The Grecians will be looking to get back to winning ways as St James Park, as they host a Salford City side who will be looking to sneak a play-off spot.
Here’s all that you will need to know about Saturday’s opponents…
- Founded: 1940
- Nickname: The Ammies
- Honours: Northern Premier League: 2014-15 National League North: 2017-18 National League play-off winners 2018/19
Salford City FC were founded in 1940 and started playing their football in the depths of non-league. Despite not having the most illustrious of histories, in 2014, the famed 'Class of 92' which included the likes of Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and David Beckham decided to purchase the club alongside Singaporean billionaire Peter Lim.
After the club were purchased, they sailed through the leagues with ease and have gained a promotion almost every year since the group bought the club. Last year they achieved promotion to the Football League for the first time in their history, after a 3-0 victory over AFC Fylde at Wembley Stadium. This season hasn’t been quite as successful, but Salford are hanging around the high places in mid-table, looking to make a potential late break for the play-offs.
Last Time Out
Salford City 2 Bradford City 0 | March 7, 2020 | EFL Sky Bet League Two
Ash Hunter made it four goals in three games to earn Salford City the t hree points against Bradford City.
THE MANAGER
Graham Alexander
Current manager Graham Alexander started off his career in 1988 at Scunthorpe United. He made 159 appearances for The Iron, before moving to Luton Town in 1995. After four years at Luton, he joined Preston North End, where he made 352 appearances in eight years. After leaving Preston in 2007, he joined Burnley for four years, before having a final season at Preston before retiring in 2012.
Alexander’s first job in management was a caretake role at Preston between 2011 and 2012, before being appointed permanent manger of Fleetwood Town later in year. After spending three years at Fleetwood, he was sacked following a disappointing start to the season in 2015. After taking a few months off from Football, he returned to management in March 2016, where he become manager of Scunthorpe United. Despite guiding them to the playoffs during the 2016-17 season, on March 24, 2018, Alexander was sacked due to a poor run of form. He became Salford City manager in May 2018, where he dropped League One management for National League management. He gained promotion at the first time of asking, following their play-off victory of AFC Fylde.
The Ground
- Name: Moor Lane/Peninsula Stadium
- Capacity: 5,108
- Year opened: 1978
- Address: Moor Lane, Salford, M7 3PZ
Moor Lane was constructed in 1978 and it’s where Salford have played ever since its opening. During its early years, the stadium had a maximum capacity of 1,600 when Salford were playing lower non- league football. However, in 2016, the stadium underwent significant development, where the capacity rose to 5,108, including 2,246 seats. The stadium is the smallest in the League, with Forest Green’s New Lawn beating it by under 50 seats.
The record attendance at the stadium stands at 4,518, which was achieved this season in the EFL Cup against Championship side Leeds United. The record league attendance sits at 4,044, after a National League game against Wrexham in January 2019.
One to watch
Brandon Thomas-Asante (6 Goals, 4 Assists)
Brandon Thomas-Asante started his career in his hometown of Milton Keynes at MK Dons. The 21 year old made 22 appearances for MK Dons between 2016 and 2019, including loan spells at Sutton United and Oxford City. In 2019, he joined Ebbsfleet United, where he only made three appearances before joining Salford City a few months later.
Most Recent Meeting
Salford City 0 Exeter City 1 | December 14, 2019 | EFL Sky Bet League Two
A first half header from Ryan Bowman gives the Grecians the three points in their first visit to the Peninsula Stadium.
Head to Head
- Exeter City wins: 1
- Draws: 0
- Salford City wins: 0
Ticket News
Tickets are on sale at advance prices until 5pm in person and midnight online, on Friday, March 13 so you can save time and money, and pick your seat in advance. Click here to book online.
