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Salford City Football Club is a professional
football club in
Salford
Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...
,
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: Manchester, Salford, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tam ...
, England. The club competes in
League Two
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
, the fourth tier of the
English football league system.
The club was founded as Salford Central in 1940, and played minor local league football until winning a place in the
Manchester League
The Manchester Football League is a football league in England, affiliated with Manchester FA, covering a 30-mile radius from Manchester Town Hall. It was formed in 1893, although play ceased between 1912 and 1920. Currently it consists of fiv ...
in 1963. Salford were winners of the
Lancashire Amateur Cup in 1971, 1973, and 1975 and the
Manchester Premier Cup
The Manchester Premier Cup (also known as the Frank Hannah Manchester Premier Cup) is an annual English football knockout tournament involving teams from Greater Manchester, England. It is a County Cup competition of the Manchester Football ...
in 1978 and 1979. The club joined the
Cheshire County League in 1980, which amalgamated into the
North West Counties Football League (NWCFL) two years later. They changed their name again in 1989, to Salford City, and secured promotion into the
Northern Premier League (NPL) in 2008. The club survived in the league on the final day of the following season, an achievement known in club folklore as
The Great Escape.
In 2014, Salford
were taken over by former
Manchester United players
Nicky Butt
Nicholas Butt (born 21 January 1975) is an English football coach and former player who was most recently the head of first-team development at Manchester United. He is also a co-owner and chief executive officer of Salford City.
He played prof ...
,
Ryan Giggs,
Gary Neville
Gary Alexander Neville (born 18 February 1975) is an English football pundit and former player. He is also a co-owner of English Football League club Salford City. After retiring from football in 2011, Neville went into punditry and was a comm ...
,
Phil Neville
Philip John Neville (born 21 January 1977) is an English football manager and former player, who is the head coach of MLS team Inter Miami CF. He is also the co-owner of Salford City, along with several of his former Manchester United teamma ...
, and
Paul Scholes
Paul Scholes (born 16 November 1974) is an English football coach, pundit, former player, and co-owner of Salford City. He spent his entire professional playing career with Manchester United, for whom he scored over 150 goals in more than 700 ...
, who each own 10% of the club, with
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
an businessman
Peter Lim
Peter Lim (born 21 May 1953) is a Singaporean business magnate who was a stockbroker, and is now a private investor who has invested in sectors ranging from palm oil to medicine. In 2019, Forbes ranked him as the 10th richest person in Singa ...
owning the rest;
David Beckham purchased a 10% share from Lim in 2019. Under the management duo of Anthony Johnson and Bernard Morley, they were crowned NPL Division One North champions in 2015, won the NPL Premier Division play-offs in 2016, and the
National League North
The National League North, formerly Conference North, is a division of the National League in England, immediately below the National League division. Along with the National League South, it is at the second level of the National League Syst ...
title in 2018. This success was followed in 2019 with promotion to the
English Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engl ...
(EFL) after winning the 2019 National League play-off Final, under the stewardship of
Graham Alexander. Salford won the
EFL Trophy in their début campaign.
Salford play their home games at
Moor Lane
Moor Lane, known as the Peninsula Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is a football ground in the Kersal area of Salford, Greater Manchester, England, which has a capacity of 5,108 and is the home of Salford City Football Club.
History
Salford ...
, which underwent a major transformation between 2016 and 2017, and is currently known as the "Peninsula Stadium" for sponsorship purposes. The club have primarily worn tangerine shirts and black shorts throughout their recorded history, before switching to red shirts and white shorts following the takeover. The club's nickname, ''The Ammies'', stems from their name from the early 1960s to the early 1970s, Salford Amateurs. The club's anthem is
The Pogues
The Pogues were an English or Anglo-Irish Celtic punk band fronted by Shane MacGowan and others, founded in Kings Cross, London in 1982, as "Pogue Mahone" – the anglicisation of the Irish Gaelic ''póg mo thóin'', meaning "kiss my arse" ...
cover of "
Dirty Old Town
"Dirty Old Town" is a song written by Ewan MacColl in 1949 that was made popular by The Dubliners and The Pogues.
History
The song was written about Salford, Lancashire, England, the city where MacColl was born and brought up. It was original ...
", a song written by Salford local
Ewan MacColl.
History
1940 to 1982: The Ammies in Amateur Football
The club was founded in 1940 as Salford Central, named after a Salford church where the club was founded.
The club competed in local leagues until 1963, when they were promoted to the
Manchester Football League
The Manchester Football League is a football league in England, affiliated with Manchester FA, covering a 30-mile radius from Manchester Town Hall. It was formed in 1893, although play ceased between 1912 and 1920. Currently it consists of fiv ...
and changed the club name to Salford Amateurs. Now nicknamed "The Ammies", Salford won the
Lancashire County Football Association
The Lancashire County Football Association, also known simply as the Lancashire FA, is the governing body of football within the historical county boundaries of Lancashire, England. They are responsible for the governance and development of foot ...
(LFA) Amateur Cup for the first time in 1971, beating Aintree Villa 4–0 at
Old Trafford, with all four goals arriving in extra time. They won a second LFA Amateur Cup in 1973, defeating Langton 3–1 at Old Trafford. and won a third in 1975 by beating
Waterloo Dock 2–1 at
Maine Road
Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England, that was home to Manchester City F.C. from 1923 to 2003. It hosted FA Cup semi-finals, the Charity Shield, a League Cup final and England matches. Maine Road's highest a ...
. Salford came close to a fourth cup success in 1977, reaching the semi-finals before losing to Blackpool Rangers.
Further success arrived for Salford later in the decade in the form of the
Manchester Premier Cup
The Manchester Premier Cup (also known as the Frank Hannah Manchester Premier Cup) is an annual English football knockout tournament involving teams from Greater Manchester, England. It is a County Cup competition of the Manchester Football ...
, lifting the trophy in 1978 and 1979. The club changed their name once more, dropping the Amateurs moniker to become known simply as Salford, and moved into their current home
Moor Lane
Moor Lane, known as the Peninsula Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is a football ground in the Kersal area of Salford, Greater Manchester, England, which has a capacity of 5,108 and is the home of Salford City Football Club.
History
Salford ...
in 1978. In the
1980–81 season, Salford reached the fourth round of the
FA Vase, losing 2–0 to eventual winners
Whickham
Whickham is a village in Tyne and Wear, North East England. It is in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. The village is on high ground overlooking the River Tyne and south-west of Newcastle upon Tyne. It was formerly governed under the histor ...
. Following restoration of the ground and a merger with Anson Villa, Salford entered the
Cheshire County League in the same season, finishing 15th and 16th in Division 2, before the league amalgamated with the
Lancashire Combination
The Lancashire Combination was a football league founded in the North West of England in 1891–92. It absorbed the Lancashire League in 1903. In 1968 the Combination lost five of its clubs to the newly formed Northern Premier League. In 1982 it ...
to form the
North West Counties Football League (NWCFL).
1982 to 2008: North West Counties League
Salford started off in the second division of the NWCFL, and were promoted to the first division in 1986 despite finishing 18th, due to a reshuffling of the pyramid.
The club would adopt its current name of Salford City in 1989 and, the following season, they returned to the final of the Manchester Premier Cup, losing to
Curzon Ashton
Curzon Ashton Football Club is an association football club based in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, England. Founded in 1963 and nicknamed "The Nash", the club is affiliated to the Manchester Football Association and currently compete ...
