With the new season starting this weekend we thought we'd share all of the goals you may have missed towards the back end of last season.
Please let us know which goal you thought was the best and your predictions for the season ahead.
James - Lenny - French has joined RCA as a goalkeeping coach. Carl Morris will continue with us, but because of family commitments - his daughter has started playing football - he cannot make every Saturday.
Lenny played Northern League football for most his career and worked with Martin Swales at Ryhope CW and Bishop Auckland. He's a great addition to our team.
Lenny started playing for Greatham in the Wearside League many moons ago. They then merged into Hartlepool Town and eventually made it into the Northern League Division 2, only to fold shortly afterwards due to financial problems. From there Lenny went to Chester-le-Street, the club he played for the longest. He then stopped playing - for all of three months. He returned to the game to play for Esh Winning when they we were promoted to the Northern League Division 1. Lenny then signed for Washington and subsequently for Ryton, gaining promotion to Division 1 with both clubs. After leaving Ryton he signed for Ryhope CW and moved into coaching. Lenny then followed Martin Swales to Bishop Auckland, finishing there last season.
We are sorry to announce that the pre-season game with Chester-le-Street, which was due to be played on Saturday, 28 July, has been cancelled. Please check back here for any newly arranged pre-season matches.
Ross McNab in first half action for RCA.
Please click here for more photos from the match. Thanks very much to Simon Mears for the photos from tonight.
After another sweltering day more suited to Perth in Australia than Perth Green in South Tyneside, RCA took the short trip to Northern League Division 2 side Jarrow for their sixth pre-season game. We had played Jarrow in a friendly before last season and they gave us a good game. That was the club's first season in the Northern League where they finished 12th. I expected a proper game which would give some indication of what we might expect this season.
Dominic Moan evades a challenge during a second half attack.
For more photos from the match please click here.
Following hot on the heels of Thursday’s win at AFC Killingworth, Sunderland RCA went into this afternoon's home friendly match with Billingham Synthonia looking for a fourth victory in five pre-season matches played.
New signing Sam Robinson turns with the ball during a first half attack by RCA in Thursday evening's pre season game at AFC Killingworth.
After having me tea at Bob and Thelma's, I made my way to Amberley Playing Fields for the pre season friendly against AFC Killingworth, who had kindly agreed to reverse the original fixture. The home club, the product of a recent merger between Killingworth YPC and Killingworth Town, have had a great start to their pre season, beating fellow North Tyneside club Cullercoats 8 - 1.
Season tickets will be available for purchase this Saturday, 21 July at the home game friendly with Billingham Synthonia, which kicks off at 3pm.
Fantastic value for money, season tickets are £70 and £50 concessions, unchanged from last season, but please note that, because of changes in FA rules, these no longer include FA Cup and FA Vase games.
There are a couple of late fixture updates for our pre-season.
The fixture with AFC Killingworth is now reversed and will be played away, with a 7:00pm kick off:
Thursday, 19 July 2018 - 7:00pm
AFC Killingworth v Sunderland RCA
Amberley Park
Killingworth
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE12 6SE
On Saturday, 21 July we play Billingham Synthonia at Meadow Park with a 3:00pm kick off.
Luke Richardson weighs up his options as Mark Davison overlaps in the second half of the match.
Saturday, 14 July 2018
In weather as absurd for football as it was for Stanley, RCA took on Esh Winning in their third pre-season friendly, on the 4G playing surface at North Durham Academy. Foreign holidays, the Durham Miners Gala, England and Belgium vying for third place in the World Cup and an emergency hospital admission meant RCA's squad and coaching presence were thin. So: fair play to those who turned out for a match that lacked the glamour of last Thursday, but was nonetheless an important step to match readiness for the season kick off on Saturday, 4 August at home to Newcastle Benfield. It also extended new Assistant Manager Mark Cowan's 100% record! For Saturday's match Mark was assisted by Peter Elliott.
Nathan O'Neill - scorer of RCA's late penalty - fires in an acrobatic first half shot.
For more photos from the match please click here.
Please click here for Connor Lamb’s match report.
Sunderland RCA welcomed Sunderland AFC under 23s to Meadow Park for what promised to be a contest as keenly fought as last season's pre-season friendly.
After a fairly even first half hour, where RCA created a couple of good openings through Page and Callen, the match burst into life in the 37th minute when Benji Kimpioka scored a terrific six-minute hat-trick to give SAFC a three-nil half-time lead.
The visitors added a fourth in the second half, before RCA responded well to score two goals in the final five minutes, with Reece McEwan slotting home from inside the penalty area, and Nathan O'Neill scoring from the penalty spot.
Thanks very much to all involved at Sunderland AFC for making the match possible.
Sunderland RCA, Meadow Park
Beechbrooke, Ryhope
Sunderland SR2 0NZ
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