Humiliating…embarrassing…these are just some of the kinder words to describe Salford City's exit from the FA Cup in a round so low it's hardly on the football radar.
For Ramsbottom – the mill town with no mills and every building, it seems, up for sale, auction or demolition – this was their FA Cup Final - with the trophy on display in the club house and so many people queuing to get in, kick off had to be delayed by 15 minutes. But it looked liked their glory day was over after less than a minute.
Straight from the kick off Jack Redshaw broke free on the wing and rounded about a hundred Ramsbottom defenders before lashing in a shot to give Salford the earliest of leads. After that, the swaggering team and the swaggering fans thought it would be a formality. Nantwich in the next round? No problem!
Instead, Ramsbottom refused to lie down, and came straight back with a shot from outside the area that bounced off the crossbar. At the other end, Rhodri Giggs had a powerful header saved by the Ramsbottom keeper but again the mill team came back, forcing Salford stopper Andy Robertson to make one of his now trademark world class saves.
1-0 up at half time, it still seemed that Salford had enough class to see the game out – but Ramsbottom had other ideas. Almost from the kick off they rattled the crossbar again from a free kick on the edge of the area, and equalised later in the half with a header from a corner.
Thereafter, the crowd woke up and Ramsbottom raised their game with waves of attacking football for which Salford had no answer, bar a Giggs free kick pushed away by the keeper. As the game drifted to the 90th minute it looked like Salford would hang on for the draw but the Ramsbottom substitute struck in the third minute of injury time to give the North West Counties League team a deserved victory – and a massive wake up call to Salford City.
Only last week, fans were discussing who they'd like to draw in the 1st proper round of the cup – Sheffield Wednesday? Bury? Torquay, for a good day out? Now thoughts turn to three trips to sodding Ossett in the league, and the frozen wastelands of Curzon Ashton in the next match. The dream is over for another year – and this nightmare in Ramsbottom will live long in the memory.
Humiliating…embarrassing…these are just some of the kinder words to describe Salford City's exit from the FA Cup in a round so low it's hardly on the football radar.
Photos by Andrew Goudie
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