. Later in 1990, they entered the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
for the first time to mark the club's 50th anniversary, losing 3–0 to
Warrington Town. Brief highlights of the game were included in the BBC's coverage of the buildup to the 1991 FA Cup final. Salford would later be relegated out of Division One into Division Two at the end of the
1990–91
Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 '' Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since t ...
season, though a league restructuring saw them immediately promoted
the following season. The
2001–02 saw Salford narrowly miss out on major success; despite amassing 97 points, they missed out on promotion to
Prescot Cables on
goal difference, and also made another appearance in the final of the Manchester Premier Cup in 2002, but lost 3–1 to
Ashton United at
Boundary Park
Boundary Park is a football stadium in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. Its name originates from the fact that it lies at the northwestern extremity of Oldham, with Royton and Chadderton lying immediately north and west respectively.
Bound ...
. Manager Andy Brown resigned in March of
the next season, with their title challenge collapsing following a post-Christmas run of one win in 10, culminating in a 4–0 defeat to
Skelmersdale United
Skelmersdale United Football Club is a football club from Skelmersdale, Lancashire. They are currently members of the and play at The Community Ground, Burscough. The club is a member of both the Liverpool F.A. and the Lancashire County Footb ...
.
In the 2003–04 season, with the team 16 points behind
Mossley
Mossley (/ˈmɒzli/) is a town and civil parish in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England, in the upper Tame Valley and the foothills of the Pennines, southeast of Oldham and east of Manchester.
The historic counties of Lancashire, Cheshir ...
despite being again considered amongst the favourites for the league, the club sacked Chris Wilcock and replaced him with former player Mark Molyneaux. He lasted less than a year before resigning, citing financial restrictions placed on him by the club. He was replaced by Darren Lyons. In the 2004–05 season, Salford reached the third round of the
FA Vase before losing 2–1 to
West Allotment Celtic In March, they appointed
John Foster as manager to replace Darren Lyons, with his first game being a 5–1 victory over
Atherton Collieries. At the end of the season, Foster left his role as manager, and was replaced by
Irlam
Irlam is a suburb in the City of Salford, Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, it had a population of 19,933. It lies on flat ground on the south side of the M62 motorway and the north bank of the Manchester Ship Canal, southwest of Salfo ...
manager Gary Fellows. Fellows began his reign with a 4–2 win against
Glossop North End, followed by a 4–2 loss to title favourites
Cammell Laird.
In January 2006, Salford pulled off a coup by signing former
Manchester United starlet
Ben Thornley, with the hopes of boosting matchday attendance. Having defeated
Ramsbottom United 2–1, Salford reached the NWCFL League Challenge Cup semi-finals for the first time, where they overcome a first leg loss to beat
Oldham Town
Oldham Borough F.C. was an English association football club based in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. The club was founded in 1964 as Oldham Dew F.C., changing their name in 1985 to Oldham Town, again in 2009 to Oldham Boro before making the ...
2–1 over two legs. In May, Salford won the final, overcoming holders Cammell Laird 3–2 in the final; goals from Jamie Baguley, John Robinson and Callum Higginbottom gave Salford a 3–0 lead which eventually won Salford the trophy, the first time they had achieved silverware in their 24 years as a semi-professional team. However, the club would miss out on promotion on the last day of the season, with a 1–0 loss to Cammell Laird dropping them to fifth, with restructuring of the league meaning only three teams would be promoted.
2006 to 2008: Push for Promotion
In June, local businessman and former Salford player Darren Quick became the new Salford chairman, taking over from Ged Carter,
and was being quoted as saying that he was targeting
Conference football within six years, while promising Fellows a bigger budget to help the club fulfil their potential. The season began with a 3–1 home loss to Curzon Ashton, despite having gone a goal up after 15 minutes, but followed with five wins on the bounce to move into third in the table. On 3 October, Salford played a home league game against
F.C. United of Manchester
Football Club United of Manchester is a semi-professional football club based in Moston, Manchester, England, that competes in the , the seventh tier of the English football league system, and plays home matches at Broadhurst Park.
Found ...
at
The Willows, previous home of
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 11 ...
side
Salford City Reds
The Salford Red Devils are a professional rugby league club in Salford, Greater Manchester, England, who play in the Super League. Formed in 1873, they have won six Championships and one Challenge Cup. Their home ground since 2012 has been t ...
; Salford won the game 2–1 in front of a crowd of 4,058, leaving Fellows to be confident of a title challenge. After consecutively beating
Stone Dominoes and
Squires Gate 5–0 and 4–0 respectively, Salford moved level on points with FC United in December, and then became sole league-leaders at Christmas having picked up four points from games against
Newcastle Town and
Maine Road
Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England, that was home to Manchester City F.C. from 1923 to 2003. It hosted FA Cup semi-finals, the Charity Shield, a League Cup final and England matches. Maine Road's highest a ...
, with Fellows restating his belief the club could go on to win the league.
In the 2007–08 season, Salford were again amongst the favourites for promotion, and began their campaign with back-to-back 2–1 victories against
Formby
Formby is a town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England, which had a population of 22,419 at the 2011 Census.
Historically in Lancashire, three manors are recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 under "Fo ...
and
Winsford United. They went unbeaten in nine games before suffering a 1–0 defeat to
Silsden
Silsden is a town and civil parish in the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England, on the River Aire and Leeds and Liverpool Canal between Keighley and Skipton, which had a population of 8,268 at the 2011 Census. The parish includes the haml ...
in late October. They ended their campaign by defeating league champions
Trafford
Trafford is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England, with an estimated population of 235,493 in 2017. It covers Retrieved on 13 December 2007. and includes the area of Old Trafford and the towns of Altrincham, Stretford, Ur ...
3–0 followed two days later by a 2–1 win against
Runcorn Linnets
Runcorn Linnets F.C. are an English football club based in Runcorn, Cheshire. The club currently plays in the , and is a full member of the Cheshire County Football Association. The club is run by a trust which is a registered society under t ...
, meaning the club finished second in Division One of the North West Counties League, and after weeks of uncertainty, the FA confirmed that the club had been promoted to Division One North of the NPL, the eighth tier of the
English football league system and what would be the highest level the club had ever played at. Salford would also enter the FA Vase for the final time in
this season, achieving their joint-best run after beating
Hallam 3–0, before suffering a surprise 3–1 defeat to
Coventry Sphinx
Coventry Sphinx Football Club is a football club based in Coventry, West Midlands, England. They are currently members of the and play at Sphinx Drive.
History
The club was established in 1946 as a works team for Armstrong Siddeley under th ...
.
2008–09: The Great Escape
The club suffered a difficult start in the NPL, losing six of their first seven matches, including shipping four goals in three consecutive games to
Clitheroe
Clitheroe () is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England; it is located north-west of Manchester. It is near the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists visiting the area. In 2018, the Cl ...
,
Mossley
Mossley (/ˈmɒzli/) is a town and civil parish in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England, in the upper Tame Valley and the foothills of the Pennines, southeast of Oldham and east of Manchester.
The historic counties of Lancashire, Cheshir ...
, and
Bamber Bridge
Bamber Bridge is an urban village in Lancashire, England, south-east of Preston, in the borough of South Ribble. The name derives from the Old English "bēam" and "brycg", which probably means "tree-trunk bridge". The population was 13,945 at ...
, a run of form which resulted in Fellows being relieved of his managerial duties in October 2008. In the two fixtures following his departure, the team picked up their second point of the season against
Colwyn Bay
Colwyn Bay ( cy, Bae Colwyn) is a town, community and seaside resort in Conwy County Borough on the north coast of Wales overlooking the Irish Sea. It lies within the historic county of Denbighshire. Eight neighbouring communities are incorpo ...
