FA Cup: Bookies put Salford City FC 14-1 to be last non-league side standing

Tom Rodgers
Thu 3rd December, 3:38 PM
Football, Sport

Bookmakers Betway are offering odds of 14/1 for local heroes Salford City FC to be the non-league side that goes furthest in the FA Cup.

Giant-killing Salford will play Hartlepool United on Friday 4 December at their Moor Lane home for a bid to reach the third round of the iconic competition.

They’re 5/2 to beat the County Durham side in what will be the biggest night in the club’s history – and it’s live again on the BBC.

Hartlepool boss Ronnie Moore has already said Salford’s outstanding First Round win against League Two Notts County on 6 November makes his team the “underdogs”.

“It’s a fantastic draw for both, in a roundabout way some people might make them favourites,” Moore told BBC Tees.

“The whole nation will be against us, everybody wants Salford to beat us, we need to go there and play the way we can and show respect to them.

“We’re the league club, we need to impose ourselves on them but anything less than 100% and we will get found out and beaten.”

Read: Bedlam at Moor Lane as Salford City knock out Notts County in FA Cup magic

There’s no more League Cup on the cards for Salford after they lost at the hands of local rivals Trafford FC in front of 1,000 fans.

But FA Cup glory could be much more lucrative – a win against Hartlepool would give the Ammies a £27,000 prize money windfall – a small fortune to most non-league sides.

Salford City fans celebrate after historic win – by Charlotte Tattersall

Betway’s Alan Alger, said: “Salford’s cup run to this point has been spectacular. Yet we think that plenty of the tournament’s magic will have to rub off on them on Friday night to overcome League Two Hartlepool.

“Eastleigh sit 49 places above Northern Premier Stourbridge and should breeze into the third round.

“Forest Green Rovers are flying high in the National League and, if they can return from Southport with a victory, then 8/1 will start to feel like great value.”

Pools boss Ronnie Moore will be without the services of Kal Naismith for the televised trip to Salford City on Friday night.

The winger is on loan from Portsmouth but was used as a second half substitute in their First Round win over Macclesfield Town so is therefore cup-tied.

However, fellow loanees Jake Gray, Adam Jackson and Mikael Mandron have all been given permission to feature for Pools in the FA Cup by their parent clubs.

Moore will have Carl Magnay available again for the game after he recovered from a blow to the head; Michael Woods continues to have treatment on his thigh injury and will miss the game, while Billy Paynter (Achilles) and Harry Worley (ankle) are also definitely still ruled out.

Salford joint managers Anthony Johnson and Bernard Morley have been without star striker Gareth Seddon in recent weeks as he attempts to conquer a knee ligament problem.

Former Pools man James Poole was only on the bench against Grantham Town on Saturday but is likely to come back in to the starting eleven at Moor Lane on Friday night.

Kick-off at Moor Lane is at 7.55pm, with tickets again sold-out well in advance.

SalfordOnline.com will be reporting live from the match with all the build-up, social media and commentary for your delictation.

Main image by Charlotte Tattersall