Ryhope CW will return to league action when they face Wearside League Division Two rivals Esh Winning and Deerness Valley Reserves on Friday.

There will be some welcome news for non-league football on Wearside when Ryhope CW mark their return with a home game against Esh Winning and Deerness Valley Reserves on Friday night.

Over four years have passed since Ryhope resigned from the Northern League just a month after they lifted the Durham Challenge Cup with a win against Crook Town and cited ‘a lack of volunteer support’ and a ‘need to restructure’ as the reasons behind their difficult decision. However, their absence from competitive football will officially come to an end on Friday night when they host their new Wearside League Division Two rivals at Ryhope Recreation Ground (7.30pm kick-off).

Ryhope CW 2026/27 squad (photo Jonny Hayes) | Jonny Hayes

placeholder image — Ryhope CW 2026/27 squad (photo Jonny Hayes) | Jonny Hayes

A new structure is in place with chairman Jonny Hayes at the helm and North East non-league stalwarts Amar and Arjun Purewal, who currently play for Northern League club Bishop Auckland, appointed as directors of the new-look club.

Ahead of Friday night’s game, Hayes told The Echo: “From our perspective, we started the club as a grassroots club and we had one Under-9s team that did training sessions with Amar and Arjun’s company, AP Coaching, on a Monday night. We now have ten teams and with Farringdon Detached’s resignation from the Wearside League, the Colliery Welfare pitch was free on a Saturday so we knew we needed to strike when the iron was hot. We have assembled a squad, it’s a good news story and football is back at Ryhope. We all have close ties to Ryhope so it’s a really exciting time for us.”

Community

Ryhope CW players, coaches and supporters celebrate their Durham Challenge Cup Final win after they came through a penalty shoot-out to see off Northern League rivals Crook Town | Ryhope CW

There are no links with the Ryhope CW that impressed under dearly missed former manager Gary Pearson - and this is viewed as a completely fresh start for the club.

However, there is a determination to remain true to the club’s values, traditions and heritage as the embark on life under new player-manager Jordon Cottee ahead of the new season. Although progression on the pitch is a clear target, Hayes believes forging a strong connection with the local community is key to ensure long-term success after what he described as ‘a four-year pause’ in the club’s history.

‘A real buzz’

Amar Purewal (L), Jonny Hayes (C), Arjun Purewal (R) (photo Ryhope CW) | Ryhope CW

He said: “The bigger success story is Ryhope being back, albeit is a grassroots club, and we are re-entering the football pyramid. Success would be brilliant we don’t want to stagnate and we want to progress at a sensible pace - but the biggest success would be to get the local community engaged and we are hoping for a good crowd tomorrow night.

“We have a huge opportunity and we’ve had messages from former players and people that watched Ryhope CW in the Northern League. We want to get a lot of the kids down, make it a family night and get a real buzz going. From a community perspective, that can only be a positive thing. This is a fresh start for the club and it’s under new stewardship with myself, Arjun and Amar and it’s a new beginning that we are really excited to see.”

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