, followed by a victory in the
FA Trophy preliminary stage against
Gresley Rovers. Salford moved to appoint former
Bridlington Town
Bridlington Town Association Football Club is an association football club based in Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. They were founded in 1918 and currently play in the .
History
The club was founded in 1918 as Bridlington Centra ...
and
Stockport Sports manager Ashley Berry as the new manager, with Greg Challender as his assistant, and he quickly made experienced midfielder
Neil Redfearn
Neil David Redfearn (born 20 June 1965) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder, who was most recently head coach of Sheffield United Women.
Redfearn played 790 matches in the Football League, the sixth highest ...
their first signing. His first game in charge did not bring about a change in fortunes, losing 6–2 at home to
Trafford
Trafford is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England, with an estimated population of 235,493 in 2017. It covers Retrieved on 13 December 2007. and includes the area of Old Trafford and the towns of Altrincham, Stretford, Ur ...
. Berry's first win in charge, and the club's first league win of the season, came on 15 November, when they defeated Mossley despite going behind in the 19th minute.
After only two months and with results still not improving, Berry was sacked, with chairman Darren Quick citing the club's desperation to not be relegated after only one season in the division. Berry was replaced the following month by former
Flixton manager Paul Wright; however, Salford were unaware of a pre-existing suspension he had received from
the Football Association
The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world a ...
for a "serious touchline breach", meaning Wright was unable to start work until March and thus forcing the club to appoint their fourth manager of the season, Neil Hall, who deputised for the first two months of 2009. By the time Wright took up his position, Salford were languishing at the bottom of the league, having achieved one win and a total of eight points from their first 26 games, leaving them 15 points adrift from safety.
A second win of the season finally came in March, when new signing Steve Foster scored all five goals in a 5–3 away win at
Lancaster City. This was followed three days later by Salford's worst ever defeat, an 8–1 shellacking from
Wakefield
Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...
, a game where Salford went into the break level before conceding seven second-half goals. Their first victory of the season at Moor Lane came at the end of March, a 1–0 win against
Bamber Bridge
Bamber Bridge is an urban village in Lancashire, England, south-east of Preston, in the borough of South Ribble. The name derives from the Old English "bēam" and "brycg", which probably means "tree-trunk bridge". The population was 13,945 at ...
also marking Salford's first
clean sheet of the season, and meant they had more than halved the points deficit to their closest relegation rival. The club's form continued to improve, and they achieved an important 3–1 victory over relegation rivals
Rossendale United at the beginning of April, a game dubbed "''The Game of Death''". Over the Easter weekend, Salford picked up a further four points with a 2–2 draw with
Chorley followed by a 3–1 win over
Warrington Town, meaning they now sat only four points behind Rossendale with a game in hand. Salford won their game in hand against
Harrogate Railway Athletic
Harrogate Railway Athletic Football Club is a football club based in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. They are currently members of the and play at Station View.
History
The club was established in 1935 by employees of the London and Nor ...
, but lost 4–1 to Skelmersdale United, meaning the relegation battle would be decided in the last round of fixtures.
Survival was secured on the final day of the season with a 5–2 win away at
Garforth Town
Garforth Town Association Football Club is a football club based in Garforth, West Yorkshire, England. They are members of the and play at Wheatley Park.
History
The club was established in 1964 as Miners Arms, a Sunday league team based at ...
. It was a turnaround in fortunes dubbed "The Great Escape"; the club had been bottom of the table since August, were relying on Rossendale losing to Mossley, and were losing their own game 1–0 at half-time.
2009 to 2014: Northern Premier League
The 2009–10 season saw strong performances in the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
and the
FA Trophy, with the club reaching the third qualification stage of both competitions, eventually losing in extra time to
Blyth Spartans
Blyth Spartans Association Football Club is a football club based in Blyth, Northumberland. They are currently members of and play at Croft Park.
They were founded in September 1899 by Fred Stoker, who was the club's first secretary before fo ...
in the FA Cup in October, before succumbing to a last minute defeat to
King's Lynn. In October, arsonists burned down Salford's clubhouse, destroying memorabilia and photographs collected for over 20 years. In February 2010, having lost four of their last five home matches, Salford parted company with Wright. Chairman Darren Quick took the unusual step of taking on the role of caretaker manager, to be assisted by the club's former manager Mark Molyneaux, with the pair taking four points of a possible six after beating Garforth Town 1–0 and drawing with Wakefield. A few weeks later, it was revealed the pair would be in charge until the end of the season. Under the pair, the team again enjoyed a strong finish to the season, taking 36 points from the remaining games and finishing 11th in the table, their highest ever league finish.
Salford started the
2010–11 season in similar form to the end of the previous; a last minute equaliser earned a 2–2 draw with
Trafford
Trafford is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England, with an estimated population of 235,493 in 2017. It covers Retrieved on 13 December 2007. and includes the area of Old Trafford and the towns of Altrincham, Stretford, Ur ...
which was followed with a 2–1 away to
Prescot Cables, meaning they sat in eighth place, their highest league position since promotion two years earlier. But their form soon took a downturn; following two heavy home defeats in the league in four days, 4–0 to
Chester and 5–0 to
Skelmersdale United
Skelmersdale United Football Club is a football club from Skelmersdale, Lancashire. They are currently members of the and play at The Community Ground, Burscough. The club is a member of both the Liverpool F.A. and the Lancashire County Footb ...
, and a 4–1 defeat in the FA Trophy qualification to
Ossett Albion
Ossett Albion Association Football Club was an English football club. They played at Queen's Terrace in Ossett, in West Yorkshire, more commonly known as Dimplewells, the area of Ossett the ground is situated in.
History
The club was formed in ...
, Quick decided to end his tenure as caretaker manager having lost six games in a row. He quickly replaced himself with Rhodri Giggs, who would act as player-manager, and he began his reign with a 4–0 win against
Durham City. Results continued to improve under Giggs, managing to win his first six games in charge which resulted in Salford being just outside the promotion places. However, after losing star striker Steve Foster to
Chorley in March, Salford lost 6–2 to Durham.
It was Foster's replacement
Jack Redshaw who would help Salford rediscover their form, scoring the second in a 2–1 win against Wakefield for the club's first win in seven games, before taking his tally to five goals in four games by scoring both goals in a 2–0 win over struggling
Leigh Genesis. After picking up four points from six against during the Easter weekend against
Prescot Cables and
Warrington Town, Salford moved into the top ten, and eventually finished the season in 12th position.
The club began well in
2011–12, with hopes of a playoff push, but a poor run of form at the start of 2012, combined with the frequent departure of the club's top players, including Player of the Year Matty Cross to Warrington, resulted in a mid-table finish. After the final home game of the season, Giggs announced he was resigning from the post with immediate effect, with club captain Darren Hockenhull taking over the final two games against
AFC Fylde
AFC Fylde is a professional football club based in Wesham in the Borough of Fylde, Lancashire, England. They are currently members of the and play at Mill Farm.
Originally known as Kirkham & Wesham following a merger of Kirkham Town and Wesh ...
and Ossett Albion.
In May 2012, the club appointed
Darren Sheridan as the new manager. The
2012–13 league season started well, and the club also enjoyed a local derby in the preliminary round of the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
against
FC United of Manchester
Football Club United of Manchester is a semi-professional football club based in Moston, Manchester, England, that competes in the , the seventh tier of the English football league system, and plays home matches at Broadhurst Park.
