RELENTLESS!
Salford storm into Football League but Class of 92’s club aren’t finished there
It was a clash of the multi-millionaires’ clubs and those who believe their success is bought and inauthentic could feel vindicated by the fact that wembley has never known a play- off with so few fans.
the 8,000 attendance — half the previous lowest for the fixture in the national stadium — is only marginally more than an established club like wrexham have been attracting for some home games this season. that’s hardly surprising.
Just five years ago salford City were finishing 12th in a seventh-tier league which included Prescot Cables and Harrogate Railway athletic.
the scoreline slightly flattered them and demonstrated that there are no guarantees in football — even when you’re spending the best part of £2m a year in the fifth tier, including £200,000 wages per annum for adam Rooney, the striker signed from aberdeen.
the giants of Graham alexander’s team were in the rearguard: captain Liam Hogan, Carl Piergianni alongside him and holding midfielder Gus Mafuta, another immovable force.
Fylde actually had the better of a first half in which Mani Dieseruvwe coolly slotted salford ahead from close range, andy Bond blew the chance of an equaliser and the losing side’s substitute Nick Haughton — on early as part of a reshuffle after a defensive injury — was the most eye- catching player. salford did not look back.
Piergianni rose above the Fylde defence to head home a corner. Full back Ibou touray’s cross on the hour looped in off the back post.
alexander was reticent about discussing whether a fifth promotion in six years might be the next target for Gary Neville, billionaire Peter Lim and Co, though Karen Baird, the chairwoman, was more forthcoming after watching the team become the first to reach the Football League with backtoback promotions. ‘ we’ve already got a meeting booked in for Monday morning with Gary — Mr Relentless!’ she said. ‘this is a little bit of history-making. so next year Graham should have ambitions to be up there again. why not?’
when the dust had settled yesterday, Neville indicated that spending would be less aggressive this summer than last, when a side was built that could compete in the National League or Football League. It will only be ‘finessing’, he said. the concern with a story like this is where it all ends if the cash runs out. It’s four years since North Ferriby United, a village club bankrolled by steve and Eman Forster, son-in-law and daughter of Hull City owner assem allam, lifted the Fa trophy at wembley. the Forsters lost interest. the club was liquidated in March.
‘the idea of us busting a club would be as bad as it gets,’ Neville said. ‘ the club is in an area we are very proud about. we love salford as a city. there will be examples where owners have walked away but the proof will be in 20 years, not five minutes.
‘there does seem to be a willingness to beat us — a level of ferocity towards us on social media. we have our women’s team, youth team, foundation. But on social media, it’s just a focus on how much we are paying.’
Money is certainly not the only reason why more established clubs have been eclipsed by salford. wrexham still do not have their own full-time chief executive and there were signs of strain between the board and supporters’ trust when the third managerial appointment of last season was announced. Despite strong finances, their top scorer netted six times this season.
Hogan certainly deconstructs the notion that salford are all flash cash. He was born in salford, watched the club ‘ in the old stand’, and after a bad injury had led him to give up on the idea of full-time football became a PE teacher at st Paul’s C of E primary, next to the club’s Moor Lane ground.
the salford mascots at wembley were in his former year six class.
‘I came out of the game, didn’t have that much of an opportunity again, worked in the community, worked for the schools and was just enjoying my semi- professional football at FC Halifax,’ said the 30-year-old. ‘I didn’t expect all this.’
when the Class of 92 bought salford City five years ago, they set a target of reaching the Championship in 15 years. ‘Mr Relentless’ is too wise to say that he is ahead of target, though it’s hard to avoid the sense that the same challenge remains on course.
‘I think if we carry on making good decisions, accepting that the going will get more difficult, we have a good chance of getting out of League two in the next two or three years,’ Neville said.
‘the dream would be to reach League One and see what we do from there. If we carry on making good decisions, we can carry on going through the leagues.’