Come with me on a journey using Football Manager 2024 to find out the most realistic prediction of where Salford City will be in the next five years!
Using Football Manager, the plan is to simulate five years into the future, a year at a time, seeing what the game predicts for the Ammies will be each year, what progress they’ll make, who they sign and if they can make it up the football leagues.
To explain, I will start a save with no job, and will simply simulate with no interference for the most realistic results. This will be a breakdown of every year, seeing where they finished, who was the top scorer and how they performed in general.
It is no more than a fun experiment, so let’s dive in and see how it goes!
SEASON ONE – 2023/2024
I thought for the first season, as it overlaps with where we are in the real world, I would pause on the 29th of January to see where exactly Salford had gone to at this point in the season. Had they outperformed their real life counterparts?
Yes! in one more game they have two more wins, two more draws and three less losses. Anyway, lets see how they got on at the end of the season.
So close yet so far! Salford came within two points of the playoff spots, finishing the season strongly yet lost out on the playoffs in the last few games. Draws to Harrogate and promotion rivals Bradford seriously cost them vital points.
Elliot Watt finished with the second most assists in the league, supplying Matt Smith, who became Salford’s top scorer for the season with only five goals. Will they be able to improve on the front-man in the 2024/25 summer transfer window?
SEASON TWO – 2024/2025
Charlie McNeil on a free transfer from Manchester United is by far the deal of their window, and potentially the whole of League Two. The young striker was previously on loan at Stevenage where he scored eight goals for them. Will he outperform his loan spell for Salford?
While I was recording their summer transfer window, the season had started five games in with two losses, one in the cup and one in the league. Can the end the season in the playoffs, or push for automatic promotion?
Salford end the 2024/25 season in the playoff places, a dream for any fan. Losing out on automatics by 3 points, some might say they let it go again losing to Walsall and Greater Manchester rivals Oldham in the last five games with those points becoming enough to send them directly to League One.
The top scorer for Salford before the playoffs was Charlie McNeill with 14 goals. Stevie Mallan finished with the most assists at the club with 11. Salford themselves finished the league with 5th most goals, scoring 56 in 46 games, propelling them to their first playoff game against Bradford City who finished a point below them.
A 2-1 victory with goals from Kean Bryan and Callum Hendry saw off Bradford in the first playoff game, and were able to not concede following a red card for Ossama Ashley in the 87th minute heading into the second leg at home in front by a goal.
Two early goals drew the game after an injury for last games scorer Kean Byran in the first minute, Salford won the match on aggregate after dominating with 11 shots, 7 on target and 65 per cent possession. They face Grimsby at Wembley in the playoff final in the 2024/25 season.
Salford are going to League One! After an early goal in the second minute by Charlie Kirk for Salford, a penalty pegged them back to make the game 1-1. However, it would be Salford leaving Wembley victorious after the penalty shootout went their way.
All four takers scored for Salford, Watson, Dackers, Mallan and Kirk whereas Grimsby missed two penalties.
Sound good to you Salford fans?
SEASON THREE – 2025/26
How will Salford fare in League One? Is it back to back promotion on the cards or will they be unable to match up the step up in quality between the two leagues?
In an admittedly strong League One, its going to be hard for Salford who have been predicted to get relegated this season. They will be facing the likes of Stoke, Barnsley and Huddersfield.
The summer transfer window was certainly ambitious, with Salford reinforcing the midfield with youth prospects picked up from Hull City on a free, Callum Jones and Rocco Coyle. Additionally the loan of young, promising striker Ethan Laidlaw from Brentford could make or break the Ammies season.
Another addition from the Premier League sees exciting prospect Ameen Al Dakhil transfer on loan from Burnley. Will these signings live up to their expectations?
At the end of the season, Salford finished 13th, a respectable effort given that they had been considered relegation material. They stayed clear of the relegation zone by 12 points, and were only 7 points off the playoff places. They wouldn’t have been able to do it without fan favourite Callum Hendry, who scored the most goals for them this season, 11.
A season highlight would likely have been beating Championship highflyers Sunderland 3-0 in the FA cup third round at home with a Yakou Meite hat-trick, who was actually transferred in on deadline day in the summer (my mistake!).
They would then be knocked out of the competition in the forth round to an Endrick brace at Stamford bridge for Chelsea.
Summer signings Ethan Laidlow and Al Dakhil made an important impact with 28 and 30 appearances, and seven and one goals respectively.
SEASON FOUR – 2026/27
The summer transfer window will be an important one this year. Can Salford build on last year and make a push into the playoffs to get promotion into the Championship?
So far, So good! 5 matches into the season and Salford sit perched in League One, in front of Preston, Stoke, Millwall and Barnsley. Salford have so far won four and drew one, an important result against promotion hopefuls Millwall.
Another difficult season is in store for League One, with a lot of quality, so lets explore who they decided to bring into the team this time to see if they can outperform after being predicted to finish 13th, last seasons spot.
With no outgoings once again, Salford this time spent £195,000, mostly on loan fees, only bringing in one player on a permeant that wasn’t a free transfer. Defenders Okagbue and Godwin-Malife will be expected to immediately improve the backline.
The squad depth has been improved with signings such as Sonny Pickup, and youngsters Aaron Loupalo-Bi and Ethan Brierley likely to be rotational options. Lets see if Salford can continue the momentum to the end of the season and get promoted to the Championship.
Salford are playoff bound once again! Can they dominate like they did in the previous fixtures?
Their top scorers this year were Charlie McNeill and Omari Forson, both on 11 goals each. Elliot Watt once again finished with the most assists at the club this season, with 11 also. They were able to push Salford into the playoffs in the last 2 matches, with a 2-1 win against Charlton and a 4-2 win against local and playoff rivals Wigan. Salford’s early draw to Millwall proved pivotal, beating them to 6th by just two points.
Salford head to the League One play-off final!
January singings Maxwell and Capita played instrumental roles in sweeping past Barnsley in 3-2 on aggregate, the same score two seasons ago against Bradford!
Can they recreate their playoff fortunes once again and get themselves to the second tier of English football?
Salford are heading to the Championship, something genuinely unexpected! Another penalty shootout win.
Two promotions in four years for the Ammies see them finally rise to expectations and get promotion out of the lower leagues.
Will Salford sink or swim in the last season of this exciting challenge?
SEASON FIVE – 2027/28
Is the investment enough for the Championship? In a strong league with the likes of Hull, Fulham, Wolves, Crystal Palace and more will the free transfer strategy we’ve seen from Salford City over the last few seasons be enough for their greatest challenge yet? Notably Eoin Toal will be expected to perform coming in for a record £3.6 million.
Salford sadly finished rock bottom of the Championship, with seven wins and 14 draws not enough to save them from relegation. Elliot Watt once again had the most assists for the club, and will likely go down as a legend, staying with them from League Two to Championship, sadly however they cannot do enough to avoid relegation back to League One. Will they get promoted right back up again?
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