Founded ...
. Over 1,300 fans were in attendance at Moor Lane to watch a narrow loss in a five-goal thriller. Sheridan's tenure lasted only eight months, resigning in January 2013 following a review of the club's budget, with his final game being a 5–2 win against Wakefield despite being down to 8 players. Salford appointed Andy Heald as caretaker manager, before announcing his permanent appointment a month later. Before his first game, club captain Jimmy Holden departed, defender Jameel Ibe left for
York City
York City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team compete in the National League, at the fifth tier of the English football league sys ...
, and striker Danny Heffernan returned to Australia; Heald managed the team to a 2–2 draw with Mossley. Under his leadership, Salford finished a disappointing 16th place, which included a 6–0 battering by Trafford, but enjoyed a run to the final of the Manchester Premier Cup where they faced Mossley at
Edgeley Park
Edgeley Park is a football stadium in Edgeley, Stockport, England. Built for rugby league club Stockport RFC in 1891, by 1903, the rugby club was defunct and Stockport County Football Club moved in.
Edgeley Park is an all-seater stadium hold ...
; despite a rousing late comeback to level the game at 2–2, Salford lost 4–2 in the resulting penalty shoot-out. At the end of the season, Heald and his assistant Chris Thompson left the club by mutual consent, citing business and family commitments.
Ahead of the
2013–14 campaign, the club experienced several major changes; club legend Barry Massay and
Phil Power
Philip Damian Power (born 25 July 1967) is an English football manager and former professional footballer who played in the Football League, as a forward. He was most recently manager at Salford City, and was featured in the BBC documentary, ...
were appointed as joint managers, Salford based businesswoman Karen Baird took over as chairman from the long-serving Quick, and the first team squad now had a "Salford core", having retained only three players from the previous season. The new management team got off to a strong start, beginning with a first ever opening day victory in the division, a 1–0 victory over
Harrogate Railway Athletic
Harrogate Railway Athletic Football Club is a football club based in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. They are currently members of the and play at Station View.
History
The club was established in 1935 by employees of the London and Nor ...
, and were unbeaten after the first six games of the season until a 2–0 defeat to
Burscough
Burscough () is a town and civil parish in West Lancashire in the ceremonial county of Lancashire, England. It is located to the north of Ormskirk and northwest of Skelmersdale.
The parish also includes the hamlet of Tarlscough and the Martin ...
. Form began to dip, winning just one of their next twelve games before a 2–1 away win against Ossett Albion in November. The decision was made to reshuffle the management team with Power assuming sole managerial responsibility and Massay dropping down to an assistant managerial role, before subsequently leaving the club completely a month later. In their next game, Salford scored their most ever goals in a game in the division when they defeated
Kendal Town 6–3 at home.
2014 to 2017: Takeover by the Class of '92
On 27 March 2014, it was announced that, subject to FA and NPL approval, Salford would be taken over by the ''Project 92 Limited'' consortium, a group consisting of former
Manchester United players
Nicky Butt
Nicholas Butt (born 21 January 1975) is an English football coach and former player who was most recently the head of first-team development at Manchester United. He is also a co-owner and chief executive officer of Salford City.
He played prof ...
,
Ryan Giggs,
Gary Neville
Gary Alexander Neville (born 18 February 1975) is an English football pundit and former player. He is also a co-owner of English Football League club Salford City. After retiring from football in 2011, Neville went into punditry and was a comm ...
,
Phil Neville
Philip John Neville (born 21 January 1977) is an English football manager and former player, who is the head coach of MLS team Inter Miami CF. He is also the co-owner of Salford City, along with several of his former Manchester United teamma ...
, and
Paul Scholes
Paul Scholes (born 16 November 1974) is an English football coach, pundit, former player, and co-owner of Salford City. He spent his entire professional playing career with Manchester United, for whom he scored over 150 goals in more than 700 ...
, known collectively as the ''Class of '92'', expected to be completed by the summer.
Chairman Karen Baird described it as "massive", saying it would secure the future of the club. At the following Salford games, a 3–2 win over
Farsley Celtic and a 3–1 home loss to
New Mills
New Mills is a town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England, south-east of Stockport and from Manchester at the confluence of the River Goyt and Sett. It is close to the border with Cheshire and above the Torrs, a deep gorge cut t ...
, fans chanted "We are Tangerine" in protest at rumours the club's colours would be changed. Fan unrest continued to grow until the final game of the season, a 3–1 loss to Prescot Cables, which meant Salford finished the season in 12th position.
![Anthony Johnson and Bernard Morley](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/Anthony_Johnson_and_Bernard_Morley.jpg)
With the proposed takeover of the club completed, the new ownership team were present at pre-season training in July 2014, at which Giggs suggested the consortium had ambitious aims for the non-league club, with a target of
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
level football within 15 years. It was confirmed that Baird would remain the club's chairman and Power would continue as manager. Prior to the start of the 2014–15 season, the club announced a showcase match against a "Class of '92 XI" featuring all five of the new owners which Salford City went on to win 5–1. The 2014–15 season began with a 4–1 win at Moor Lane against
Scarborough Athletic
Scarborough Athletic Football Club is an association football club based in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England. The club was formed on 25 June 2007 as a phoenix club following the winding up of Scarborough Football Club. After spending the ...
, with several hardcore fans refusing to attend in protest to the changing of the club colours and badge, while the ''Salford Star'' dubbed the group ''The Class of
Vincent Tan
Vincent Tan Chee Yioun (; born 1952) is a Malaysian Chinese businessman and investor. He is the founder of Berjaya Corporation Berhad, a diversified conglomerate listed on the Malaysian stock exchange. Besides holding stakes through the Berj ...
'' in reference to the
Cardiff City owner who had also changed the club colours to red. The good start continued, with Salford unbeaten in the first 13 games. In September, the ownership team announced that they had agreed to sell a 50% stake in the club to Singapore–based billionaire
Peter Lim
Peter Lim (born 21 May 1953) is a Singaporean business magnate who was a stockbroker, and is now a private investor who has invested in sectors ranging from palm oil to medicine. In 2019, Forbes ranked him as the 10th richest person in Singa ...
, the owner of
Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...
.
Despite the promising start, a dip in form during December resulted in only four wins from the following 11 matches, which saw the team fall behind
Darlington at the top of the league. As a result, Power was sacked in January 2015 after 18 months in the role. Scholes and Phil Neville acted as caretaker managers for the subsequent match against
Kendal Town, before announcing the arrival of the new managerial team of Anthony Johnson and Bernard Morley. Johnson and Morley had led Ramsbottom United to promotion from the NPL Division One North during the previous season. The new managerial team went on to win 15 of the remaining 17 matches of the season, a feat which saw them regain their place at the top of the table. With Darlington failing to win their penultimate match of the season, Salford were crowned champions, guaranteeing promotion to the NPL Premier Division.
The championship was celebrated with Salford recording their ninth consecutive win in a 5–0 victory over
Ossett Town
Ossett Town Association Football Club was an English football club based in Ossett in West Yorkshire.
History
Ossett Town AFC were formed in 1936 when, during a public meeting, the Mayor of the Borough of Ossett charged John Carter, a former ...
in front of a crowd of over 1,100.
Johnson and Morley's first full season at the club began with a 0–0 home draw with
Marine. The club reached the 1st Round of the FA Cup for the first time in their 25-year association with the competition, having defeated fellow league side
Whitby Town, Curzon Ashton and
Bradford (Park Avenue) from the National League North, and
Southport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England.
