Star date: 3rd April 2011

Cammell Laird 3 Salford City 3

THE SPIRIT IS FIRING AT SALFORD CITY

After being two goals down within twenty minutes, Salford pulled this game round and could have won with the last kick of the game. While a draw was probably the right result, the never say die spirit is still firing at Salford City…

Match report and photos here…

OMG! You think Salford is bad? A drive through Liverpool towards Cammell Laird makes Broughton look like paradise. Huge hold ups along Edge Lane near the town centre allows motorists to see the full horror of Pathfinder at first hand.

The beautiful old houses that formerly lined the road are now rubble, as Liz Pascoe's brave fight to preserve her home finally ended with the bulldozers. The place has been flattened, all character removed. A sad, sad indictment of failed government housing policy. And even worse, in the traffic chaos we thought that we might even miss the kick off, as we still had the city centre and Mersey Tunnel to negotiate. 

In the event, we wished we had missed the kick off, as the Camels rushed into a two goal lead within twenty minutes, in what felt like a real end of season lazy game in the sun. In the event, Salford arose from their slumbers, Jack Redshaw at the far post tapping in his sixth goal in five starts, after being found from Adam Morning's cross.

Soon after, Glyn Barber headed in only to be ruled unfairly offside. With Steve Murty constantly teasing the Camels down their left wing, and Adam Morning frightening them down the left, it was only a matter of time until the equaliser came. It duly did when Adam Morning sent it a curling shot from outside the area that swung into the top left corner of the net. Half time: Camels 2 Salford City 2.

The break gave Salford fans a chance to enjoy Camell Laird's ramshackle ground, with its distintegrating advertising hoardings and virtually no supporters. The best bit was the bus depot at the far end of the ground where double deckers line up almost along the touch line – the Camels could make a few bob opening the upstairs of the buses as executive boxes. Oh the joy of non-league football!

And it got better in the second half as one of the double deckers went through the bus-wash. Like who needs City v United at Wembley when you can watch a double decker bus being washed at Camell Laird?

Meanwhile, on the pitch, little Jack Redshaw was bubbling away, tricking past a million Camel lummoxes and hitting in a shot spilled by the keeper, only for Salford's new on-loan-from-Stockport-on-as-sub signing, Matty Kosylo to follow through and score his first Salford goal.

The lead looked precarious with the Camels attacking at will, first hitting a post and then pulling the scores level with a vicious shot from just inside the area. Only a world class save from Andy Robertson stopped the Camels taking the lead but in the final second the Ammies could have won, with  new on-loan-from-Stockport-on-as-sub signing, Matty Kosylo just sliding the ball past the post. 

Final score: 3-3 and , as well as the exciting game, watching those double deckers going through the auto wash was well worth the admission money. Next season the whole family will be coming…