Ryton & Crawcrook Albion maintained their push towards the promotion play-off places in Ebac Northern League Division Two with a fifth win in a row against Thornaby at Kingsley Park on Saturday.

The in-form Teessiders headed north looking to extend their unbeaten run to nine games but were slow out of the blocks and second best to Nathan Beckham's side for large parts of the match. In the end, they were fortunate to only lose 3-0 as the woodwork came to their rescue on several occasions.

The hosts dominated from the start, a long ball over the top from Kristian Sands almost put Michael Baxter clean through on goal but Thornaby keeper Ronan Makepeace was quickly off his line to get there just ahead of the winger and, soon after, Baxter's 20 yard free-kick deflected off the wall for a corner with Rhys McLeod's resulting near post delivery met by centre forward Aaron Costello's glancing header which drifted wide of the far post.

The visitors' first counter-attack on nine minutes came to nothing after space had opened up for them down the left with striker Ryan Wright's initial cross half-cleared to the other side of the box and the over-hit return ball sailed behind for a goal-kick.

Ryton & Crawcrook Albion then pressed again in what will have seemed like wave after wave for the visitors' backline to repel with Costello twice coming close to breaking the deadlock.

Fergus Lynch picked out Costello in space down the right with a long range crossfield ball over the top and, after cutting inside, the striker's left-footed effort was pushed away by Makepeace before being gathered at the second attempt.

Breaking forward at pace down the right from well inside their own half a few minutes later, Baxter linked up with full back Joseph Groves-Forbes before feeding Costello who saw his angled strike palmed away by Makepeace.

Playing into a strong headwind in the first half, the visitors put themselves under even more pressure by giving the ball away cheaply. A poor clearance to Baxter was quickly moved on to Groves-Forbes who won a corner from which a low delivery was half-cleared to McLeod who fired straight at Makepeace.

Lucky to be still in the game after 25 minutes, Thornaby finally started to test 18-year-old home keeper Brogan Colquhoun. From a short corner on the right, Charlie Hindson's deep cross to the back post found James Rowe who sent a looping header into the keeper's hands. They came again and, after being fed by Hindson in the box, Wright's firmly struck shot was blocked by Colquhoun with a return ball palmed away by him at full stretch. The talented young stopper was then quickly off his line to punch clear a free-kick curled into the box from the right.

Normal service soon resumed at the other end as pressure started to build again on the Thornaby goal and it was only a matter of time before the deserved breakthrough came.

After being closed down in the box, Costello unselfishly fed Baxter who curled a shot over the bar and, in the next attack down the left, full back Scott Oldfield's cut-back from the byline set up Baxter who was unlucky to see his angled effort rebound to safety off the far post with Makepeace beaten.

The pressure finally told in the 41st minute when the return ball from a short corner on the right was headed home by centre half Glenn Caygill who rose highest in a crowded six-yard box (1-0).

Baxter spurned a gilt-edged opportunity to double the lead on the stroke of half-time when put clean through by Costello with only Makepeace to beat but he over-ran the ball and the chance was gone.

Although the visitors showed far more urgency from the re-start, there was still no end product. Rowe's glancing header was comfortably saved by Colquhoun low down to his left, and the keeper again displayed a clean pair of hands when plucking Rowe's deep cross out of the air at the back post.

At the other end, Costello and Oldfield had half-chances in quick succession but both efforts from the edge of the box were dragged wide of the target. 

Costello was unlucky not to score on 67 minutes after working the ball along the edge of the area onto his favoured left foot before firing against the base of the post with Makepeace beaten.

A Thornaby counter-attack on 70 minutes resulted in a deep cross being punched clear by Colquhoun at full stretch. The loose ball dropped for Wright who had a shot blocked and the rebound was fired over the bar by substitute Joseph Dixon.

Costello then pulled another shot wide of Makepeace's left-hand post shortly before his persistance close to the byline near the corner flag on the left played in Jack Errington who chose to shoot from an acute angle instead of squaring it for an unmarked teammate on the edge of the six-yard box.

However, the respite for Thornaby was only temporary and they were left with a mountain to climb when Costello doubled his side's lead in the 81st minute. A wayward pass in opposition territory gifted possession to the hosts and the ball was fed quickly through to Costello who outpaced two defenders from half-way before coolly slotting it low past the advancing Makepeace for his 25th goal of the season in all competitions (2-0).

Moments later, the prolific striker was released by Errington's long ball and turned a defender in the area before seeing his angled strike from the corner of the six-yard box palmed away by Makepeace.

It was one-way traffic in the closing stages towards the visitors' goal. Max Booth threw himself in front of a goalbound effort on the six-yard-line and Caygill's close range shot was brilliantly saved by Makepeace. However, the keeper was finally beaten again in the fifth minute of stoppage time by Fergus Lynch. Breaking forward at pace down the left, Errington squared it to Lynch who was unmarked in the box. Although the winger's first effort came back off the keeper, he followed up to bundle it over the line from point blank range (3-0).

Ryton & Crawcrook Albion continue to be one of the most entertaining teams to watch in the league having scored 21 goals in the last five games and are now only seven points away from a play-off spot with 14 games remaining. A bumper crowd is expected at Essity Park tomorrow night (Friday 23rd) where they face local rivals Prudhoe YC Seniors in the latest instalment of the Tyne Valley derby which kicks off at 7.30pm.