Ryhope CW beat Seaham to progress in Durham Challenge Cup

Ryhope CW booked their spot in the second round of the Durham Challenge Cup with a 5-2 win against Seaham Red Star at Seaham Town Park on Tuesday night.

The home supporters saw Collingwood make six changes from the side that were victorious at Barnton in the FA Vase at the weekend, Ryhope came into the game with a strong looking side.

Following a goalless opening hour, the final half an hour saw seven goals, with Brad Hird, Bailey Judson, James Ellis, Robbie Bird and Kyle Davis all scoring for Ryhope.

Luke Sullivan netted a brace for Seaham, but it wasn’t enough to keep Seaham in the competition.

Upon kick-off, both sides quickly went on the attack, but no real chances came in the opening five minutes.

In the eighth minute, Joe Hailes burst down the right before picking out Jason Blackburn. He drilled a low ball across the face of goal, and Sullivan was inches away from converting.

Taylor Richardson fired over with the first shot for Seaham in the eighth minute, before Hird shot over from the edge of the area for Ryhope.

Blackburn headed wide for Seaham after Hailes’ good cross in the 18th minute, while seven minutes later, at the other end, Denver Morris fired wide when he really should have scored.

The game was a much more attacking game of football than CW’s FA Vase game on Saturday, but clear cut chances still weren’t coming all that frequently in the first half.

On the half hour mark, Davis had an effort saved for Ryhope CW.

Ten minutes before the break, Richardson’s shot for Seaham from 20 yards looked an easy take for Jordan Harkess, but it slipped through his hands and trickled just wide.

Davis then fired an effort out of the ground for Ryhope CW, and that was that for the first half.

Three minutes into the second half, Sullivan almost put Seaham ahead. a deep cross picked out the former Consett man, but his header was cleared off the line.

Other than that, it was a quiet start to the second half. Judson and Blackburn had half chances at opposite ends, but there was nothing too troublesome.

In the 63rd minute, the deadlock was broken. Judson threaded a perfectly weighted ball through the middle of the Seaham defence, and Hird beat the offside trap to race through on goal and slot home.

Seaham looked for a response having fallen behind, but it was Ryhope who were creating the chances. Hird had an effort well saved by Andrew Jennison, before Bird fired just over from 18 yards.

However, in the 73rd minute, Seaham equalised from the penalty spot. Hailes was fouled in the penalty area giving referee Geoff Eltringham no option but to point to the spot. Sullivan took responsibility and sent Harkess the wrong way to pull Seaham level.

Now level, it was Ryhope CW doing all the pressing for a winner as Bird had three efforts all saved.

In the 80th minute, CW deservedly regained their lead. Ellis whipped an inch perfect cross into the penalty area, and the unmarked Judson was there to head home from eight yards.

Ninety seconds later, Ryhope CW doubled their lead. A ball through the middle spilt the Seaham defence open, and Ellis beat the offside trap to race through before slotting home.

With six minutes of the 90 remaining, Sullivan almost collected his second the night for Seaham. He tried his luck from 30 yards out and his superb effort was top corner bound, but Harkess was equal to it with a fine save.

Sullivan was to get his brace though. In the 89th minute, a cross was floated into the Ryhope penalty area, and Sullivan was at the back post to head home.

With the deficit now only one, Seaham may have fancied their chances of taking the game to penalties, but those hopes were quickly dashed as Ryhope scored their fourth 60 seconds after conceding. A ball down the right found Judson. His teammates were shouting for him to take it to the corner, but he had other ideas. He cut in to beat his man, before drilling a low ball across the face of goal. Jennison couldn’t collect the low ball, and it left Bird with a simple finish to put the game to bed.

To make extra sure of the win, Ryhope scored a fifth in added time. Another ball through the middle caught Seaham out, and Davis raced through before his composed chip sailed over Jennison before dropping into the far corner.

Full-time: Ryhope CW 5-2 Seaham Red Star

Seaham Red Star: Jennison, Hailes (Henderson, 84′), Morland, Hodgson, Bott, Waite, Richardson, Lawrence, Blackburn (Johnson, 64′), Sullivan, Sayer (Lawson, 46′)

Unused subs: Gardner, Greenwood