Salford City may have missed out on automatic promotion, but manager Karl Robinson insists the season has been a resounding success as his side gear up for the League Two play-offs.
The Ammies secured their spot in the postseason after a hard-fought 0-0 draw with Crawley Town on the final day of the regular season. While a top-three finish slipped through their fingers—Cambridge United claiming that third spot—Salford's form heading into the play-offs is nothing short of impressive. They've lost just once in their last 14 league games, a run that speaks volumes about their resilience and momentum.
"You know what football is like—you don't always get what you actually deserve," Robinson told BBC Radio Manchester. "When you take things out of your own control and leave it to somebody else, we can accept that. We firmly believe that we have had a very good season."
This marks Salford's first League Two play-off campaign since the 2022-23 season, when they were edged out by Stockport County. The journey since then has been a rollercoaster: a 20th-place finish in the following campaign, followed by agonizingly missing out on a play-off spot by a single point in the 2024-25 season. Now, they're back and ready to seize the moment.
Standing in their way are Grimsby Town, a side that has beaten Salford twice this season. The first leg of the play-off semi-final kicks off on Sunday, and Robinson is under no illusions about the challenge ahead. Reflecting on those defeats, he offered a simple yet pointed strategy: "Don't do what we did last time."
He added: "When you've played them in the middle of the season, the problem you have is that you can be off the back of a difficult game the week before, or you can be not as fresh as them. We're going to this game with a lot of players back fit."
For fans and players alike, this is a chance to rewrite the narrative. Salford City have proven they can compete at the highest level of League Two, and with a fully fit squad and a manager who believes in their potential, the play-offs could be the stage for something special.