Hat trick hit man Gavin Barton keeps possession in the second half of the match.
Durham Challenge Cup Preliminary Round
Goalscorers: SRCA: Barton (3), Birtley: Gill, Waters.
Please click here for photos from the match.
Managerless RCA welcomed our friends from Birtley to Meadow Park for this Duham Challenge Cup preliminary round.
Ian Smith took charge of team selection and made sweeping changes to the team that played at Guisborough, Carl Morris, in for the Carmichael, Bythway in for Wray, Gary Wood in for Brown and Matty Thompson making his debut replacing Wilson.
In a nervy start to the game RCA looked good in possession but were unable to find a good delivery in the final third.
Chances were few and far between and it wasn't until the tricky Hughes was brought down inside the penalty area on 26 minutes that RCA opened the scoring, Gavin Barton blasting the penalty into the net with Fish diving the wrong way.
On the half hour Hughes burst past two defenders on the right before looking up and delivering a perfect pass into the path of the onrushing Barton who stroked the ball into an empty net for 2-0.
RCA should have killed off the game in 40th minute when Jury crossed into the box and the ball fell to Thompson but the youngster snatched at the ball and it went halmlessly wide.
Early in the second period, Birtley were thrown a lifeline as Gill halved the deficit firing home from a left wing corner.
Two minutes later a cross from Jury to the far post was met by Barton who headed wide of the upright with an open goal begging.
However he did not have to wait long to complete his hat-trick, in the 75th minute a freekick by Price was clipped back into the danger area by Callen, Barton's first shot was blocked but the ball spun into the air and Barton following up headed home from close range.
At 3-1, RCA looked home and dry, and when, having used all three substitutes, Gill was carried off with a twisted ankle the writing was on the wall.
However as on Saturday, within five minutes of the opposition being reduced to ten men RCA conceded when Waters fired home after a mix-up in the RCA defence.
RCA withstood the late pressure of Birtley and ran the clock down to the final whistle.
A welcome win for RCA in yet another cup and against second division opposition. We still need to tighten up defensively and move the ball forward quicker, cut out the hollywood pass and look for the decisive pass in the final third.