Southport lies on the Iris ...
from the National League in the Qualifying Rounds. In front of a sell-out crowd of 1,400 and airing on live the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
, Salford scored a famous 2–0 win over
League Two
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
side
Notts County
Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 25 November 1862, it is the ...
at Moor Lane, with goals from
Danny Webber
Daniel Vaughn Webber (born 28 December 1981) is an English former professional football striker. He represented England under-20s in 2002.
Born in Manchester, Webber began his career as a trainee with Manchester United, but failed to cement ...
and substitute Richie Allen. In the 2nd round, they were drawn at home to another League Two side,
Hartlepool United
Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system.
They were founded i ...
, A 1–1 draw, again televised on the BBC, earned Salford a replay, this time aired on
BT Sport
BT Sport is a group of pay television sports channels in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Owned by Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe and BT Group, they first launched on 1 August 2013. The channels are based at the former International Bro ...
, where they took Hartlepool to extra-time before succumbing 2–0.
In January, Salford beat
Barwell 7–0 to move second in the table. Having been in the top five places for the majority of the season, Salford eventually finished third behind champions Darlington 1883 and runners-up Blyth Spartans to claim a playoff place. Ashton United were defeated 3–1 in the semi-final at Moor Lane, which was followed up four days later with a 3–2 win over
Workington
Workington is a coastal town and civil parish at the mouth of the River Derwent on the west coast in the Allerdale borough of Cumbria, England. The town was historically in Cumberland. At the 2011 census it had a population of 25,207.
Locat ...
at the same venue in front of nearly 2,000 spectators. The Ammies' scored twice in the final eleven minutes to claim their place in the
National League North
The National League North, formerly Conference North, is a division of the National League in England, immediately below the National League division. Along with the National League South, it is at the second level of the National League Syst ...
for the 2016–17 season, the highest level the club had ever reached in their 76-year history.
Johnson and Morley celebrated their 100th game in charge on 19 November, with Salford picking up a 3–0 win against
Worcester City
Worcester City Football Club is an English football club based in Worcester, Worcestershire. The club play in the Midland Football League, the ninth tier of English football. Established in 1902, the club play at Claines Lane.
Worcester City's ...
.
2017 to 2019: Turning Professional
In March 2017, Johnson and Morley both signed two-year full-time contracts, starting from 1 April. The club also announced that from 1 July, players with the club would become full-time professional players. Salford appointed
Chris Casper
Christopher Martin Casper (born 28 April 1975) is an English football manager and former player who is now the director of football at League Two side Salford City.
As a player he was a defender who played in the Premier League for Manches ...
, who was part of the ''Class of '92'', as the club's sporting director in charge of ''Academy 92''. Ahead of their first professional campaign, the owners outlined their target to eventually reach the Premier League. In May, Salford lost in the National League North playoff semi-final, being defeated on penalties by
Halifax Town
FC Halifax Town is a professional association football club based in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. They currently compete in and play at the Shay. They replaced Halifax Town A.F.C., which went into administration in the 2007–08 season. ...
.
On 5 August, Salford-born
Liam Hogan
Liam Anthony Hogan (born 8 February 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Oldham Athletic.
Career Woodley Sports
Hogan started his career at Greater Manchester club Woodley Sports (afterwards known as ...
was announced as the new club captain. On 12 August, Mani Ogunrinde and Anointed Chukwu became the first ''Academy 92'' players to represent the first team, when they came on as late substitutes in a 2–0 away win against
Telford United. On 21 April 2018, with promotion rivals
Harrogate Town
Harrogate Town A.F.C. is a professional association football club in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, which competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system.
The club is nicknamed the Sulphurites, due to the ...
losing away to Bradford P.A., the club were promoted as champions of the National League North with one game to play, despite a 2–1 home defeat to
Boston United
Boston United Football Club is a semi-professional association football club based in Boston, Lincolnshire, England. The club participates in the National League North, at the sixth tier of the English football league system. The club is known ...
, and in the process secured promotion to
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...
, once again re-setting the bar for the highest level the club had ever attained. On 8 May, it was announced Johnson and Morley had left the club by mutual consent, due to irreconcilable differences regarding performance and contract length. On 14 May,
Graham Alexander was appointed as the club's new manager after signing a four-year contract.
Ahead of the season, Salford were regarded as favourites to take the one automatic promotion place, but faced criticism for their spending and were accused of trying to "steal" a place in the Football League. In their first game in the National League on 4 August, they drew 1–1 with promotion rivals
Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient Football Club is a professional football club based in Leyton, East London, England, who compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They are the second oldest football club in London to play at a profession ...
, with their goal being scored by
Rory Gaffney
Rory Nicholas Gaffney (born 23 October 1989) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a striker for League of Ireland Club Shamrock Rovers
Career Limerick
Gaffney started his career at League of Ireland First Division team Mervue Unite ...
. Their first victory in the division was achieved on 14 August, with a 2–1 home win against
Halifax Town
FC Halifax Town is a professional association football club based in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. They currently compete in and play at the Shay. They replaced Halifax Town A.F.C., which went into administration in the 2007–08 season. ...
. Salford reached the first round of the FA Cup for a second time; having defeated Marine 2–1 in the
final qualifying round, they were drawn to play away at
League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
side
Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of English football. The club plays its home games at the New Meadow, having mo ...
. An equaliser from
Adam Rooney
Adam Christopher David Rooney (born 21 April 1988) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Brackley Town. He previously played for Stoke City, spent spells on loan at Yeovil Town, Chesterfield and Bury, was a re ...
earned Salford a replay, in which Rooney would score again in a 3–1 defeat. Salford suffered three consecutive defeats in the Christmas period which left them in third place, five points behind Orient – a 2–1 loss to
Dagenham & Redbridge was followed by a heavy 5–1 defeat to promotion rivals
Wrexham
Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...
on Boxing Day. Three days later, 10-man Salford conceded a 94th-minute goal in a 3–2 away loss to
Barrow.
They quickly closed the gap on leaders Leyton Orient, winning 3–0 in the reverse fixture at
Brisbane Road on 5 January. Later that month it was announced that
David Beckham was set to join his Class of '92 teammates as part owner of the club, taking 10% of the club previously held by Peter Lim, with the deal being subject to FA approval. Salford would go on a 10 match unbeaten run, including a late comeback to beat
Bromley
Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 87,889 as of 2011.
Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, c ...
2–1, and an 88th-minute winner against
Boreham Wood
Borehamwood (, historically also Boreham Wood) is a town in southern Hertfordshire, England, from Charing Cross. Borehamwood has a population of 31,074, and is within the London commuter belt. The town's film and TV studios are commonly known ...
to win 3–2. They would finally miss out on the title, and automatic promotion, by losing their final games of the season to Fylde and Hartlepool, meaning the club finished third in the table behind champions Orient and
Solihull Moors.
During the season, Salford played their first ever games in the
FA Trophy proper, starting with a 3–1 win over
Gateshead in the first round in December, followed by a 3–1 win against Dagenham & Redbridge. In the third round Salford faced
Maidstone United where they were held to a 1–1 draw at home, meaning a replay was necessary, which Maidstone won 3–0 a week later.
2019–2021: Promotion to the Football League
On 5 May 2019, Salford reached the
National League play-off Final after overcoming
Eastleigh
Eastleigh is a town in Hampshire, England, between Southampton and Winchester. It is the largest town and the administrative seat of the Borough of Eastleigh, with a population of 24,011 at the 2011 census.
