was denied by Jack Armstrong when the Jarrow defender slid in to block Dart’s goal-bound contact from a cross. Still the visitors pressed on & there was a scramble in the Jarrow box when Calvert & Dart were denied by Baker & Nelson respectively with the RACA players claiming for a hand ball by Nelson in his efforts to prevent a goal. As it was Jarrow held on for their sixth consecutive win over Albion to keep their play-off hopes alive. Another defeat for RACA but for all the reverses, they’ve not lost a league game by more than a single goal since October, that too against Jarrow.

FT JARROW 1 RACA 0

RACA– Corkhill, Beesley, Oldfield, Bewley (Johnston 46), Hayton, Caygill, Fletcher, Lawson (Hyde 74), Anderson, Groves-Forbes (Dart 62), Calvert. Unused Substitutes Borley, Driver

Saturday’s Other Division 2 Results

AFC Newbiggin 1 (Lizinde) Redcar Town 6 (Abdullahi, Taylor, Carmichael, Porritt, Duffield, Thornton)

Alnwick Town 2 (Anderson, Hoggins) Billingham Town 0

Chester-le-Street Town 0 Esh Winning 2 (Zamor, Harland)

Darlington Town 6 (Beauchamp 3, Woodford 3) Boldon CA 1 (Reade)

Durham United 1 (Hopkins) Seaham Red Star 3 (o.g. O’ Connor, Leonard)

Grangetown BC 0 Sunderland West End 2 (Knight 2)

Park View 2 (Boddy, Armstrong) Newcastle University 0

Prudhoe YC 2 (Plunkett, Wilson) FC Hartlepool 2 (Bayes, Close)

Tow Law Town 4 (Bates 2, Wymer, o.g.) Sunderland West End 0

Yarm & Eaglescliffe 2 (Roberts, Conway) Billingham Synthonia 0

Albion make the trip to play-off hopefuls Jarrow on Saturday, the first of four games we face in eight days. The South Tyneside outfit are now in 3rd place following Wednesday night’s 1-0 win over FC Hartlepool and recent form against RACA has them well on top, having won the last five meetings between the sides, the latest of which was a 2-0 defeat for Ryton in the reverse fixture in October when Lutfur Karim (who netted the only goal midweek) scored both the Jarrow goals at the Oldhaulage. This game is followed by a Tuesday home fixture in the E Armstrong Cup, not our usual home night of Wednesday, against the University. Then on Thursday it’s a league fixture at Essity Park against the University, then we’re back at home on Saturday to face Boldon CA, before what will be a welcome week long break before the Easter Groundhop game at Tow Law.

If you’re planning to head to Jarrow the address is Perth Green CA, Inverness Road, Jarrow, Tyne and Wear, NE32 4AQ……….Howay the RACA!

Thursday’s Division 2 Result

Newcastle University 2 (Iversen, McLaren) Sunderland RCA 1 (Moan)

Albion have a mad sequence of games with a break of 10 days, including a free Saturday, from our win over Chester-le-Street Town last Wednesday to Saturday coming when we face a tough trip to Jarrow, followed by games on the Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The 3rd Round of the E Armstrong Cup against the University will be played on Tuesday 24th March instead of us travelling to Billingham Town that evening. So the sequence of games is now-

Sat 21/03 A Jarrow, Tue 24/03 H Ncle Uni (Cup), 26/03 A Ncle Uni, 28/03 H Boldon CA

Friday Night’s Division 2 Result

Sunderland RCA 2 (Harwood, Knight) Durham United 1 (Boothroyd)

Saturday’s Division 2 Results

Billingham Synthonia 0 Park View 1 (Young)

Boldon CA 0 Billingham Town 4 (Southall, Bickerton 2, o.g.)

Esh Winning 1 (Curl) Darlington Town 0

FC Hartlepool 2 (McGee, Bayes) Tow Law Town 3 (Walsh, Laviolette, Bates)

Newcastle University 0 Alnwick Town 1 (o.g.)

