Month: April 2015

Community and Charity Day

COMMUNITY AND CHARITY DAY AT SHILDON v DURHAM

Shildon’s final home game of the season will not only play a part in the destination of this season’s championship, but is also set to be a special Community and Charity Day.

Shildon manager, Gary Forrest and first team coach, Phill Brumwell, will lead a team of colleagues on a charity climb to scale Africa’s highest and the world’s highest free-standing mountain – the 19,000ft high Mount Kilimanjaro.

As part of their fundraising, there will be a bucket collection for Macmillan Cancer Support at the match on Saturday. We ask that you give as generously as you are able to this worthy charity.

Additionally, volunteers from Pioneering Care Partnership, a local charity that covers Aycliffe and Shildon, will be in attendance to talk to supporters and to provide mini health checks.

The club will also be celebrating the phenomenal progress of the Shildon AFC Development Centre and its tremendous growth to take in teams from under 7s all the way to under 18s. Many of the young players and their parents will be attending on the day.

Identity Consult, who sponsor the Development Centre, will be providing a free buffet after Saturday’s match and all are welcome to stay behind and take part. The initiative is also supported by Community Partners, Keepmoat and the Foundation of Light.

The free post match buffet will be followed by entertainment in the form of local singer, Micky Rich.

We hope as many people from the town as possible can come along and lend their support to the charity collection, the Development Centre, and of course the first team as they attempt to win the league title for the town for the first time in 75 years.

ENL 1 – Sunderland RCA Result

Shildon AFC Still on Course to Win the League

After a comfortable 4 – 1 away win at Sunderland RCA on Tuesday 21st April 2015, Shildon AFC are still on course to win the league. The Railwaymen have only two league games left, and if they win them both they will be crowned champions. The last time Shildon won the league was the 1939-40 season, some 75 years ago.

A big crowd is expected at Dean Street on Saturday 25th April when the Railwaymen entertain Durham City in their last home game of the season. The following Wednesday 29th April they travel to Bedlington Terriers for their final away game.

Shildon took an early lead on 6 minutes when a cross from Billy Greulich-Smith was fired into his own goal by RCA’s No 4 Lee Bythway.

Ten minutes later it was 2 – 0 when a long ball from Chris Emms found Paul Connor who hustled his way through and beat keeper Carl Morris.

It was all Shildon and before the half hour it was 3 – 0 when a Paul Connor shot hit the bar and keeper Morris punched the ball into his own net for RCA’s second own goal.

Half Time:  Sunderland RCA  0  Shildon AFC  3

It was a similar pattern in the second half with Shildon in control, with Billy Greulich-Smith heading wide and Chris Emms firing over from 6 yards.

Shildon went 4 – 0 up on 67 minutes when a cross from Billy was headed in from close range by Paul Connor.

RCA were unlucky not to score when a cracking long range drive from Michael Charlton hit the bar, with keeper Lewis Graham well beaten.

For Shildon, Chris Emms ran through and beat two defenders but keeper Morris made a good stop.

Near the end RCA pulled a goal back when a corner kick was headed home by James Armstrong.

Final Score:  Sunderland RCA  1  Shildon AFC  4

Goalscorers:  Connor 16, 67 (RCA 2 own Goals)

Subs:  Hodgson for Jones 19, Richardson for Moore 64, Scoggins for Connor 68.

Bookings:  (Y) Harwood 80.

After the match manager Gary Forrest said “Another good display. If we carry on with the same attitude and determination they we’ve got every chance of winning the league. There are only two games left but we must win them both and cannot afford any slip ups”.

Shildon have another important match to play on Tuesday 5th May when they are at Heritage Park, Bishop Auckland in the final of the League Cup against Newton Aycliffe. The kick off is 7 00pm not 7 30pm.

ENL1 – Sunderland RCA Preview

Sunderland RCA

Venue

Meadow Park
Beechbrooke (off Waterworks Road)
Ryhope
Sunderland
SR2 0NZ

Match Day

21st April 2015
Kick Off: 19:30

Admission Prices
Adults £5.00
Children £3.00

Current League Position –  16th ENL1
P 40  W 12  D 8  L 20  F 62  A 83  Pts 44

Last Match Played
18th April 2015 – ENL 1
Sunderland RCA 3 Consett 6

Facts
Founded: 1961
Nickname:
Record Attendance: 1,000+ V Newcastle 1985
Joined Northern League: 1982-83
Home Colours: Red/white halve shirt, black shorts and red socks
Away Colours:
Website: http://www.sunderlandrca.co.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/SunderlandRCA
Facebook:

Club history from www.sunderlandrca.co.uk

Sunderland RCA FC started its life as Ryhope Youth Club. Its first season was in the Seaham & District League in 1963. The first game was against Seaham UDC at the Seaham CW ground, now home to Seaham Red Star, and it was a 3 – 3 draw. The first seeds had been sown three years earlier, in 1960, when the Ryhope Youth Club Centre opened in the Welfare Hall.

In 1965 the club moved to the Colliery Welfare ground and in 1971 changed its name to Ryhope Community Association. Competing in the Seaham, then Houghton & District Leagues, the club enjoyed success with eight cup wins and four league titles.

Rejected by the Wearside League because a Ryhope team already played in it, the club folded after the 1975-75 season. Re-formed three years later, the club joined the Northern Alliance in 1978 and won the League Challenge Cup at St James Park in Newcastle, in only their third season. Ryhope CA were also league runners up that year, even though they were reduced to playing on a school field.

After some persuasion, the ambitious club convinced the council to lease then some derelict land – Meadow Park was underway. Financial help was obtained from Sunderland and Tyne and Wear Councils and the Sports Council to build a football ground. The club members and community joined together to carry out the building work, resulting in the enclosed ground where football games are played and enjoyed today.

In 1982 the club was a founder member of the Northern League Second Division, achieving promotion as runner up in the 1983-84 season. Despite achieving a league placing of tenth the next season, survival proved difficult and the club was relegated in 1988.

In 1999 a new era commenced with the amalgamation with Kennek Roker of the Wearside League to form Kennek Ryhope Community Association. The seasons from 2003 onwards were tough, but for the season 2006-07, the club joined forces with Springboard Sunderland and a new era as Sunderland RCA FC began.

Progress continues to be made both on and off the pitch and after finishing fourth in the previous two seasons Sunderland RCA FC were promoted as runners-up to Stokesley FC in season 2009-10 – a great achievement. Our first season back in Division 1 started badly, but we picked ourselves up, had a purple patch and finished the season in 13th place.

Acknowledgement

The club is very grateful to Joe Dixon for providing information about the early years of Sunderland RCA. Joe played for what was then Ryhope Youth Club and subsequently Ryhope Community Association from its first match in 1963 through to the 1978-79 season. Joe has turned from goal scorer to historian and a wealth of detail can be found on his web site – http://www.joedixon9.co.uk – about Joe’s playing days with RCA and other Sunderland and east Durham clubs.