Neil Wood hails growing Salford confidence after Ryan Watson winner

Posted Sunday, August 28, 2022 by PA

Neil Wood says that confidence is growing at Salford City as they ended Stevenage’s unbeaten start with a 1-0 victory.

The Ammies left it late with Ryan Watson’s emphatic 90th-minute winner the difference as the visiting Boro’s seven-game run without defeat was ended.

Despite enjoying their best start to a season since 2012, Steve Evans’ side suffered from a slow start and struggled to find their footing at Moor Lane.

The hosts – who have now won all three home games under new boss Wood with no reply – dominated the fixture with a lively Callum Hendry threatening throughout.

And their persistence was eventually rewarded thanks to a moment of individual brilliance from Watson, handing Salford’s promotion credentials a boost.

An impressive start in the Ammies hotseat for the former Manchester United under 23s boss continued, as the side move up to fourth position in League Two.

“We were relentless in the way we played and that’s our mentality, that’s how we want to be,” said Wood.

“I think the winner was coming, we kept putting pressure on them, creating chances and we wanted to win the game.

“We felt like if it was going to be a draw, it would be two points dropped for us. We always want to win every game. We’ve got a good squad here and a good team of staff that are pulling in the right direction.

“We’re gaining good results at the minute and playing well. It’s giving the fans, players and the whole club confidence, but we need to work hard to sustain that. We won’t be letting our foot off the gas.

“It’s good to get back to not conceding because, if we can keep a clean sheet, we know we can dominate a game and create chances, so it’s a great platform to build.

“It’s important to have those home comforts but it’s a difficult thing to do. If you can get your home form to a really high standard and make this an intimidating place to come, then it gives you a slight advantage.

“That’s what we’re trying to create, and I think we’ve gone about it well so far, but we’re not resting on that and we’re going to keep making improvements.”

Stevenage, who have now lost on all four trips to Moor Lane, did threaten to find an unlikely opener with Arthur Read forcing a smart save from Tom King.

Jamie Reid, whose double on the final day of last season inspired a 4-2 victory over Salford, spurned a glorious opportunity late on prior to Watson’s winner.

Ultimately, the visitors’ wastefulness in front of goal proved costly, much to the disappointment of boss Evans.

He said: “I think we worked really hard today, but I don’t think we were smart in any department.

“It was a great strike that deserves to win any game. But we had a massive chance (through Reid) and if we score that, we win the game and there’s no way back for them.

“I didn’t feel comfortable at any stage today that we’ve been anywhere near the levels we’ve been. There’s no point dressing that up, we just turned up and weren’t at it today.

“There are huge resources here at Salford and I only applaud it. If that’s the benchmark to be up there, then we’ll be up there, especially considering it’s a game where we’ve felt we’ve not really turned up or been ourselves.

“But I won’t question the effort, desire or commitment from the players, and I’ll keep away from blaming the officials, but I don’t think he was very good for us today.

“I just think he got a lot of key decisions wrong today and maybe that’s the pressure you get with coming here because of the circumstances around this club.

“We don’t get too high last week or too low this week. We’ll take the hurt that defeat brings, and we’ll try and get ready for next week.”