Seaham Red Star 2 (Gray, McGeorge) Jarrow 0

Sunderland West End 4 (Appleby, Clarke, Benali 2) Grangetown BC 1 (Urwin)

Yarm & Eaglescliffe 5 ( Williams, Jones 3, Dalton) Prudhoe YC 0

Tuesday Night’s Division 2 Result

Alnwick Town 2 (Fairburn, Laws) Prudhoe YC 1 (Dalton)

Tuesday’s Brookes Mileson League Cup Result

Redcar Town 0 North Shields 2

Tuesday’s Ernest Armstrong Cup Quarter Final Result

Yarm & Eaglescliffe 0 Billingham Town 0 (Yarm win 4-2 on aggregate)

Wednesday’s Division 2 Results

Jarrow 1 (Karim) Boldon CA 0

Park View 0 FC Hartlepool 0

Wednesday’s Ernest Armstrong Cup Quarter Final Latest

Darlington Town 3 (McMahon, o.g. Beauchamp) Tow Law Town 2 (Small, Benjamin)

FT RACA 2 CHESTER LE STREET TOWN 0 Attendance 75

Albion produced an impressive performance to get some revenge over the Cestrians for the league defeat on Saturday by winning this E Armstrong Cup 2nd Round tie courtesy of goals from Morgan Dart and Callum Johnston that pairs Albion up with Newcastle University at home in the quarter finals.

MATCH SUMMARY

Just four days after meeting in the league, Albion & Chester met in the Ernest Armstrong Cup on a breezy evening in the Tyne Valley, the hosts having failed to score against the Cestrians in the two league encounters this season. The 75 spectators were hoping for a more exciting game than that at Moor Park on Saturday & they were not to be disappointed. As early as the first minute, the visitors carved out a chance from a Ryton attack when Nathan Greenwood played a defence splitting ball to Scott Robson who outpaced his marker then drilled in a low shot only to see Albion keeper Callum Corkhill get a slight touch on the ball to deflect it out for a corner. RACA;s first chance came only two minutes later when Morgan Dart was the recipient of a headed clearance & he looped a shot that just went over the bar. But Dart was to be more accurate in the 10^th minute following a move started by Ethan Bewley followed by a cross from Joe Groves-Forbes leading to some head tennis involving Louis Anderson & the Town defence before the ball fell to Dart who struck it first time past Nicholas Liversedge in the Chester goal. After a lull in clear chances, Anderson led a Ryton charge forward on 38 minutes, deciding to try his luck from distance, but his effort ended up narrowly over the bar. Another Albion break on 41 minutes saw Liversedge pull off the first of several fine saves when denying Dart who had drilled in a low shot from the left flank. Chester did have half a chance to level before the interval when Robson fired in a low cross into the Albion box which passed Corkhill but was just too far ahead of Nathan Conroy who if he’d made any contact would have surely scored.

HT RACA 1 Chester le Street Town 0

It wasn’t long into the half when Liversedge was called into action when his save from a Groves-Forbes shot let to a goalmouth scramble which saw Tyler Brownsword and Keallan Huddleston block shots from Dart & Callum Johnston respectively. On 50 minutes, Liversedge was to deny Groves-Forbes again this time with a block with his feet. Following a succession of woeful Ryton shots that cleared the stand, never mind the goal, Ethan Bewley came close to opening his account with a shot following a botched clearance on 71 minutes that only just went over the woodwork with Liversedge for once beaten. The Cestrians had a chance to level on 77 minutes when Huddleston and Greenwood combined with the latter’s shot being well saved by Corkhill with his feet.Louis Anderson was the next RACA forward to bring a good save out of Liversedge on 78 minutes, but the stopper was finally beaten again on 83 minutes when Albe Fletcher took advantage of a Chester attack breaking down, & he spotted Johnston on the right wing, flighting an accurate ball to him. Johnston sped forward, cut in & fired home and although Liversedge did make contact with the shot, he couldn’t prevent it from going in the back of the net, nor prevent RACA from progressing to the quarter finals of the E Armstrong Cup where we face Newcastle University at home (date to be decided).

