Goalscorers: SRCA: Hope, Drysdale, Guisborough: Earl, Round, Snaith.
SRCA continued with injury problems before this FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round replay with Harkess pulling up in the warm up, replaced by Morris, Hatch failed a fitness test to start and went on the bench, however Larkin returned and the manager gave a Cliff Byrne his debut. Charlton and Brown were unavailable from Saturday's team.
Goalscorers: SRCA: Proctor, Charlton, Hope, Callen. Guisborough: Earl (2), Steel, Helm.
The injury crisis at RCA was somewhat removed with the return of Harkess, Drysdale and Coe. Armstrong and Hughes had also shrugged off niggling little injuries, leaving only Larkin and Hatch on the injury list.
The game started in beautiful sunshine and although RCA started brightly they found it difficult to break down Guisborough's well organised defence and it was the visitors who almost opened the scoring in the fifth minute when a freekick from Bettson was not caught cleanly by Harkess and fell to Earl; fortunately for RCA the offside flag had been raised.
Dunston attack in the second half of the match.
Goalscorers: SRCA: none, Dunston: Richardson (2), Morien, Smith.
Please click here for photos from the match.
Please click here for Ken Fitzpatrick's photos.
Please click here for Dunston's match report.
The injury problems continued for RCA ahead of this match, with Drysdale still out with an ankle injury, Larkin failed a fitness test and was replaced by Hope and although Harkess was declared fit Morris retained the number 1 Jersey.
It's a difficult enough task to select a starting eleven with a fully fit squad, but the management team at RCA at the moment are making selections based on who turns up fit on the day.
Goalscorers: SRCA: None Consett: Sweet, Sullivan.
After a hectic pre season by our standards, eight matches, seven wins and only one defeat the management team had difficult choices to make in picking the starting eleven for the first game of the season against a highly fancied Consett AFC outfit.
Problems arose during the warm up when Adam Drysdale pulled up with a problem with his ankle, a reaction to an injury sustained in Wednesday's friendly. Liam Hatch replaced him and Jonathan Carr was promoted to the bench.
Goalscorers: SRCA: Hughes (2), Hope, Horsley. AFC Newbiggin: not known.
This was a hastily arranged friendly, after Cramlington FC pulled out of the match scheduled for Tuesday as they only had seven fit players.
Newbiggin of the Northern Alliance came with a game plan: to disrupt the flowing, passing game of RCA and they did a very good job of doing so in the first half.
RCA forward Joseph Hughes has the ball cleared from under him in the second half of the match.
Goalscorers: SRCA: Proctor, Charlton: RCW: Pounder.
With a week to go before the start of the season both managers put out strong looking teams, although there were few absences through injury and holiday, but as Allan Thompson always said,"It's not about the players who are not here, it is about the players on the pitch."
A decent crowd welcomed the teams for the start of the game and it wasn't long before they were treated to a piece of audacious skill from Luke Proctor, picking the ball up on the halfway line, he lobbed the ball, fully 45 yards, over the head of Rookes in the CW goal and into the net. Six minutes gone and 1-0 to RCA.
This set the game up and both teams responded with flowing end-to-end football which produced a number of half chances which went begging and so, unbelievably it remained 1-0 at half time.
Goalscorers: SRCA: Thompson (2), Hope, Hughes, Armstrong, Noble SRS res. Not Known
RCA continued their impressive pre season goalscoring record against a very impressive Seaham Red Star Res side.
In a fairly even first half Red Star had the better of the possession and also probably the better chances although RCA did have a shout for a penalty which was deemed to be outside the box.
Red Star took the lead on the stroke of half time when a long ball forward was brought down and lobbed over the keepers head by the Star's centre forward.
Goalscorers: SRCA: Hope, Scott, Hughes: West End: Fryatt
Sunderland RCA FC won through to the final of the LGV Summer Cup, by beating Sunderland West End 3 -1 in a scrappy match.
First half goals scored by Callum Hope (3 min), Chris Scott (8 min) and Joe Hughes (25 min) sealed the victory which was marred on the half hour by the dismissal of four players (2 from either team) after an extended altercation.
Clayton Davis in second half action.
Goalscorers: Armstrong, Hughes (2), Davis, OG.
Pre season friendlies are all about getting fitness levels up and trying new formations so it was not a surprise to see different starting 11 to the one which began the game against Horden.
The game started with both teams testing each other out, and there was little goalmouth action to write about.
Goalscorers: SRCA: Callen (2), Horsley (2), Larkin, Hughes. Horden: Pattison, Lonsdale.
The opening 25 minutes of this match was a fairly even affair with both teams creating chances and both keepers making good saves, the deadlock was broken in the 27 minute when Callen rose at the far post to send a looping header over the Horden Keeper and into the net.
Sunderland RCA, Meadow Park
Beechbrooke, Ryhope
Sunderland SR2 0NZ
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