BY JODI KEEN
It was a fairytale cup draw for third round debutants Salford City. The club owned by the famous Manchester United ‘Class of 92’ advanced in November to the third round of the FA Cup making history in M7. Flying past Shrewsbury town and Cheltenham town meant Robinson’s side were eagerly awaiting who they’d face in their next fixture.
Celebrations erupted for the League Two club as it was announced they’d not only just drawn Premier League champions and fellow locals, Manchester City, but also they were to play them away at the 55,000 capacity Etihad Stadium. With a further 5,500 Ammies securing their tickets for the Cityzens away end, it was sure to be a poignant moment in the club’s history. From humble beginnings in the 8th tier, all the way to the football league and now the third round of the FA Cup.
The Salford faithful could be heard loud and proud from the away terraces despite Jeremy Doku drawing first blood for City, closely followed by youngster Mubama adding to the scoreline for the home side.
Fears arose around the 25 minute mark as keeper Matty Young looked to be struggling as he went down in the box. The Sunderland loanee had been fantastic between the sticks for the reds this season. At just 18 years old, he boasts 6 clean sheets in succession in League Two. Young was able to carry on, a great weight off manager Karl Robinson’s mind.
Salford’s best chance of the first half came from a set piece, taken out wide to Adelakun with Kouassi just struggling to find the net narrowly. The Ammies continued to find chinks in City’s armour and exploit the limited space on the pitch to find ways through and create attempts on goal.
Right before half time, O’Reilly coolly slotted the ball into Young’s net to grab his first goal in sky blue. Tonight was turning out to be a display of talent from various new Greater Manchester youngsters.
Robinson’s Ammies returned for the last 45 minutes. Although the away side’s luck was about to turn again. The reds conceded a penalty to the 100 million pound man, Jack Grealish, just 4 minutes after the half began. Despite not scoring in over a year for City prior.
James McAtee made it five from a right footed shot from the right side of the box, straight into the bottom left of the net. The 22 year old, originally hailing from Salford, only scored his first City goal in the Champions League this season. The youngster then bagged a 2nd of the evening. The goals just wouldn’t stop coming at the Ammies. However, their spirit remained unaltered.
It turned out to be all about James McAtee as he wowed the visitors from Moor Lane with a hat-trick, completed inside just 20 minutes. Establishing himself as yet another exciting young prospect to come through under Pep Guardiola.
Despite the 8-0 scoreline, Robinson’s Ammies have done much more than lost to the Premier League champions. They’ve written themselves into the city of Salford’s rich history as their first ever squad to have reached the third round of the prestigious FA Cup.
The next time that ‘Dirty Old Town’ by The Pogues rings out around the Peninsula Stadium, you can be sure that Ammies fans will be singing loud and clear. Immensely proud of what their team have achieved this FA Cup campaign.