FT RACA 2 CHESTER LE STREET TOWN 0

RACA- Corkhill, Beesley, Oldfield, Bewley, Hayton, Caygill, Fletcher, Groves-Forbes (Adotey 88), Anderson, Johnston, Dart. Substitutes Not Used- Calvert, Driver, Ord

Wednesday’s Division 2 Result

Esh Winning 0 Park View 0

Brooks Mileson Memorial League Cup 2nd Round Results
Jarrow 1 (Beattie) West Allotment Celtic 1 (Davies) – West Allotment won 4-3 on pens

Brooks Mileson Memorial League Cup 3rd Round
Whickham FC 0 Grangetown Boys Club 2 (Martin, Irwin)

RACA cross swords again with Chester-le-Street Town in the Ernest Armstrong Cup 2nd Round at the Oldhaulage on Wednesday evening, four days after the narrow defeat at Moor Park. With the play-offs looking unlikely for Albion, this game propels itself into arguably our most important game of the season with the last chance of silverware this season being in the competition we won in 2022. We’ve met the Cestrians four times in cup competitions, twice in the Second Division Cup, losing the final 0-2 in 2018 & winning 3-2 at home in the 2021-22 season in the 2nd round, en-route to winning the trophy. Chester also played in the 1st round, beating Grangetown BC 3-0 on Teesside, while Ryton of course knocked out neighbours Prudhoe 4-1 in our 1st round tie. Josh Skivington is still suspended for this game, the winners of which are at home the Newcastle University in the quarter finals. Kick off is 7:30pm, hope you can make it. Howay the RACA!!

Tuesday’s Division 2 Result

AFC Newbiggin 2 (Anderson, Elliott) Sunderland West End 0

Brooks Mileson Memorial League Cup 2nd RoundResult

Boldon CA 2 (Bell, Whitehead) Billingham Town 0

This month’s lucky winners are-

1st prize No 88 F Iredale who wins £100

2nd Prize No 105 C Johnston who wins £75

3rd Prize No 66 L Welch who wins £25

Next month’s draw is on 05/04/2026

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

FT CHESTER LE STREET TOWN 1 RACA 0 Attendance 185

Albion were missing several key players for this trip to Moor Park which for all the endeavour, lacked the quality that two play off hopefuls might have shown. As it was, a 42nd minute goal from Cestrians captain Scott Robson was enough to separate the sides.

MATCH SUMMARY

Albion were on the road again, this time to Moor Park to face Chester-le-Street Town who inflicted a 0-4 defeat on RACA in the reverse game in the Tyne Valley earlier in the season. A shortage of available players meant a Saturday morning signing of Ethan Bewley from Tow Law who was on our books last season but still the bench was a man short. The Cestrians were unbeaten in 2026 so this was never going to be an easy game for Nathan Beckham’s side.

In a scrappy game short of serious goal scoring opportunities, the 185 spectators had to wait until 24 minutes before a real chance of a goal when a Chester free kick was nodded on by Tyler Brownsword to Scott Robson, but the Town captain could only blast his effort over the bar. Ryton’s first chance came from a break forward which culminated in Nathan Beesley unleashing a shot from distance that brought a low save from former Albion keeper Dan Gladstone. From the subsequent corner, Chester broke clear, Nathan Greenwood finding Matty Weirs unmarked storming down the centre. Weirs tried to round Callum Corkhill in the Albion goal but saw his shot blocked by the stopper & out rolled the ball for a corner. Another chance for the hosts materialised on 35 minutes when Dan Marriot and Nathan Stephenson combined on the right wing in a move that saw the former blast his shot into the side netting. The Cestrians’ pressure paid off on 42 minutes when Weirs found Robson in acres of space & despite protestations of offside, Robson just beat Corkhill to the ball, rounded the prostate keeper & tapped home to put his side a goal up at the interval