The town lies on the River Itchen, ...
in a penalty shootout after a 1–1 draw, meaning they would play at
Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 2002 to 2003. The stadium ...
for the first time in their history. On 11 May, they beat Fylde 3–0 in the final, with goals from
Emmanuel Dieseruvwe
Emmanuel Aghogho Oluwafemi Dieseruvwe (born 20 February 1995) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for National League side FC Halifax Town.
Beginning his career with Sheffield Wednesday, Dieseruvwe has played for Che ...
,
Carl Piergianni, and
Ibou Touray; this marked the first time Salford had ever reached the
Football League. During the summer, the club appointed
Warren Joyce
Warren Garton Joyce (born 20 January 1965) is an English football manager and former player, who is currently the lead coach of Nottingham Forest F.C.'s U18 Squad.
As a player, he played in The Football League for Bolton Wanderers, Preston ...
to manage their first ever development squad, designed to be a stepping stone between the academy and the first team.
They began
their first season in the league with a 2–0 win against
Stevenage, with both goals coming from Dieseruvwe. Salford would take part in two competitions for the first time; they lost their first ever game in the
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
3–0 at home to
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...
in front of 4,518 fans, a record attendance at Moor Lane. They achieved their first away victory in the Football League on 5 October, when goals from
Luke Armstrong
Luke Thomas Armstrong (born 2 July 1996) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for League Two club Harrogate Town.
Club career Early career
Armstrong began his career with Middlesbrough, making his way up through the ac ...
,
Jake Jervis
Jake Mario Jervis (born 17 September 1991) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger or striker for Indian Super League club East Bengal.
Jervis made his first-team debut for Birmingham City in the FA Cup in January 2010, fi ...
, and Touray gave the club a 3–0 win against
Walsall
Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands County, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east of Wolverhampton and from Lichfield.
Walsall is th ...
. Later in the season, the club would reach the
EFL Trophy Final after defeating
Newport County via a penalty shootout, where they were due to play
League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
side
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
; the game was postponed indefinitely following the
COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. In June, the league season was officially cut short after League Two clubs voted by an "overwhelmingly majority", with the league table to be decided on a
points per game basis, meaning Salford finished their début season in the Football League in 11th. Later that month, Salford took the decision to scrap their Under 18 team, deciding to focus exclusively on the development squad. Phil Neville said that the reason was both financial and because lower-league clubs could not attract the best youth players, and that the club would have a better chance developing 18 to 20 year olds under Warren Joyce.
Salford secured their first ever win in the League Cup in the first game of
the following season, defeating
Rotherham United
Rotherham United Football Club, nicknamed The Millers, is a professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The club's colours were initially yellow and black, but changed to red and white around 1 ...
on penalties after a 1–1 draw. A week later, it was announced that following a meeting held by the EFL with representatives from both Salford and Portsmouth, that the EFL Trophy Final would now take place in 2021. Alexander departed the club on 12 October following a 2–2 draw at home to
Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they ado ...
; the club were 5th in the league and unbeaten in the opening five games, and co-owner Scholes took the job on an interim basis. Alexander declared himself "disappointed" but said he hoped he gave everybody at the club "some great times to remember". Scholes' first game in charge was a 1–0 defeat to
Port Vale
Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley o ...
on 17 October, and he quickly ruled out taking the position on a permanent basis, citing the need for a more experienced manager. His first win came three days later with a 3–0 win against struggling
Southend United
Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. Southend are known as ...
.
On 4 November, the club announced that former Salford player
Richie Wellens
Richard Paul Wellens (born 26 March 1980) is an English professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He is currently head coach of EFL League Two club Leyton Orient.
Wellens began his career at Manchester United ...
, who was the manager of 2019–20 League Two champions
Swindon Town
Swindon Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club has played home matches at the County Ground sin ...
, would be their new manager. In his first interview, Wellens revealed he had been hired get the team to play a more attacking style of football and to get them promoted to League One. The first game of his reign came on 7 November, with a 2–0 win against Hartlepool in the
FA Cup first round courtesy of goals from
Bruno Andrade and Dieseruvwe in extra-time. Wellens suffered his first loss as Salford manager in his first league game in charge, a 2–0 loss against
Bolton Wanderers the following week, but won his first league game on 21 November against
Bradford City
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes.
...
, a 3–0 victory with two goals from
Luke Burgess and another from
Ian Henderson. On 13 March 2021, Wellens guided Salford to victory in the rescheduled EFL Trophy final; a 0–0 draw was followed by a penalty shootout, with Salford winning 4–2 after successful penalties by Burgess, Dieseruvwe,
Brandon Thomas-Asante, and
Jason Lowe. However, Wellens' time at the club came to an end on 22 March, departing Salford by mutual consent following a run of one win in eight games, with his final game in charge a 2–0 defeat to
Cheltenham Town
Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. From the 2021–22 season, the club compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league sy ...
.
Gary Bowyer
Gary David Bowyer (born 22 June 1971) is an English professional football coach and former player who is the manager of Scottish club Dundee.
As a player, he made 52 league appearances for Hereford United, Nottingham Forest and Rotherham Uni ...
was his replacement in charge, signing a deal until the end of the season.
2021 onwards
Bowyer was confirmed as Salford's permanent manager ahead of the club's third season in League Two, but managed the club's worst start to a campaign since the 2014 takeover, with no wins in the opening four games.
Stadium
![The Peninsula Stadium - Salford City](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/The_Peninsula_Stadium_-_Salford_City.jpg)
Salford play their home games at
Moor Lane
Moor Lane, known as the Peninsula Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is a football ground in the Kersal area of Salford, Greater Manchester, England, which has a capacity of 5,108 and is the home of Salford City Football Club.
History
Salford ...
, known as the Peninsula Stadium for sponsorship reasons, located in the
Kersal area of
Salford
Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...
. The stadium has a capacity of 5,108. The club has played their games at Moor Lane since 1978.
In December 2015,
Salford City Council
Salford City Council is the local authority of the City of Salford in Greater Manchester, England. It is a metropolitan borough council, one of ten in Greater Manchester and one of 36 in the metropolitan counties of England, and provides the maj ...
approved planning permission for the capacity of the ground to be increased from 2,163 to 5,172. In October of the following year, Salford unveiled plans to renovate the ground to comply with standards of the Football League, which would increase the capacity to 5,100. The plans included terraced stands behind the goals, a supporters' club with a capacity of 600, and executive seating.
In December, it was revealed Salford faced objections from hundreds of local residents, and the newly formed Kersal Moor Residents' Association, regarding the club's proposals, with worries over traffic and parking. However, later that month, Salford City Council granted permission for the ground's development. This involved completely demolishing the Moor Lane ground, the club's home since 1978, and putting in four new stands. By the end of February, two stands had already been completed as the club tried to beat a March deadline with regards to ground grading. In May, the "iconic" main stand was demolished as building work progressed.
On 19 October 2017, the newly built ground was renamed Peninsula Stadium for sponsorship reasons, and was unveiled by the ''Class of '92s former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson; the renaming was part a five-year deal with a local entrepreneur
Peter Done
Peter Eric Done (born 1947) is an English billionaire businessman, the founder and group managing director of Peninsula Business Services, established in 1983.
Done was born in Salford, Lancashire, England in February 1947. His wife is Anna Done ...
, who founded the law employment experts Peninsula in Salford. The ground has floodlights in the shape of the club badge,
while the terraces are "tight, steep, and covered", and has a leafy backdrop with a nearby church spire visible from within the ground.
