Star date: 21st October 2009 

FA CUP 3rd Qualifying Round
Blyth Spartans 2 Salford City 1 (after extra time)

SALFORD GO SO CLOSE TO FA CUP GLORY…

On a rain lashed, wind driven night in Blyth, Salford City almost pulled off the biggest result in the club's history. Taking this pulsating game into the second half of extra time, and with penalties looming, Blyth managed to squeeze the winner. But Salford City gave the most famous FA Cup giant killers the fright of their lives.

The Ammies brilliant FA Cup run has come to an end but the club went out fighting to the very end. Today Salford should be proud of its team.

Full story here…

One-nil down with only eight minutes left Craig Mahon picks up the ball on the edge of the area, beats his man and curls an equalising goal that would grace a World Cup final, never mind the qualifying rounds of the FA Cup. Absolutely stunning. Incredible. And Salford, with three strikers now up front, are back in it, launching wave after wave of attacks on the Blyth goal in the final minutes. But the winner just won't come.

Into extra time and Salford are holding on, with goalkeeper, Andy Roberston, playing out of his skin as he has done all game. Surely if it gets to penalties Salford will go through. But with only seven minutes left of extra time, Blyth grab the winner from close range – and it's too late for Salford to come back again. So so so so close…

Blyth - a full two leagues above us in the footy pyramid - should have been way ahead by the end of the first half of normal time, as they battered Salford time and time again, with Andy Roberston saving us time and time again. But only one–nil up at half time, Salford almost made Blyth pay, as we suddenly turned the game around in a second period which we completely dominated. We hit the post, we tore the Blyth defence to shreds and then Craig Mahon hit that stunning equaliser.

It could have been the platform for the greatest night in Salford's history but Blyth got the luck and sneaked it at the death. However, Salford City won the respect of every Blyth supporter who have seen league teams go down with a whimper on this ground. They were coming up to us afterwards going `Were you playing ringers in your team?'…`How the hell are you bottom of your league?'…

How the hell are we bottom of our league?  In the FA Cup this team has now played three teams in leagues above us, won two and frightened the stripes off the third. We should be playing Telford in the last qualifying round of the FA Cup on Saturday but fate has seen otherwise. Now it's away to Ossett Albion, a point above us in the Unibond Division One. After Saturday, if Salford City play like this, we won't be bottom of our league any more…