HT Chester le Street Town 1 RACA 0

The second half continued in the scrappy vein but unlike the first period, Albion were to spend more time on the offensive than their hosts, the first real danger coming from a 51^st minute corner which resulted in a scramble while Lawrence was on the floor, Louis Calvert having the last shot before the referee blew for an infringement. A rare Chester-le-Street saw Weirs have a shot on target that Corkhill had to pluck to safety from the air. RACA’s best chance to level came in the 82^nd minute when Harrison Borley floated a free kick in the middle of the box which Nathan Beesley just couldn’t make contact with from a yard out, & Gladstone was able to gather. Albion kept pressing but never really looked like getting the leveller & Chester saw out the game to claim three valuable points in their promotion quest

FT CHESTER LE STREET 1 RACA 0

RACA– Corkhill, Beesley, Oldfield, Driver (Dart 63), Hayton, Caygill, Fletcher, Bailey (Borley 15), Calvert (Bewley 55), Groves-Forbes (Emmerson 77).

Saturday’s Other Division 2 Games

AFC Newbiggin 2 (Nelson, Turnbull) Seaham Red Star 4 (Leonard, McCloud, Cowan, Grey)

Alnwick Town 3 (Smith, Fairburn. Bright) Billingham Synthonia 2 (Dryden, Hodgkinson)

Billingham Town 1 (White) Esh Winning 1 (Zamor)

Boldon CA 1 (Humble) Newcastle University 2 (Pennington 2)

Durham United 5 (Dixon, Kay, Williams, Boothroyd 2) Sunderland West End 1 (Appleby)

Grangetown BC 0 FC Hartlepool 4 (Green, Smith, Bayes 2)

Jarrow 8 (Beattie 2, Hardie 2, Barber 2, Hudson 2) Sunderland RCA 1 (Rutherford)

Park View 1 (Mallinson) Yarm & Eaglescliffe 2 (Larkin, Proctor)

Prudhoe YC 2 (Symington 2) Tow Law 1 (Goldsborough)

E Armstrong Cup Result

Darlington Town 3 (Maddison, Hewitt, Mallaburn) Redcar Town 2 (Sekete, Stares)

RACA travel to Moor Park on Saturday, the first of two games that will define our season. The away fixture is a crucial league fixture, while next Wednesday we host Chester le Street Town in the Ernest Armstrong Cup which depending on Saturday’s result, might become the most important game of our season. The Cestrians inflicted our biggest defeat of the season in the reverse fixture, winning 4-0 at the Oldhaulage, ending RACA’s five game winning streak. They have also been regular opponents over the years, the sides having met 33 times in our Northern League era. One player who won’t be featuring is Josh Skivington who starts a three match ban on Saturday. If you’re planning to head down, the address is Moor Park, Chester Moor, Chester-le-Street DH2 3BX. Howay the RACA!!!

Tuesday’s Division 2 Results

Alnwick Town 0 Park View 0

Boldon CA 0 Redcar Town 1 (Carmichael)

Chester le Street Town 2 (Huddlestone, Greenwood) Sunderland RCA 2 (Moan, Dodds)

Yarm & Eaglescliffe 4 (Dalton 2, Larkin, Atkinson) Grangetown BC 1 (Martin)

Wednesday’s Division 2 Results

Esh Winning 0 Prudhoe YC 3 (Lane, Dalton, Plunkett)

FC Hartlepool 1 (Burrows) Darlington Town 0

Jarrow 1 (Karim) AFC Newbiggin 1 (Johnstone)

Tow Law Town 1 (Farrier) Newcastle University 2 (R Redford, Morris)

FT BILLINGHAM SYNTHONIA 1 RACA 3 Attendance 76

A Louis Anderson brace helped Albion claim a second win on the road in five days, this despite an early setback of a Freddie McBride goal for the hosts. Anderson levelled on 40 minutes & Synners McBride scored in the wrong goal just into the second half. The rest of the key action was deep in stoppage time as Billingham keeper Will Lawrence was red carded for handball, & Anderson scored his second and Ryton’s third goal to secure the points.

