Salford City will be aiming to avoid a double beating by Ilkeston when the two sides meet at Moor Lane tomorrow, kick off 3pm.
The Ammies were dealt a major blow to their promotion hopes when they lost the reverse fixture at the New Manor Ground last weekend.
Co-managers Anthony Johnson and Bernard Morley are aiming to put right what they described as a ‘alarming’ performance.
Speaking to the club, Morley stated: “We’ve played against a very, very good young side who were far hungrier than us today, and there’s no excuses about our performances.
“11 against 11 they were better than us; they were hungrier, they were faster, and better organised at times.
“We’ve got to pick ourselves up and dust ourselves down”.
A win for Salford should put some distance between themselves and play-off chasing Barwell, who stand alone as the only team that can hijack the current situation.
However, with the prospect of home field advantage to play for should they finish in third or fourth, every game is just as crucial than the last.
Whilst Salford’s home form has been questionable of late, the return of knockout football (which Salford have turned into a major speciality of late) would surely see the entire city come out and create what is arguably one of the best atmospheres in the division.
Meanwhile, Ilkeston’s season is pretty much over, rooted to mid-table, too far away to dream of promotion or fear relegation the only thing the Derbyshire outfit have to play for is to join Blyth Spartans as the only side to do the double over The Ammies this season.
Another caveat for the visitors is that it could be teenage sensation Jordan Wheatley’s last game for the club.
According to the Doncaster Free Press, the club has received a number of offers from Football League clubs for the defender, however none have managed to meet Ilkeston’s valuation so far.
The past few years have seen The Robins have a number of youth talents poached by larger outfits. Including, but not limited to Che Adams, Lewis Walker and Rhys Dolan.
Main image by Charlotte Tattersall/@SalfordFCPhotos
