Salford City trek to the windswept north west coast tonight to continue their Vanarama National League North campaign.
AFC Fylde stand in the way of another win for the rock-solid Ammies, who sit a comfortable fifth in the table after an unbeaten start.
The tie also represents a battle of the big bucks as well as talent.
AFC Fylde chairman and millionaire David Haythornthwaite first became involved with Kirkham and Wesham (as it was known back then) in 2006 and has invested large sums of money in a bid to get the club into the football league by 2022.
Salford, under joint ownership of the Class of 92 and Singaporean billionaire Peter Lim, have bigger ambitions, aiming to reach the league by the turn of the decade.
Watch: Phenix bags third Salford City strike as gale blows fight out of Nuneaton Town
Tomorrow’s game could give us an indication of which plan is more likely to come together first.
On the pitch the quality of Salford and Fylde’s squads makes them both on paper the best two teams in the division, and both should be vying to become National League North champions come April.
The Ammies have built an impressive squad this season with Mike Phenix being the star man up front, having scored three goals in consecutive appearances.
Pictures: Phenix rises and Moor Lane rocking as Salford City sink FC United
Salford have also been particularly impressive in defence so far this season, having conceded just one goal in their opening four games.
Goalkeeper Jay Lynch has been crucial to this, with the Ammies stopper unbeaten in the last three games.
He’ll extend that run to over seven and a half hours of competitive play if he keeps a clean sheet tonight.
Fylde meanwhile have the best attack so far this season, scoring 13 goals in four games, spearheaded by Danny Rowe who has chalked up six goals at an average of 1.5 every 90 minutes.
Despite the two teams not meeting since Salford’s takeover, The Ammies have the edge in recent meetings; having won four of their last six games against The Coasters.
Kick-off at AFC Fylde’s new Mill Farm stadium is at 7.45pm.
Main image: Mike Phenix celebrates after slamming home FC United winner – @SalfordFCPhotos/Charlotte Tattersall
