Salford City will look to make history when they take on Swindon Town at the Peninsula Stadium this Saturday.
In the FA Cup third round for the second season running, Karl Robinson’s side are hoping to break new ground by reaching the fourth round for the first time.
The Ammies were on the receiving end of an 8-0 drubbing by Premier League title-holders Manchester City when the sides met at the Etihad Stadium a year ago.
The Salford boss had been open about his reluctance to face Pep Guardiola’s men again in the lead-up to his team’s 4-0 rout of League One Leyton Orient in round two.
And he has been granted his wish to avoid English football’s powerhouses with a draw against fourth-tier promotion rivals Swindon Town.
But, while Ian Holloway’s men present a decidedly easier test than Manchester City, they have been catapulted to second place in League Two by a strong run of form.
Swindon sit three points clear of fourth-placed Salford after they battled to a hard-fought 2-0 win over Gillingham on New Year’s Day.
Carrying momentum from consecutive clean sheet wins, the Robins will be confident they can exact revenge on a Salford side that won 3-2 courtesy of a 91st-minute Kallum Cesay goal when the teams met in September.
League Two top scorer Adrian Drinan was on target for Swindon as they overturned a two-goal deficit to draw level in the second half, before Cesay – a standout performer throughout Salford’s impressive FA Cup campaign – stepped off the bench to force home a late winner.
Drinain, enjoying the most lucrative season of his career, will be matched up against an Ammies defence that looks the most settled it has been for a while.
A 1-0 win over Harrogate was backed up by a 0-0 draw against Fleetwood an impressive 2-1 win at Barrow as Salford navigated a tricky festive period unscathed.
With their scheduled New Year’s Day match against Shrewsbury Town called off due to a frozen pitch, Robinson will hope Salford’s red-hot run of form can continue.
While Swindon may see themselves as a League One side in the making, having notably lured forward Ollie Palmer to Whitlshire from Championship Wrexham, Salford have beaten two League One teams to reach this stage.
Preparing for our second consecutive appearance in the @EmiratesFACup Third Round 🏆
Tickets are on sale now for our first home game of 2026 🎫https://t.co/LIoPjtZ67d pic.twitter.com/Zdol0WNBsD
— Salford City FC (@SalfordCityFC) January 6, 2026
It took a 94th-minute Kelly N’Mai equaliser and perfection from the penalty spot to overcome Lincoln City in the first round before second-half goals from Cesay, Bornini and N’Mai saw Salford ease past a listless Leyton Orient coached by former manager Richie Wellens.
Robinson will be confident his side can exorcise the ghosts of last year’s chastening defeat to Manchester City by securing a fourth-round berth with victory over Swindon.
Salford City will face Swindon Town on Saturday, 10 January, 3pm kick-off at the Peninsula Stadium.
