By Ben Potts
Our series of features has reached its conclusion, and we take a look at Sunderland Ryhope CW, who will be our final away game of the season.
Club: Ryhope CW
Nickname: The Colliery Welfare
Founded: 1892
Ground: Ryhope Recreation Park, Tunstall Bank, Ryhope, Sunderland, SR2 0AB
Craik Park to Ryhope: 36.3 miles
Last Season: 17th
Twitter: @ryhopecw
Morpeth Town will travel to Ryhope CW on the last away game of the season with co-managers Nick Gray and Dave Malone looking to better their result there last season.
In the game at Recreation Park, Mathew Grieve put the Highwayman in front, but Ryhope struck back to earn a point in a game Morpeth should have won.
Last October, the Highwayman thrashed their opposition 7-1 thanks to a hat-trick apiece from Sean Taylor and Joe Walton. A goal from Mateusz Halambiec completed the rout.
Welfare manager Gary Pearson will be aiming to improve on his side’s 17th place finish last season, which was their first ever Division One campaign.
He’s already begun to add to his squad with striker Nathan O’Neil leaving the club to join neighbours Sunderland RCA, while Midfielder Lee Chapman has joined Seaham Red Star.
Former Darlington midfielder Adam Cocks has joined Ryhope CW from Washington, while Andy Brown has arrived from West Auckland Town.
That 7-1 victory is Morpeth’s biggest and only victory in the four previous meetings between the sides since Ryhope’s promotion to the Northern League in 2012-13.
Morpeth’s biggest and only defeat came in that very first meeting on November 2, 2012.which Ryhope won 4-3 at Craik Park. The other two contests have ended in draws.
