Ammies fall to defeat despite Rooney brace
SALFORD City boss Graham Alexander admitted he had no quarrels with the scoreline as Swindon Town moved to the summit of League Two after a 3-2 win at the Peninsula Stadium.
The Ammies began the game in blistering fashion with Adam Rooney winning a penalty inside three minutes, first pressuring Robins’ stopper Steven Benda into a mistake before taking the responsibility and converting the following spot-kick.
Swindon responded shortly after when Michael Doughty benefitted on a sequence of mistakes in the Salford midfield, before teeing up the talismanic Eoin Doyle to slot home and equalise.
The travelling side squandered a glorious opportunity before the interval, but soon made amends after the restart, with Liam Hogan punished for handball in the area and Doyle confidently despatching from 12 yards – the 16th goal of the season for the division’s top scorer.
Jerry Yates doubled the Robins’ advantage on the rebound with 12 minutes remaining, meaning Rooney’s second goal of the game – again from the penalty spot – proved merely a consolation.
An honest Alexander said: “We didn’t do enough with the ball to win the game, so I don’t think we can begrudge the scoreline.
“These games, between two good teams, they’re going to be fine lines and I thought we had the opportunities, certainly in the first half and then the last 15 minutes of the second.
“[With] more commitment in those areas, we might have got a valuable point, but we didn’t do that.
“We have to take it on the chin, and make sure we improve for the next game.”
Meanwhile, Salford have been drawn at home to Wolves under-21s in the second round of the Leasing. com Trophy.