Salford City will enter this Saturday’s clash with Bristol Rovers with a spring in their step after a history-making win on Tuesday night.
Karl Robinson’s men are riding the crest of a wave on the back of consecutive 3-2 victories over promotion rivals Swindon Town, the latter of which secured a historical first venture into the FA Cup fourth round, where they will face Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium for the second year running.
Against Swindon, a maiden Ammies brace by January acquisition Ryan Graydon sprung Salford delight after 52 minutes, with fans within touching distance of another trip to the Etihad.
But a flick on header from former Wrexham target man Ollie Palmer, coupled with James Ball’s leveller five minutes later, saw anxieties rise all around the Peninsula.
It took a cracker of a free kick from captain Luke Garbutt with 20 minutes to go to allay the suspense and propel Salford into the once elusive FA Cup Fourth round and extend their impressive unbeaten marathon to nine games.
Our captain @luke_garbutt guiding us into the @EmiratesFACup Fourth Round with another perfect free-kick 🎯 pic.twitter.com/s6rGnZXdJ6
— Salford City FC (@SalfordCityFC) January 21, 2026
On the back of the win, Karl Robinson’s men turn their attention to the visit of a Bristol Rovers side languishing just three points above the relegation places in League Two.
But, while the Gas have only won one of their last 13 matches, they will arrive at the Peninsula Stadium having already beaten Salford this season.
The reverse fixture in September will surely bring up sore memories for Salford fans, as the Memorial Stadium played host to a remarkable final few moments of action that ended in Ammies defeat.
Haji Mnoga’s second yellow dismissal with seconds to go was followed by Luke Garbutt’s spot kick, which was heroically denied by Rovers keeper Luke Southwood, who got up to prevent a follow-up on the final whistle to see the Gas run out as 2-1 victors.
This Saturday’s face-off provides a platform for Salford to record their first-ever win over Bristol Rovers, while the visitors will hope to improve their dreadful league form.
With second-placed Swindon visiting league leaders Bromley, victory should stand the Ammies in good stead as they aim to move into an automatic promotion spot.
Karl Robinson’s men are currently outside of the top three on goal difference, but will look to surge up the league with a win over Bristol Rovers, 3pm kick-off at the Peninsula Stadium.