Kit and badge
![Coat of arms of Salford City Council](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Coat_of_arms_of_Salford_City_Council.png)
The club's colours are red, white and black, which were originally used in 1980. Prior to the change in ownership in 2014, the club played in tangerine and black, and had also previously worn tangerine and white. Many Salford supporters were unhappy with the change at the time, with the manager at the time, Phil Power, describing the issue as "delicate".
The team also previously wore green in the 1970s, and used had various blue kits throughout the years; orange became their colour when dealing with financial difficulties and borrowed old kits from
Blackpool.
The club's logo also changed in 2014, replacing a
rampant lion
The lion is a common charge in heraldry. It traditionally symbolises courage, nobility, royalty, strength, stateliness and valour, because historically the lion has been regarded as the "king of beasts". The lion also carries Judeo-Christi ...
with one described as "bolder, more forward-facing". The current logo is said to replicate the shape of the hull of the ships in Salford's docks.
The club adopted two mottos from the coat of arms of the
City of Salford; the original motto "''Integrity & Industry''" features on the club kit, while the current city motto "''The Welfare of the People is the Highest Law''", translated from the Latin "''Salus Populi Suprema Lex''", is featured on the stadium walls.
Sponsorship and manufacturers
In 2013, Salford announced that the club's new main sponsors would be Manchester-based insurance brokers Champion Insurance. They were replaced in 2015 by LED Hut, and in 2017, the club signed a long-term deal with
Soccer Saturday
''Gillette Labs Soccer Saturday'' is a weekly television programme broadcast on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and Ireland during the football season. The programme updates viewers on the progress of association football games in the United ...
Super 6 to become the shirt sponsor. Upon the expiration of the deal,
telecommunications
Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than that fe ...
company
TalkTalk became Salford's lead sponsor until the end of the 2023–24 season.
In 2015, the club announced their kits would be supplied by
Umbro
Umbro is an English sports equipment manufacturer founded in 1924 in Wilmslow, Cheshire and based in Manchester. They specialise in football and rugby sportswear featuring their ''Double Diamond'' logo. Umbro products are marketed in over 10 ...
after signing a five-year contract. However, in 2019, Italian sportswear brand
Kappa were confirmed to be the new manufacturer of Salford's kits on a three-year deal. After the conclusion of this arrangement,
Castore became the manufacturer of Salford's kits from the
2022–23 season.
Tables of kit suppliers and shirt sponsors appear below:
Supporters and rivalries
At each home game the team walks out to
The Pogues
The Pogues were an English or Anglo-Irish Celtic punk band fronted by Shane MacGowan and others, founded in Kings Cross, London in 1982, as "Pogue Mahone" – the anglicisation of the Irish Gaelic ''póg mo thóin'', meaning "kiss my arse" ...
' cover of
Dirty Old Town
"Dirty Old Town" is a song written by Ewan MacColl in 1949 that was made popular by The Dubliners and The Pogues.
History
The song was written about Salford, Lancashire, England, the city where MacColl was born and brought up. It was original ...
, the 1949
Ewan McColl
James Henry Miller (25 January 1915 – 22 October 1989), better known by his stage name Ewan MacColl, was a Folk music, folk singer-songwriter, folk song collector, Union organizer, labour activist and actor. Born in England to Scottish people, ...
song inspired by the singer's childhood in Salford.
Following the takeover by the ''Class of '92'', Salford's fanbase and resulting attendance figures has steadily grown;
ahead of their début season as a Football League club, Salford had sold over 1,900 season tickets, an increase of approximately 800 from the previous season. The rise in fanbase has in part been attributed to many
Manchester United supporters opting to attend games at Salford due to the cost of attending games at Old Trafford and the relative affordability of a season ticket at Moor Lane.
Since their promotion to the Football League, the club do not maintain any strong rivalries. However, a survey conducted in August 2019 suggested that supporters of the club consider near neighbours
Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system.
The history of Oldham Athletic be ...
and
Bolton Wanderers to be the club's main rivals. The survey also revealed that smaller rivalries with
Accrington Stanley
Accrington Stanley Football Club is a professional association football club based in Accrington, Lancashire, England. The club competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They have spent their complete his ...
,
Macclesfield Town
Macclesfield Town Football Club was an English professional football club based in Macclesfield, Cheshire, that was wound-up after a High Court ruling on 16 September 2020.
Initially known as Macclesfield F.C., the club was formed in 1874 ...
and
Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, that competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' because of ...
also exist.
Fans of the club also maintain a dislike for
East London-based
Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient Football Club is a professional football club based in Leyton, East London, England, who compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They are the second oldest football club in London to play at a profession ...
due to the race for the
2018–19 National League
The 2018–19 National League season, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, was the fourth season under English football's new title of National League, fifteenth season consisting of three divisions and the fortieth season ...
title, which Orient eventually won.
During the club's non-league days, they maintained rivalries with
Curzon Ashton
Curzon Ashton Football Club is an association football club based in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, England. Founded in 1963 and nicknamed "The Nash", the club is affiliated to the Manchester Football Association and currently compete ...
,
Darlington,
FC United of Manchester
Football Club United of Manchester is a semi-professional football club based in Moston, Manchester, England, that competes in the , the seventh tier of the English football league system, and plays home matches at Broadhurst Park.
Founded ...
,
Ashton United and
Radcliffe Borough.
The club has three mascots, a
pride
Pride is defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". A healthy amount of pride is good, however, pride sometimes is used interchangeably with "conceit" or "arrogance" (among other words) w ...
of
anthropomorphic lions named Bobby, Billy, and Babs; the latter two were named as part of a competition in local schools.
Ownership
For many years, local businessman and former player Harold Brearley was in charge of Salford, helping take the club from local leagues into the semi-professional North West Counties League in 1982, and was instrumental in moving the club to their current home of Moor Lane in 1979. In June 2006, local businessman and former Salford player Darren Quick became the new Salford chairman, taking over from Ged Carter.
In December 2013, Salford club president Dave Russell held secret talks with former
Manchester United players
Gary Neville
Gary Alexander Neville (born 18 February 1975) is an English football pundit and former player. He is also a co-owner of English Football League club Salford City. After retiring from football in 2011, Neville went into punditry and was a comm ...
and
Ryan Giggs.
In February 2014, it was revealed by a local newspaper, the ''Salford Star'', that as well as Gary Neville and Giggs, fellow former
Manchester United players
Nicky Butt
Nicholas Butt (born 21 January 1975) is an English football coach and former player who was most recently the head of first-team development at Manchester United. He is also a co-owner and chief executive officer of Salford City.
He played prof ...
,
Phil Neville
Philip John Neville (born 21 January 1977) is an English football manager and former player, who is the head coach of MLS team Inter Miami CF. He is also the co-owner of Salford City, along with several of his former Manchester United teamma ...
, and
Paul Scholes
Paul Scholes (born 16 November 1974) is an English football coach, pundit, former player, and co-owner of Salford City. He spent his entire professional playing career with Manchester United, for whom he scored over 150 goals in more than 700 ...
, known collectively as the ''Class of '92'', were in talks with the club regarding "major investment". Gary Neville and Giggs were said to be concerned with the lack of talent produced at grassroots level, and chose Salford due to the club's proximity to
The Cliff
A cliff is a vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure.
Cliff, The Cliff or The Cliffs may also refer to:
Buildings
*Cliff Brewery, a former brewery near Ipswich, England
*Cliff Palace, largest cliff dwelling in North America
*The Cliffs, a histo ...
