BREEZE FOR JOEY
PADDY MADDEN scored twice as Joey Barton’s Fleetwood side made light work of Alfreton, breezing past the non-League strugglers.
The striker slotted home the opening goal into the bottom corner of Sam Ramsbottom’s net after just 13 minutes.
And Fleetwood were two up inside 20 minutes as Madden set Ashley Hunter through on goal and he travelled 40 yards before firing home.
Madden had his second after the break, converting
ANGRY Shrewsbury fans led a foulmouthed tirade against boss John Askey after they failed to beat nonLeague Salford City.
Supporters chanted “Askey out” and “F*** off Askey” at the final whistle after a draw against the National League upstarts part-owned by Class of ’92 stars the Neville brothers, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Nicky Butt.
The similar-sized budgets of the clubs ensured the 33 places between the two sides did not show.
Ollie Norburn’s opener for Shrewsbury in the 25th minute was cancelled out within two minutes by Salford captain Adam Rooney.
A tabloid report last week claiming Askey was set to be sacked but that compensation had to be agreed was strongly denied by the club’s chief executive, Brian Caldwell.
Result
Rooney is said to be on an estimated £4,000 a week – more than Shrewsbury’s top earner on around £2,500, despite being two divisions apart.
And Askey believes supporters need to put the result and opposition into context.
“Of the last eight games, we’ve won four, drawn one and lost three,” he said. “Salford is not the normal National League team.
“I’m not making any excuses, we should have won. People will always make comments but it’s not up to me to judge whether they’re right.
“The only way you turn fans around is by winning games and getting up the league.”
Salford boss Graham Alexander said: “We want to create memories and this is the highest-ranking opposition we have played.
“We can hold our heads quite high after this but it won’t be any easier when we play them again.”
The decisive action in a poor tie was condensed into three minutes of the first half.
Norburn put the Shrews ahead when he drilled low through a crowd of players but Salford earned a replay when Rooney nodded home. from the spot following a clumsy challenge on Hunter.
Jordan Sinnott managed to pull a goal back for Alfreton after 70 minutes, smashing home a free-kick after James Wallace had hauled down Callum Chettle.
But Fleetwood sub Gerard Garner completed the rout for the League One club with a glancing header in stoppage time. Barton said: “The key was to respect our opponents and prepare as we would for any other game.
“We came here to be ruthless and get ourselves in the next round of the cup and we have done that.
“It was about what we wanted to do and on the whole we were good value for a comfortable victory.”
Alfreton manager Billy Heath said: “The biggest disappointment from our perspective was the way we conceded the goals because they did not have to do too much.”