Star date: April 30th 2011 

Salford City 0 Chorley 2

SALFORD MISS OUT ON TOP TEN FINISH ON GOAL DIFFERENCE

Salford City missed the top ten spot that would have guaranteed a highest ever finish only on goal difference. But after this first defeat in eleven games the team can hold their heads high.

Full match report, photos and Player of the Season Award here…

Big, ugly, well organised Chorley managed to out muscle Salford City and take the points that ensures them home advantage for the play-offs. Salford City, meanwhile, can only look forward to next season knowing that, after three years in the Evo-Stik First Division North, they're no-one's pushovers. Only goal difference stopped Salford getting a top ten finish and the highest place in the club's history.

It's been a season of consolidation, and might have been better but for a great run of victories being disrupted by the winter snow and ice, suspensions and injuries. While other clubs, such as Chorley, have vast resources behind their team, Salford have struggled to find eleven fit players for the last month.

The league is not an even playing field (particularly at Ossett and Harrogate Railway but that's just their pitch) exemplified by Chorley's nicking of star Salford City forward, Steve Foster, a couple of months ago. And so it was that Fozzy lined up against Salford City yesterday in a black and white shirt, and got light heartedly booed every time he touched the ball.

However it wasn't Steve Foster that made the difference – it was the horrid giants littered all over the Chorley team who won the physical battles against Salford's many youth and work experience players.

Unlike in fairy tales the big bad guys won the day, and their fans went back to Chorley in their horse and carts with the Salford supporters' cheery refrain `We'll see you all next year' ringing in their ears. Chorley might be in the play-offs but Skelmersdale remain everyone's favourites to get promotion.

The real fun was to be had yesterday in the club house after the game, with Matty Cross winning the fans Player of the Season Award for outstanding consistency, and Darren Hockenhall winning player manager, Rhodri Giggs' award for Player of the Season. 

Andy Robertson, Rhodri Giggs, Darren Hockenhall and Martyn Andrews were also presented with awards by Chairman Darren Quick for clocking up over 100 appearances for Salford City.

Now it's only 70 days to the start of the first pre-season friendly…

Photos by Andrew Goudie and Gareth Lyons

* Main photo shows Fans Player of the Year, Matty Cross being presented with his award by Tangerine Dream