📝 Match Preview: Salford City vs City

All you need to know ahead of Saturday's match

14 December 2019

Exeter City face Salford City on Saturday for the first time as Matt Taylor's men search for a third consecutive win in EFL Sky Bet League Two.

The Grecians make the long trip to the Peninsular Stadium to face a Salford side who come into the match having suffered late heartbreak at Colchester, conceding a 94th minute goal in a 1-0 defeat.

Ahead of the match, manager Matt Taylor said: "It's certainly one that has seemed to grab our fans attention, it's one we are looking foward to as it's our first meeting and it's going to be a good game of football.

"We go there in relatively good form obviously on the back of Tuesday night's dissapointment and a grueling 120 minutes but generally our league form has been good."

THE CONTEXT

The Grecians come into the match in second place in EFL Sky Bet League Two having picked up 36 points from the first twenty matches of the season. City sit three points behind current league-leaders Swindon Town.

Salford City are in thirteenth place having picked up 25 points from their first twenty matches and are six points outside the play-off places.

LAST MATCH

Colchester United 1 Salford City 0 | Saturday, December 7 | Sky Bet League Two

Salford suffered late heartbreak last time out, as a 94th minute goal from Harry Pell meant the home side took all three points.

MATCH DAY COVERAGE

As usual, we’ll have the match covered across our social media channels and we’ll have a post-match interview with manager Matt Taylor as he reflects on the result. You can also tune into BBC Radio Devon to listen to commentary as well.

Exeter City on social media

TICKET NEWS

Seated tickets are now totally sold out so just standing are available and on sale.

Tickets can be purchased in advance by clicking here. Tickets can also be purchased from the club shop until midday on Friday, December 13.

Ticket prices are as follows:

East Stand Terrace and North Stand Block H

Adults: £10
60+/Under-16/Students under-23: £5
Under-5s: FOC

Please note: Prices are the same for both standing and seating areas.

Further details

Advance Discounts? No.
Ambulant: Pay age related price and carer free (located in Block H).
Wheelchair: Pay age related price and carer free (located in Block H).
Matchday Purchase available? YES, cash sales are available on the day.

THE STADIUM

The Peninsula Stadium (M7 3PZ)

Moor Lane, recently renamed as The Peninsula Stadium, has been the home of Salford City since the 1978/79 season. The Stadium has a capacity of 5,108. The record attendance at the ground is 4,518 on 13 August 2019, for a 3–0 loss to Leeds United in the EFL Cup.

Away Fans visiting the Peninsula Stadium are located in one half of the East Stand, with a typical allocation of 1,100.

TRAVEL GUIDE

GRECIAN TRAVEL

Grecian Travel departs Unit 1 nightclub at 7:30am and costs £38. Alternative pick-up points are at Honiton Road Park & Ride (by Miller and Carter steakhouse), Cullompton Services (junction 28), Tiverton (junction 27), Taunton (junction 25), and any other pick-ups en-route by prior arrangement.

You can book online by visiting tickets.ecfc.co.uk. Alternatively, drop into reception at St James Park to book.

For more information or to book please contact Chris Woolcott on 01392 250250 or John Bishop on 07904036334 or by email at: john.bishop760@btinternet.com (after 6pm).

BY ROAD

To travel to Peninsular Stadium from Exeter you have to take the M5 for 165 miles, then take the M6 to Bury New Rd/A56 in Whitefield, next you take exit 17 from the M60, continue on Bury New Rd/A56 and continue to Moor Lane in Salford.

BY AIR

You can fly from Exeter to Manchester with City's main club sponsors Flybe. Click here for more details.

BY RAIL

You can get a train from Exeter St Davids to Manchester Victoria which takes around 5 hours and has 2 changes. The 7:41am gets you to Manchester Victoria at 12:32pm which gives you plenty of time to get to the Stadium. There is an earlier train at 6:24am which arrives at 11:32am.

At just over three miles away, Manchester Victoria is probably the closest mainline station to The Peninsula Stadium, which would make walking out of the question for the majority.

Instead, a taxi is advisable which will cost about £13 and takes around 18 minutes.

Alternatively, the stadium is served by the number 97 and 98 bus, which can be taken from Manchester Victoria, and will cost around £2.

Trains return to Exeter at 5:55pm which gets back at 10:44pm.

PARKING

There is no parking at the stadium for away fans, although there is limited street parking in the surrounds. However, some streets are in a residents only parking scheme, so make sure you watch out for signage.

There is also a park and ride scheme in operation, which is based nearby in Swinton which offers a direct bus to the stadium for a reasonably small cost.