MATCH SUMMARY

It was another jaunt down the A19 to face strugglers Billingham Synthonia at Stockton Town’s Bishopton Road stadium with Albion hoping to rack up two away wins in five days. With Scott Oldfield and Danny Driver the only changes to the starting XI at Alnwick with Morgan Dart & Fergus Lynch replaced, Nathan Beesley was moved to a more midfield role and it was he who brought out the first save from Billingham keeper Will Lawrence in the 10^th minute, shooting from an acute angle having been set up by Louis Anderson. But it was Synners who got the opening goal from a 12^th minute Jacob Owen corner which was flicked on by Harry Healy to Freddie McBride who fired home from close range. McBride was instrumental in Synthonia’s next change of note when his long throw in was hacked away by the Ryton defence, but only to Sam Irvine whose low drilled shot was defected over the top of the bar by Danny Driver. Irvine had a chance to double the advantage on 39 minutes when he broke forward, evading tackles from Albion defenders & with just Callum Corkhill to beat, drilled in a low shot that the keeper stopped by extending a leg and the danger was averted. However RACA were to draw level; in the 42^nd minute when Louis Anderson won possession in the Synners’ half, he found Beesley out wide on the right & his cross found Anderson who’d sped into the Billingham box, & while his initial flick was well saved by Lawrence, the keeper could do nothing about the second attempt from the parry that Anderson scored despite being on his way down to falling on the turf.

HT Billingham Synthonia 1 RACA 1

Albion had a great start to the second half when Synners’ McBride turned from hero to villain when he hooked a Beesley cross past Lawrence and into his own net. Irvine wasn’t too far off scoring a leveller on 52 minutes when he drilled a ball across the front of the box, but it went just the wrong side of the far post. Billingham’s poor finishing was to cost them again on 61 minutes when Daniel Dryden found Healy in acres of space on the left & he cut in & despite not being under much pressure, skied his effort with just Corkhill to beat. Ryton might have wrapped things up on 88 minutes when Danny Driver headed a Harrison Borley corner goalwards, but Lawrence pulled off a decent save to keep Billingham in the game. But deep into stoppage time, Lawrence got himself sent off when handling the ball ten yards outside the box when trying to beat Ryton’s Oliver Emmerson to the ball as the hosts had committed players forward in search of the equaliser. Jacob Owen took over goalkeeping duties for the final seconds but found himself watching the ball ripple the back of his net as Albion took instant advantage of the numerical advantage, Anderson firing home from just inside the box though there may have been a slight deflection from defender Alfie Owen. Either way that sealed the deal for RACA who also complete the double over Synthonia this season and keep the play-off hopes alive.

FT BILLINGHAM SYNTHONIA 1 RACA 3

RACA– Corkhill, Driver, Oldfield, Skivington (Borley 86), Caygill (Groves-Forbes 67), Hayton, Lawson, Beesley, Anderson (Emmerson 88), Fletcher, Calvert (Johnston).

Saturday’s Other Division 2 Results

AFC Newbiggin 2 (Middleton, Nelson) Yarm & Eaglescliffe 2 (Larkin, Jones)

Boldon CA 1 (Grant) Sunderland West End 2 (Ajavon, Hunter)

Esh Winning 2 (Swift, Ray-Tharpe) FC Hartlepool 1 (Gavin)

Grangetown BC 1 (Martin) Darlington Town 0

Newcastle University 0 Jarrow 1 (Bissett)

Park View 2 (Siyanbola 2) Durham United 1 (Boothroyd)

Seaham Red Star 2 (Grey, Anderson) Billingham Town 0

Sunderland RCA 1 (Nicholas) Redcar Town 2 (Porritt, Bruton)