Sunderland RCA manager Martin Swales offers honest assessment

After claiming a top five finish over the last two seasons, RCA were in confident mood last summer as they prepared for the new campaign.

Swales boosted his squad with the impressive addition of Marske United goalkeeper Robert Dean and Sunderland youngsters Connor Slack and Ryan Leonard both moved to the club on ‘work experience’ loan deals.

Pre-season predictions of a further improvement in the league and cups looked well-founded as RCA lost just one of their first ten games in all competitions but an FA Cup defeat against Dunston UTS and an FA Vase exit at the hands of Hebburn Town saw their campaign take a downturn.

And after being hampered by the loss of key players to injury, RCA were sat just below mid-table when the Football Association brought a premature end to the campaign as the coronavirus epidemic disrupted the on-field action.

Swales reflected on how his side had performed over the last eight months and insisted that the club are “disappointed” that they haven’t matched their performances during the last two seasons.

He told The Echo: “It’s a bit underwhelming and, if I am being honest, I am disappointed with the performance overall this season.

“We have so well in the last two or three seasons and I thought it was going to be a big season for us.

“But we lost Colin Larkin to a double hernia and Luke Page went to Dunston.

“I didn’t think it would hit us as hard as it has and losing key players like Steven Callen, Greg Swansbury and Ross Preston to injuries at key times hasn’t helped because they are big players through the spine of the team.

“Overall, we are disappointed in ourselves because we have failed throughout a season where we expected to be in and around top six.”

Swales revealed that planning for next season has commenced – despite the uncertainty over when it would be safe for clubs to return to action.

“Spoken to a few lads about staying and we are looking at making contact with a few new signings.”