As the season draws to a close the title race is becoming increasingly tight, although a win this weekend will guarantee Salford a position in the top two, and the club are hoping a bumper crowd will help cheer them on to a seventh straight victory.
Just like Radcliffe on Monday though, Clitheroe won’t be easy to beat, and having come from behind to beat Darlington last month they won’t be intimidated by Salford’s position at the top.
What might unnerve them is the strength of Salford’s defence, which has kept eight clean sheets in 13 games since Anthony Johnson and Bernard Morley came in, which the former described as ‘ridiculous’.
“That’s as pleasing as the goals going in at the other end,” Johnson said after another clean sheet at Radcliffe.
“It’s not just keeping a clean sheet, the opposition just don’t look like scoring against us, and it gives confidence to the front six that they can go and express themselves, knowing that they’ve got a back five there that aren’t leaking at all.”
For City, Paul Linwood is available again after suspension, leaving Johnson and Morley with a decision to stick with the four at the back who’ve kept two consecutive clean sheets, or put Linwood back in and move Chris Lynch back to full back.
Jordan Hulme is again a doubt as he recovers from injury.
While The Ammies’ current form may be not far short of perfect, their longer term form against Clitheroe isn’t something to be proud of with just three wins in the last 16 meetings between the sides, and two of those came in the FA Trophy, including the most recent back in October 2011.
However half of those matches have also ended in draws, something Salford haven’t experienced since before Christmas.
In the reverse fixture The Blues were very organised and were solid in restricting Salford to long range efforts, although The Ammies were somewhat unfortunate not to leave with a point after Gareth Seddon had a perfectly good goal ruled out for offside.
I was reading something this week that mid- and lower-table teams at this stage of the season can often cause upsets because they are hungrier, and although Clitheroe are safe from relegation and not able to get into the play-offs, to get one over on former players Johnson and Morley by beating the ‘big-spending’ Salford would seem to make a good appetite.
But I had to question the philosophy as Salford are going for the title, and that surely is by far a greater hunger which is reflected in the way they seem to be eating up the fixture list like Pacman, driven by the chasing ghost of Darlington.
