2 Enjoy expert HR and health & safety support to get you back to business Whether you need to manage furlough, stay COVID secure, or make tough HR choices for your business, Peninsula’s here to keep you safe and successful, whatever challenge you face: • HR & Employment Law • Staff Wellbeing • Health & Safety • Payroll Advice Get 10 % off any of the PENINSULA services 0808 145 3388 Quote: peninsula-uk.comSalford City vs Port Vale www.salfordcityfc.co.ukSALFORD01 3 HONOURS Eccles & District League Division 2 1955-56, 1959-60 Eccles & District League Division 3 1958-59 Manchester League Division 1 1968-69 Manchester League Premier Division 1974-75, 1975-76, 1976-77, 1978-79 Northern Premier League Division 1 North 2014-15 Northern Premier League Play-Off Winners 2015-16 National League North 2017-18 National League Play-Off Winners 2018-19 Lancashire FA Amateur Cup 1971, 1973, 1975 Manchester FA Challenge Trophy 1975, 1976 Manchester FA Intermediate Cup 1977, 1979 NWCFL Challenge Cup 2006 20. Salford City vs Port Vale CLUB ROLL President Dave Russell Chairman Karen Baird 5 17 Secretary Andy Giblin WELLENS Richie VISITORS The Committee Pete Byram, Ged Carter, Barbara Gaskill, Terry Gaskill, Ian Malone, Frank McCauley, Paul Raven, George Russell, Bill Taylor, Alan Tomlinson, Dave Wilson Shop Manager Tony Sheldon Media Zarah Connolly, Ryan Deane, Will Moorcroft Photography Charlotte Tattersall, Howard Harrison 21 25 First Team Manager Richie Wellens COMBINED XI Chris Neal’s WITHOUT NATURE A World Assistant Manager Warren Joyce GK Coach Carlo Nash Kit Manager Paul Rushton Medical Team Steve Jordan, Dr. Mubin Ibrahim, Dave Rhodes Football Staff Youl Mawene, John Shannon Sporting Director Chris Casper Programme printed by MatchDay Creative WATCH TODAY’S MATCH here 4 We’ve been voted ‘Uswitch Most Popular Broadband Provider of the Year’ for the second year running. Salford City vs Port Vale www.salfordcityfc.co.uk 5 Richie Wellens “performances over the last six or seven games have on the whole been very good and neither myself, the staff or the players feel like we should have come out with the amount of points we have.” Hello everyone and welcome from The Peninsula this season, and what was good to see was the Stadium where we now have two important back- reaction of the lads at the back to not fall into the to-back home games this week. same patterns that cost us anything at Morecambe. There are 16 games to go now and we are still well That solidity at the back can’t be underestimated in the mix for a promotion place but it is becoming and when we know we’re that strong at the back even more important that we start putting this run it means that we can be more adventurous going together. forward and like I’ve said before not just score a goal and sit back, but push for a second, a third Our performances over the last six or seven games and so on. As a group we all feel we’re close to have on the whole been very good and neither getting it right. myself, the staff or the players feel like we should have come out with the amount of points we have, Tonight we welcome Port Vale who have some but we are doing everything we can to put that right real extensive Football League experience, and and get ourselves up to where we want to be. are heading in a new direction with Darrell Clarke on the touchline and David Flitcroft as Director of Southend again on Saturday was disappointing Football. Welcome to The Peninsula Stadium and that we didn’t come back with a win having been have a safe return afterwards. the better side, and we had a couple of really good chances that would have won us the game. Come on Salford! But on the plus side we kept another clean sheet which takes our total to 14 in the league We’ve been voted ‘Uswitch Most Popular Broadband Provider of the Year’ for the second year running. 