TICKETS

Seated tickets are now totally sold out so just standing are available and on sale.

Tickets can be purchased in advance by clicking here. Tickets can also be purchased from the club shop until midday on Friday, December 13.

Ticket prices are as follows:

East Stand Terrace and North Stand Block H

Adults: £10
60+/Under-16/Students under-23: £5
Under-5s: FOC

Please note: Prices are the same for both standing and seating areas.

Further details

Advance Discounts? No.
Ambulant: Pay age related price and carer free (located in Block H).
Wheelchair: Pay age related price and carer free (located in Block H).
Matchday Purchase available? YES, cash sales are available on the day.

PUBS/FOOD

There is a club bar at the ground, but this is for home supporters only. Although the Peninsula Stadium is situated in a largely residential area, there are surprisingly no pubs close by.

The closest to the Peninsula Stadium that welcomes away fans is the Star Inn on Back Hope Street in Higher Broughton whic his around a 15 minute walk from the ground. There is also the Fairways Lodge on George Street in Prestwich which is around half a mile, or a ten minute walk.

AWAY FANS' GUIDE

Click here to read a fans’ guide to visiting the The Peninsula Stadium.

TOTAL DISTANCE

The total distance between the stadiums, is 250-miles and it would take around four hours and twenty five minutes to drive.

Match Reports

📝 Match report: Salford City 0 Exeter City 1

Ryan Bowman nets only goal as City get big three points away at Salford

14 December 2019

Exeter City picked up their third straight win in Sky Bet League Two with a 1-0 win over Salford City.

Ryan Bowman scored the only goal of the game, midway through the first half, and it is a victory that keeps the Grecians in second going into a busy festive fixture period.

Matt Taylor made four changes to his starting line-up from the team that had lost on Tuesday night in an Emirates FA Cup replay at Hartlepool United. Into the side came Alex Fisher, Nigel Atangana, Randell Williams and Dean Moxey, while Nicky Ajose was fit enough again for a place on the bench.

It was the hosts who started the brighter of the two teams though with Luke Armstrong firing one effort wide before having another effort blocked by Aaron Martin after the ball had broken kindly to him in the box. The Grecians grew into the match though with Alex Fisher drawing the first save of the game, when his first-time finish was instinctively blocked by Salford keeper Chris Neal.

Former Plymouth Argyle striker Jake Jervis then had the Grecians worried as he flashed a 25-yard strike just past Jonny Maxted’s right-hand post and then the home side really should have taken the lead when Liam Hogan headed a free-kick against the crossbar only for the ball to fall to Lois Maynard six yards out where he inexplicably scooped a shot over an open net.

Salford were made to pay for that miss as, four minutes later, City had the lead. Following good work by Dean Moxey down the left to win a corner, Randell Williams ball in was cleared to the halfway line where Tom Parkes played an inch-perfect ball out to Pierce Sweeney. That allowed the Irish full-back to take a touch before swinging in an accurate and quick cross into the area where Bowman thumped a header past Neal.

Chances went both sides’ way in the final 15 minutes of the half, as first Craig Conway brought a good save out of Jonny Maxted and then Nigel Atangana guided a shot, from the edge of the box, narrowly wide of the bottom corner.

City started the second half the stronger of the two teams, but it was Maxted who produced the first top class save of the match as he tipped a Hogan header, from eight yards out, over his crossbar. City then had what looked a good penalty appeal turned down when Randell Williams was tripped in the box, before the hosts began to pile the pressure on the Grecians defence in the final half hour.

However, the visitors kept their shape well and, when needed, Tom Parkes and Aaron Martin both put in crucial blocks to deny efforts at their goal. The hosts did get one more effort on target though as Jervis flicked a near post cross towards the roof of the net only for Maxted to produce his third good save of the match and ensure that the Grecians collected all three points.

Salford: Neal, Threlkeld, Hogan, Burgess, Touray, Jervis, Trowell, Maynard (Jones, 62), Conway, Thomas-Asante (Rooney, 70), Armstrong (Lloyd, 81). Subs not used: Piergianni, Letheren, Whitehead, Doyle

Booked: Maynard

Exeter City: Maxted, Sweeney, A Martin, Parkes, Williams, Atangana, Collins, Moxey, Taylor (L Martin, 75), Bowman, Fisher (Law, 54). Subs not used: Ajose, Jay, Richardson, Seymour, Arthur.

Booked: A Martin

Attendance: 2,922 (692, away)

Exeter City FC

Standings