Salford boss Karl Robinson was full of praise for Fabio Borini after the Italian forward marked his 400th game in club football with a vital goal as they beat Walsall 1-0.
Borini was introduced as Robinson made a triple substitution midway through the second half and broke the deadlock with a low shot 16 minutes from time.
Jamille Matt missed a chance to draw Walsall five minutes later when he failed to turn Mason Hancock’s low centre goalwards at full stretch and Salford held on to record an important win.
Robinson hailed the impact the former Liverpool, Sunderland and AC Milan striker, who won one senior cap for Italy, made off the bench in a match that was short of quality until his introduction.
He said: “It was a hard game for us. We just edged it with a fantastic goal from an Italian international. It shows you the quality we have in our squad.
“I feel ecstatic. I thought we were good and were the ones chasing the win.
“We have just been hit with injury after injury after injury and every single player and staff member has had to dig deep.
“We have been very, very good in the last few games. We have had a crazy 10 minutes away at Grimsby (conceding three goals to lose 3-1), but aside from that, it has been a wonderful four performances.”
Asked if he still has his sights set on achieving automatic promotion after his side closed the gap on the top three to four points, Robinson added: “Our first job is to catch the team in front of us. The second is to catch the team in front of them, quickly.
“We have still got to play Notts County, MK Dons, Bromley and Cambridge (the current top four), so there are some really difficult moments ahead for us. We have to try and drag these teams back.”
The win against Walsall lifted Salford to sixth place in League Two, with a five-point buffer over Chesterfield outside the play-off places.
With a drab, gruelling contest petering out, Robinson’s decision to turn to his bench and former Italian international Fabio Borini proved inspired.
The former Liverpool, Sunderland and AC Milan striker stepped off the bench to mark the milestone with a crucial goal as The Ammies battled to a second successive League Two victory, which has consolidated their position in the play-off places and placated critics after a blip in form throughout February.
In a drab first half where neither side could muster a shot on target, Salford forward Ryan Graydon went closest to opening the scoring after 40 minutes when he overran the ball after being played through on goal by Cole Stockton.
The Irishman struck the crossbar with an audacious dipping volley from the corner of the box before Daniel Kanu forced goalkeeper Matthew Young into a smart reaction save as both sides exchanged chances in a similarly scrappy second half.
After Salford boss Robinson turned to his bench for inspiration, neat passing play from substitute Prince Ehibhatiomhan and Graydon opened the space for Borini to fire a low shot into the bottom corner in the 74th minute.
"Borini, surely!!!" 🎙️
The match-winning strike from Fabio Borini on his 400th career appearance 🎯 pic.twitter.com/gaRzT9U7Ch
— Salford City FC (@SalfordCityFC) March 11, 2026
Matt squandered a chance to pull the Saddlers level late on when he failed to turn a low cross home from close range, but his miss was the only noteworthy chance the away side created on a night where they were contained by the Salford defence.
Robinson will hope his Salford side will be similarly resolute at the back when they travel to bottom-of-the-table Harrogate Town on Saturday 14 March, 12:30pm kick-off.