, the former training ground used by Manchester United when the pair were youngsters. With talks ongoing, four of the prospective buyers (Butt, Giggs, Gary Neville, and Scholes) attended the 2–0 home defeat to
Curzon Ashton
Curzon Ashton Football Club is an association football club based in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, England. Founded in 1963 and nicknamed "The Nash", the club is affiliated to the Manchester Football Association and currently compete ...
on 1 March. On 27 March, it was announced that, subject to
Football Association and NPL approval, the group had agreed a deal to takeover the club, expected to be completed by the summer.
In September, Singaporean businessman
Peter Lim
Peter Lim (born 21 May 1953) is a Singaporean business magnate who was a stockbroker, and is now a private investor who has invested in sectors ranging from palm oil to medicine. In 2019, Forbes ranked him as the 10th richest person in Singa ...
bought a 50% stake in the club, subject to FA approval.
Lim said his involvement would be philanthropic, part of a long-term business partnership with Gary Neville.
Ahead of the club's first season in the National League in 2018, the club received interest free loans totalling approximately £2.4m, allowing the club to invest in players such as
Adam Rooney
Adam Christopher David Rooney (born 21 April 1988) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Brackley Town. He previously played for Stoke City, spent spells on loan at Yeovil Town, Chesterfield and Bury, was a re ...
from Scottish team
Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
for a fee reported as £300k. In 2020, it was revealed that the owners had invested a further £2.5m to aid the club's push for promotion, as well as to develop the club off the pitch. Later that year, the club chose not to place staff on
furlough amidst the
COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom despite potential savings of £350k.
File:Beckswimbledon.jpg, David Beckham
File:NickyButtCO92.jpg, Nicky Butt
Nicholas Butt (born 21 January 1975) is an English football coach and former player who was most recently the head of first-team development at Manchester United. He is also a co-owner and chief executive officer of Salford City.
He played prof ...
File:RyanGiggsCO92.jpg, Ryan Giggs
File:GaryNevilleCO92.jpg, Gary Neville
Gary Alexander Neville (born 18 February 1975) is an English football pundit and former player. He is also a co-owner of English Football League club Salford City. After retiring from football in 2011, Neville went into punditry and was a comm ...
File:Fizzer.jpg, Phillip Neville
File:ScholesyCO92.jpg, Paul Scholes
Paul Scholes (born 16 November 1974) is an English football coach, pundit, former player, and co-owner of Salford City. He spent his entire professional playing career with Manchester United, for whom he scored over 150 goals in more than 700 ...
File:Peter Lim.jpg, Peter Lim
Peter Lim (born 21 May 1953) is a Singaporean business magnate who was a stockbroker, and is now a private investor who has invested in sectors ranging from palm oil to medicine. In 2019, Forbes ranked him as the 10th richest person in Singa ...
In media
Ahead of the club's first ever FA Cup tie against Notts County in 2015, Salford were featured in a
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
two-part documentary series titled ''Class of 92: Out of Their League'', which showcased the first season under the ownership of the group following their takeover the previous year. ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...
'' described it as "enthralling", while ''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was f ...
'' described it as an "honest, appealing portrait" of non-league football. The BBC would later commission a second series in February 2016, describing the first as a "resounding success". A third series would air in 2017 on
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is a group of British subscription sports channels operated by the satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It ...
.
Players
First-team squad
Development squad
Player of the Season Awards
Club staff
Managerial history
Seasons
Honours and achievements
Leagues
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...
(5th tier)
*Play-off winners:
2018–19
National League North
The National League North, formerly Conference North, is a division of the National League in England, immediately below the National League division. Along with the National League South, it is at the second level of the National League Syst ...
(6th tier)
*Champions:
2017–18
Northern Premier League Premier Division (7th tier)
*Play-off winners
2015–16
Northern Premier League Division One North (8th tier)
*Champions:
2014–15
North West Counties League
The North West Counties Football League is a football league in the North West of England. Since 2019–20, the league has covered the Isle of Man, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, Cumbria, northern Staffordshire, northern ...
Premier Division (9th tier)
*2nd place promotion:
2007–08
Cups
EFL Trophy
*Winners:
2019–20
Manchester Premier Cup
The Manchester Premier Cup (also known as the Frank Hannah Manchester Premier Cup) is an annual English football knockout tournament involving teams from Greater Manchester, England. It is a County Cup competition of the Manchester Football ...
*Winners (2): 1977–78, 1978–79
*Runners-up (3):
1989–90,
2001–02,
2012–13
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
North West Counties League
The North West Counties Football League is a football league in the North West of England. Since 2019–20, the league has covered the Isle of Man, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, Cumbria, northern Staffordshire, northern ...
League Challenge Cup
*Winners (1):
2005–06
Lancashire Amateur Cup
*Winners (3): 1971, 1973, 1975
Club records
*Highest league finish: 8th in
League Two
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
, equivalent to 76th in the
English football league system (
2020–21)
*Best
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
performance: Second round vs
Hartlepool United
Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system.
They were founded i ...
(
2015–16); vs
Newport County (
2020–21); vs
Chesterfield (
2021–22)
*Best
EFL Cup performance: Second round vs
Everton (
2020–21)
*Best
EFL Trophy performance: Winners
2019–20
*Best
FA Trophy performance: Third round vs
Maidstone United (
2018–19)
*Best
FA Vase performance: Fourth round vs
Whickham
Whickham is a village in Tyne and Wear, North East England. It is in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. The village is on high ground overlooking the River Tyne and south-west of Newcastle upon Tyne. It was formerly governed under the histor ...
(
1980–81 FA Vase); vs
Coventry Sphinx
Coventry Sphinx Football Club is a football club based in Coventry, West Midlands, England. They are currently members of the and play at Sphinx Drive.
History
The club was established in 1946 as a works team for Armstrong Siddeley under th ...
(2007–08 FA Vase)
*Record cup attendance: 4,518 vs
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...
, League Cup first round, 13 August 2019
*Record league attendance: 4,058 vs
FC United of Manchester
Football Club United of Manchester is a semi-professional football club based in Moston, Manchester, England, that competes in the , the seventh tier of the English football league system, and plays home matches at Broadhurst Park.
Founded ...
, North West Counties Football League, 3 October 2006
Salford City Lionesses
In 2018, the club set up a
women's team, named the Salford City Lionesses,
with the team to play in the
Greater Manchester Women's Football League
The Greater Manchester Women's Football League is a women's association football league in Greater Manchester, England run by a league committee. Matches are played on Sunday afternoons.
The league is at levels 7 and 8 of the women's pyramid. T ...
. In the first game of the season, they recorded a 13–0 win against Urmston Meadowside, with Feiruz Abdullahi scoring six. In the club's first season, they won the league championship with a goal difference of +116 and reached three cup finals. The Lionesses competed in the
Women's FA Cup
The Women's FA Challenge Cup Competition is the top annual cup tournament for women's clubs in English football. Founded in 1970, it has been named the WFA Cup, FA Women's Cup and now Women's FA Cup (Vitality Women's FA Cup for sponsorship rea ...
for the first time during the
2020–21 season, losing in the preliminary round to
Morecambe. The
following season, Salford reached the FA Cup proper, advancing to second round before losing to
Newcastle United.
First-team squad
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
1940 establishments in England
Association football clubs established in 1940
Football clubs in Manchester
Football clubs in England
EFL Trophy winners
North West Counties Football League clubs
Northern Premier League clubs
English Football League clubs
Cheshire County League clubs