Neil Wood talks up Salford after impressive win over Northampton

Posted Sunday, October 09, 2022 by PA

Salford boss Neil Wood was delighted with his side’s battling qualities after they ground out a 1-0 win over Northampton.

A tight game between third and fifth at Sixfields could have swung either way but it was the visitors who were celebrating come the full-time whistle thanks to Ethan Galbraith’s first goal for the club just before half-time.

The win was Salford’s first against Northampton and their third in a row away from home, lifting them to within two points of the League Two automatic-promotion places with a game in hand.

“We knew it was going to be a tough game and we knew Northampton have got a lot of threats going forward,” said Wood.

“The front four are really lively, they interchange well and they look to deliver to them quickly so we had to nullify that threat.

“I think the good thing for us is that we can compete in games like this and we can hold our ground but we can also go up another level and get the ball down and play and cause problems.

“That showed with the goal. We knew there wouldn’t be many moments for us in the game and we had to capitalise when we did.

“It’s really pleasing for me to see that we can go away from home, in a tough environment, and hold our own.

“It’s probably the first game of the season where we had less possession than the opposition but there’s a reason for that.

“We sat off and we didn’t want to commit too many bodies forward. We had to defend the long balls and land on the second balls and that was a big part of the game plan.

“We need to find consistency and we have managed to do that on the road. We have struggled a bit more at home because teams have come and sat in and that’s really difficult to play against.

“There are improvements to make, both at home and away, but we will take the three points today and leave feeling happy.”

After winning five in a row, Northampton’s early-season charge has stumbled with back-to-back 1-0 defeats.

“It was a frustrating one,” admitted Cobblers manager Jon Brady. “I think we will play a lot worse than that and win.

“You could see both teams like to play. They have dominated possession in every other game they have played but they didn’t do that today.

“It was 50-50 in terms of possession and I felt we had the better chances, but one thing I was very disappointed about was our game management for their goal.

“With a minute of the first half to go, we should not be letting them even come into our third, let alone create a chance and score a goal. That wasn’t good enough and it’s unlike us.

“But that was their only real shot on target. Matt Smith did have a header in the second half but Kieron (Bowie) has a curler that nearly goes in and there were a few others.

“It was a frustrating afternoon in terms of that.”