6 Every business needs a Champion Against a backdrop of COVID-19, your accountant should go beyond just compliance to deliver a complete advisory role. At Champion, we are one of our clients’ greatest assets, supporting individuals, businesses and their teams in a collaborative partnership. Speak to one of our 0161 703 2500 experts today. www.linkedin.com/company/ Offices in Manchester (HQ), Chester, champion-accountants Blackpool and Preston @ChampionAccount [email protected] www.championgroup.co.uk Salford City vs Port Vale www.salfordcityfc.co.uk 7 Frankly Speaking... The family cat fell off the couch and scampered into the kitchen last Tuesday night when I let out a screech in the 94th minute of our game at Morecambe. How he was affected by my roars in the 96th and 97th minutes I do not know. Isn’t it a great feeling when your team scores a we scored more than one goal during the opening Every business goal in time added on (or what we used to call 90 minutes. So, should the attacking players hold injury time) to salvage a point or even grab all their hands up to accept some of the responsibility? three? Feelings of joy, delight, elation, ecstasy, And then, where does the midfield feature in all of needs a even relief envelop you. You praise your players’ this? never say die attitude, their willingness to battle to the final whistle to pull something out of the The league this season is wide open and Salford Champion bag. have helped considerably in contributing to that openness. Saturday gone was another case in It’s a different story though when the boot’s on point. On an afternoon when some of the clubs the other foot isn’t it! You swear, blaspheme and sitting above us dropped points, we failed to curse. You call the same players for allowing the capitalise by holding the team with the second opposition to deprive you of, what looked like, worst goals against tally in the Division to a guaranteed points. How dare they! What were they scoreless draw. Against a backdrop of COVID-19, your accountant thinking! How can they turn off when the game’s in the bag? We have to assume there will be more should go beyond just compliance to deliver a inconsistency to come across the board and there And we’re experts at that, here at Salford this are probably a dozen clubs who will fancy their season. By my calculations we’ve conceded goals chances of hitting one of the automatic promotion complete advisory role. after the 90th minute mark in league games on no spots never mind squeezing into the play-offs. less than five occasions. Add to that a goal scored against us in the 87th minute brings to a grand total So, what should we expect the points required of 11 the number of points we’ve thrown away to to be? If we take the previous three (completed) At Champion, we are one of our clients’ greatest date in this campaign. seasons the winners registered 85, 93, and 87 points. The team in third position amassed 79, 84 assets, supporting individuals, businesses and Those 11 points would have bumped us to the top and 85 points and to grab the final play-off spot the of the table and the absence of the seven goals teams in seventh place hit 71, 75 and 70 points. their teams in a collaborative partnership. scored against us would have improved our goals against column. To paraphrase the original Oscar So, with 16 games to go and 48 points on offer we Wilde quotation “‘To concede in time added on are still in the running but if we’re honest we’re once, may be regarded as a misfortune; to concede going to have to step up a gear or two. We’re on five occasions looks like carelessness.” certainly going to have to start creating a lot more chances in matches and, more crucially, we’re But carelessness where? Is it a collective going to have see a lot of those chance end up in Speak to one of our responsibility? I doubt the defenders would be the back of the net. 0161 703 2500 happy shouldering the responsibility. After all, experts today. they would surely argue that we have the meanest There’s still only one team which has impressed me www.linkedin.com/company/ goals against column in the Division. this season and that’s Cheltenham. But everyone Offices in Manchester (HQ), Chester, champion-accountants is beatable. Blackpool and Preston In only two of the matches referred to above had @ChampionAccount [email protected] www.championgroup.co.uk 8 Salford City vs Port Vale www.salfordcityfc.co.uk 9 Morecambe - 2 Salford City - 1 The Mazuma Stadium 23/2/2021 Sky Bet League Two Possession 48% 52% Shots Morecambe Salford City 7 8 1. Letheren 1. Hladký 2. Mellor 3. I.Touray Shots On Target (Cooney 63’) 4. Lowe 4. Knight-Percival 5. Eastham (c) (Hendrie 50’) 10. Hunter 3 5 5. Lavelle (c) (Threlkeld 84’) 8. Diagouraga 12. Bernard Corners 9. Stockton 16. Turnbull 10. Wildig (90+6) 24. Gotts 6 5 11. Mendes-Gomes (90+4) (Towell 63’) 16. O’Sullivan 25. Coutts Fouls Committed 22. Gibson 37. Thomas-Asante (45) 24. Songo’o 40. Henderson 15 13 (Wilson 74’) Yellow Cards Substitutes Substitutes 3 4 12. Halstead 31. Evans 3. Hendrie 2. James 7. Slew 15. Burgess Red Cards 15.