Salford City Vs Fleetwood Town

Liam and I hope you had a fantastic festive season. We rang in the New Year in beautiful Scotland, celebrating Hogmanay with family and taking the opportunity to watch Aberdeen face Ross County at Pittodrie. Unfortunately, the Dons fell to a 2-1 defeat, but we made the most of our trip before heading back home and getting straight back into the challenge.

Next up was Matchday 90, marking the first of our final five games and the first match of 2025. Grandad Steve joined us once again, continuing his own football adventure alongside ours. We set off at 10:00 AM for the two-hour drive up to Greater Manchester. On the way, I suddenly remembered that my car has an “LFC” number plate—a slight concern given the local rivalry—but thankfully, we had no issues.

As we travelled, Grandad Steve did some quick research and found another Wetherspoons to tick off the list. That meant pub number 60 would be added to my growing tally. We made our way to The Eccles Cross, parking in a nearby car park for just £1.50 for two hours. Taking a leisurely stroll through Eccles, we were surprised by the sheer number of pubs scattered around the town centre. We passed the historic Eccles Cross monument before Liam guided us to Wetherspoons.

Since we were sticking to Dry January, we opted for hot drinks—a mix of hot chocolate and coffee. The pub’s interior was warm and welcoming, and we managed to find a snug cubicle, though squeezing in and out was a bit of a challenge. Surprisingly, unlike many Wetherspoons where toilets are located miles away on an upper floor, here they were right behind us—an unexpected but welcome convenience.

After about an hour, we made our way back to the car. Salford City’s website had warned about limited parking around the stadium due to permit restrictions and matchday enforcement, so we wanted to be prepared.

The drive from Eccles to Salford’s Peninsula Stadium took just 15 minutes. We managed to find free off-road parking on Oaklands Road, about a 10-minute walk from the ground. To stay warm, we sat in the car for another 30 minutes, snacking on food we’d brought with us. Given the freezing temperatures, it was tough convincing ourselves to get out, but eventually, we wrapped up like Michelin Men and braved the cold for the short walk to the stadium.

Upon arrival, it wasn’t immediately clear which stand we needed, but a steward kindly directed us to the correct turnstile. Interestingly, there were no bag checks at the entrance, which was quite unusual.

Once inside, we suddenly realised we’d forgotten to visit the club shop. A quick chat with another steward confirmed that the shop was outside the stadium, and now that we were inside, we weren’t allowed back out. That meant we’d have to wait until after the match to pick up our customary scarf.

The Peninsula Stadium, though small, was well-designed for a club of Salford’s size. Our only issue was being seated directly behind the home dugout, slightly obstructing our view—something that hadn’t been made clear when booking the tickets.

Liam, however, made the most of it, heading to pitchside before kick-off and getting high-fives from both sets of players and the match officials. He was absolutely loving the experience.

Before the game started, we met up with fellow groundhopper Dan, who was also ticking Salford off his list. Always great to share the journey with others doing the 92.

A minute’s applause was held before kick-off in honour of footballing legend Denis Law, who had sadly passed away the day before. The tribute was respected by everyone in attendance—rest in peace, Denis.

The game itself started with an explosive first 11 minutes, but unfortunately for the home side, both goals were for Fleetwood Town. Despite Salford dominating possession throughout the match, they struggled to create clear-cut chances. Their challenge became even harder when Kouassi received a second yellow card, reducing them to 10 men. A scuffle broke out following the tackle, adding some spice to an otherwise one-sided contest.

The match ended in a 2-0 victory for Fleetwood, much to the delight of the travelling supporters, who provided the only real atmosphere in the ground.

A big thank you to Will at Salford City, who arranged for our names to be displayed on the digital scoreboard at half-time. It was a really nice touch, and we appreciate the hospitality.

After the final whistle, we stuck around as Liam was eager to get some autographs and a photo with Ryan Giggs, but unfortunately, that didn’t happen.

Finally, we made our way to the club shop, which turned out to be one of the smallest we’ve ever seen. The queue was slow-moving, and after waiting 25 minutes, we finally reached the front—only to be told that scarves were sold out. Luckily, someone spotted one behind the counter, so we grabbed it quickly before heading back to the car.

As we approached, I kept an eye out to make sure my car was safe and undamaged, and thankfully, all was well.

With the heaters blasting and seat warmers on full power, we started to thaw out after a brutally cold afternoon in Manchester. The drive home was straightforward, taking just under two hours.

Matchday 91 sees us visiting Leyton Orient vs. Reading on January 25th.

Five Facts About Salford City FC

1. Salford City was founded in 1940 as Salford Central before later changing its name.
2. In 2014, the club was taken over by the Class of ’92 – former Manchester United legends including Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, and Phil Neville.
3. The club achieved rapid success under their ownership, securing four promotions in five seasons to reach the English Football League for the first time in 2019.
4. Salford City won the EFL Trophy in 2021, defeating Portsmouth in the delayed 2020 final at Wembley.
5. The Peninsula Stadium, formerly known as Moor Lane, was redeveloped in 2017 and has a capacity of around 5,100.