Recap

Redcar Athletic kicked off their latest pre-season campaign with a win over local rivals Redcar Town in the Matty Graham Memorial Cup.

New man Louis Johnson opened the scoring, finishing a delightful through ball from Mark Anderson.

Curtis Round added a second on the stroke of halftime.

It was valuable minutes on the pitch which would steal the headlines for both sides of the town, though the Steelmen undeniably looked good for their lead.

Emerging in the navy blue away strip of last season – as Town donned the red and black – Athletic were quick to seize the tempo. Oscar Fletcher scuffed an early effort, whilst Louis Johnson fired over from the right flank.

The former Two Blues man impressed on his unofficial debut, not least when he poked home a defence splitting pass from Mark Anderson to open to scoring inside twenty minutes.

A failed acrobatic attempt made up the remainder of his first half showreel.

Intricate passing freed Bradley Fewster for perhaps the best chance of the half. The forward beat Mike Algie down to his right, but struck the far post with his low effort.

Athletic recycled the play, and Curtis Round doubled the lead with a blistering strike from range.

Such eye-catching football became difficult when play resumed, gale-force conditions at the Hollou Sports Stadium restricting what either side could create.

Anderson flashed an effort off Algie’s outstretched fingertips, Louis Johnson brought out an acrobatic stop with a cross caught in the wind, and Danni Lay’s thunderous header cleared the crossbar by some way.

Bradley Fewster’s curling effort from the right hand side proved the closest the Steelmen would come, but again Algie climbed to tip it to safety.

Josh Mazfari had but one notable involvement, stooping to ground to deny Watt from the edge of the area.

Goal Scorers: Louis Johnson (17’), Curtis Round (45’)

Next Match: Middlesbrough XI (h) | Thursday 10th July 2025 (7:30pm)