The eagerly anticipated Tyne Valley derby clash in Ebac Northern League Division Two between Ryton & Crawcrook Albion and Prudhoe YC Seniors attracted a bumper crowd of 422 to a rain-soaked Kingsley Park on Friday, September 15, where a dominant second-half performance from the visitors saw them pick up a deserved three points.

Both teams fielded debutant keepers, with Isaac Libotte replacing the injured Adam Mooney for the hosts, while 18-year-old Matty Cassap came in for Prudhoe's usual stopper Thomas White having only been transferred from Whickham two days earlier.

Ryton & Crawcrook Albion were first to threaten on four minutes when a long ball over the top found winger Michael Baxter in space down the right. His square ball into the the six-yard box was turned behind for a corner, with the resulting delivery from Dan Craggs steered wide of Cassap's right-hand post by Oliver Symons.

The visitors then started to get a foothold in the game, enjoying plenty of the ball in opposition territory and created several decent opportunities without forcing Libotte into making a save.

Josh Scott, Ben Dibb-Fuller and Will Morris linked up well before Morris cut inside from the left and saw his low ball flicked wide of the near post by Brad Lowes.

They came again down the other flank through Dibb-Fuller who beat his man as he weaved his way into the box and had an angled shot blocked by a defender in the six-yard box.

Moments later, Kieran Russel's cross picked out centre forward Kyle Cockburn who sent a looping header from 15 yards over the crossbar, and a flowing move started inside their own half ended with Scott firing a low shot wide of the post from the right corner of the box.

On 15 minutes, the hosts launched a promising counter-attack but it fizzled out when a chipped pass into the box from the right wasn't brought under control by an unmarked Rhys McLeod.

After being firmly on the back foot for most of the opening 20 minutes, Ryton & Crawcrook Albion suddenly sparked into life and should have taken the lead through top-scorer Aaron Costello but the centre forward failed to convert a gilt-edged one-on-one opportunity.

From a quick-fire break, Costello was put clean through on goal with only Cassap to beat but the young keeper stood his ground, blocking the initial shot fired straight at him before watching the striker's weaker second effort hit a defender and rebound to safety. He would come to rue that miss as the events of the evening unfolded.

Experienced Prudhoe YC Seniors centre half David Below, formerly with the hosts, then played his side into trouble with a misplaced pass on half-way to Costello who broke forward and found Baxter unmarked just inside the box on the left but the winger's shot curled over the crossbar.

At the other end, another chance went begging for the visitors when Dibb-Fuller's pinpoint square ball into the six-yard box was fired away from goal by Lowes, and, in their next attack, a long ball over the top from the energetic Lowes was kept in play near the corner flag on the right by Cockburn who cut inside before curling a shot inches over the angle of post and crossbar.

The hosts forced two corners in quick succession as half-time approached. The return ball from the initial delivery was fired low on target and brilliantly turned around the post by Cassap at full stretch, and honours remained even at the break after the visitors survived a goalmouth scramble from the second corner.

Prudhoe were quickly out of the blocks from the re-start, winning an early corner when Libotte was forced to tip a dipping cross over the crossbar.

They came again through the impressive Cockburn who cut inside from the left at pace and beat his man before firing narrowly wide of the near post.

The deserved breakthrough for the visitors came in the 50th minute at a time when they were beginning to go through the gears.

19-year-old central defender Jordan Plunkett picked out Darren Graham on the right with a long ball over the top and the pacy full back advanced to the dead-ball line before pulling it back to Lowes who tapped it home from close range (0-1).

The hosts then freshened things up with three substitutions in as many minutes as Josh Skivington, Abubaker Salim and Scott Oldfield replaced McLeod, Richard Hoggins and Symons.

Things got even better for Prudhoe when they doubled their lead on 64 minutes. Patient build-up play and a long spell of possession ended with the home defence being sliced open by Scott's inch-perfect through ball to Dibb-Fuller who coolly slotted it past Libotte into the bottom corner for his first goal since returning to the club last month (0-2).

Ryton & Crawcrook had been distinctly second best since the break with Cassap a virtual spectator in the visitors' goal until, out of nothing, they pulled a goal back in the 68th minute.

They kept the ball alive in the box on the right and it was eventually fed back to central defender Fergus Lynch who turned his man before rifling a shot from 18 yards beyond Cassap into the far corner (1-2).

Having thrown away a two-goal lead at Bedlington Terriers in midweek, Prudhoe made sure lightning didn't strike twice by dominating the remainder of the match.

Libotte was called upon twice inside a minute to deny them, diving low to his right and then saving the return effort.

The hosts were reduced to 10 men in the 74th minute when Costello was sent off for retaliation after being fouled, a hotly contested decision which probably only warranted a yellow card.

On 78 minutes, the visitors broke forward at speed from their own box and, after cutting in from the right, Cockburn's firmly struck low shot was palmed around the post by Libotte for a corner.

However, the talented 20-year-old striker only had to wait a few more minutes to find the back of the net on his final appearance for Mark McMeekin's side. Scott intercepted Libotte's misplaced throw to a defender and immediately played the ball square to Cockburn who slotted home from 12 yards with the keeper out of position (1-3).

Cockburn completed his transfer to Division One side West Allotment Celtic on Saturday and made an instant impact by scoring on his debut in a 7-1 win at Northallerton.

Prudhoe made the extra man count by keeping the hosts pinned back in their own half as the clock ticked down, confidently spraying the ball around the park and retaining possession well without being put under any pressure before celebrating a fully deserved victory against their local rivals who only managed two attempts on goal in the second half.

Speaking after the game, Ryton & Crawcrook Albion manager Nathan Beckham said: ''That was very disappointing on the back of three straight wins and they looked as though they wanted it more. We didn't take our chances in the first half and struggled in the final third after the break when the final ball and our decision making wasn't good enough.''

In contrast, Prudhoe YC Seniors boss Mark McMeekin was delighted with his side's performance after a dip in form had seen them lose the previous three games, conceding 10 goals in the process.

There was a mixed bag of results for our local Northern Alliance teams involved in cup action on Saturday. In the First Round of the Team Valley Carpets Challenge Cup, Wallington won 4-2 at Oakford Park against Seaton Delaval AFC and Ponteland United lost 4-2 at Burradon & New Fordley with both goals scored by defender Dan Hadfield, while Haltwhistle Jubilee's tie at Alnwick Town was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.

In the First Round of the Team Valley Carpets Combination Cup, Ryan Morris and Lewis Loughhead scored for Hexham FC who won 2-1 at home to Whitley Bay Reserves, while Prudhoe YC Seniors Reserves lost 2-1 at home to Walkergate FC in the First Round of the Marsh Sports Insurance Neville Cowey Cup.