Newport County end their run of away games in League Two with a trip to Salford City on this evening (17 Feb).
Salford are in their seventh year as an EFL club, and are aiming to break their promotion hoodoo to reach League One next season.
Here is a fact file of our Mancunian opponents ahead of this one...
The History
Salford City was formed in 1940, initially known as Salford Central, and were a proudly amateur side for the first few decades of existence, even being renamed to Salford Amateurs in 1963.
After winning a few regional cups, they acquired their current name in 1989, a year before entering the FA Cup for the first time in their history.
Former Manchester United player Ben Thornley was among their more famous players, as the side progressed through the Northern Premier League.
2014 saw the fortunes of the club take a significant upturn, as a consortium led by the former Manchester United ‘Class of 92’ took charge, including the likes of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and the Neville brothers.
Instantly, the club found itself thrust to national attention after beating League Two side Notts County in the FA Cup First Round in 2015, in a game shown live on the BBC. They took another EFL side, Hartlepool United, to extra-time in the following round.
By 2017, the club had found itself in the sixth tier for the first time ever, and in 2018 were promoted to the National League.
The club were promoted to the EFL in 2019 after beating AFC Fylde in a play-off final, played in front of 8,049 fans at Wembley.
They did not take long to win their first major silverware as an EFL team, stunning Portsmouth to claim the EFL Trophy in 2021.
In League Two, they have once successfully reached the play-offs, losing to Stockport County in 2023.
The Form
Despite a surprising loss to Accrington Stanley in their previous game, The Ammies have been one of the strongest teams in the division this season.
A three-game losing run at the beginning of autumn had left them just adrift of the play-off places, but 8 wins in their last 12 have left them sitting 6th in the table, with games in hand on the teams above them.
The side reached the FA Cup Fourth Round for the first time ever, losing 2-0 to Manchester City on Saturday – a big improvement on their 8-0 defeat to the same opposition last year.
With the league coming back into focus, this marks the first of four league games to come before the end of the month for Salford, with a visit to Cheltenham awaiting them on Saturday.
The Manager
Karl Robinson actually played in Wales for Caernarfon Town and Rhyl, but hopes to deal the Welsh side a big blow on Tuesday evening.
Robinson has been in charge at Salford for over two years, saving them from relegation in his first season and leading them to a record six-game winning run last term.
He is recognisable from his lengthy spells with Milton Keynes Dons and Oxford United, plus his time with Charlton Athletic in between.
Whilst at the Stadium MK between 2010 and 2016, he took The Dons to the Championship for the first time in their history, regularly finishing in the play-offs of League One.
He built a Charlton side who would go on to bounce back to the second division after he departed in March 2018, and turned Oxford into promotion contenders across his five years at the club until leaving in 2023.
A brief spell as assistant manager at Leeds United followed, with Salford snapping him up in January 2024.
Robinson was a former striker in his playing career, plying his trade for the likes of Marine, Oswestry Town and Warrington Town.
The Captain
The overwhelming majority of Salford’s games have seen Luke Garbutt given the armband in defence.
Garbutt came through the ranks at Premier League Everton, spending 11 years with the club, albeit mostly on-loan at other teams.
A seasoned campaigner, he spent time with the likes of Cheltenham Town, Fulham, Wigan Athletic and Ipswich Town before a three-year stint with Blackpool.
He has also played at youth-grade level for England, playing for every team between under-16 and under-21 football.
Arriving in Greater Manchester in 2023, Garbutt has been a defensive rock this season, appearing 37 times across all competitions.
The Ones to Watch
Ryan Graydon scored eight league goals at Fleetwood Town in the first half of the campaign, before joining Salford last month.
He has already netted three times since arriving, and comes to the Peninsula Stadium with pedigree in the League of Ireland, where he both played in Europe and won a domestic cup at Derry City.
Graydon has also played for Bohemians, Bray Wanderers, Shelbourne and Longford Town, and has garnered favourable comparisons with the likes of James McClean.
Another threat in attack comes with Dutch midfielder Kelly N’Mai, who has been with the club for five years and was one of their academy products.
N’Mai was scouted by Ajax, had trials with both Manchester City and Manchester United, and made his professional debut against Newport back in August 2021.
Ben Woodburn will be familiar to Welsh ears, making 11 appearances for the international team and scoring twice. He made his debut for Liverpool at the age of 17, and is in the second of a two-year contract with Salford.
And whilst he has remained on the bench in recent games, the experience of Fabio Borini – another former Liverpool starlet – is sure to cause problems should he enter the fray.