Karl Robinson was delighted after Salford City booked their place in round two of the FA Cup with a penalty shootout victory over Lincoln City.
Lincoln took a first-half lead and looked to have secured their name in the hat for the next round until Kelly Nmai coolly slotted home in the 94th minute to send the game to extra time.
Despite chances for both sides, neither could find a winner, which meant the tie would be decided by a penalty shootout.
Salford scored all four of the penalties as keeper Mark Howard saved from Conor McGrandles, after Tom Bayliss had hit the woodwork, resulting in a 4-2 shootout victory for the League Two side.
Robinson said: “I’m so proud of my players. I thought our work ethic, our grit, our determination were great and we showed unbelievable energy levels.
“This is against a team who are three points from top and fifth in League One. These are one of the strongest teams in the league above. We knew today this is one of the hardest draws we could have had.
“It’s a real pleasing performance and a fantastic win. We’re feeling the magic of the FA Cup.”
Nmai, scorer of the equaliser, was named captain and had a fantastic chance to win the game in the last minute, firing just over.
Robinson said: “I think Kelly is very insular in how he sees the game. He thinks a lot about his own performance. I think he needs to put less pressure on himself and have more of an influence on the rest of the group and see how he can drag the rest of the group along with his high levels of talent.
“When he came off after the chance he said his two calves gave way. It was harder to do what he did than put it in the back of the net. But I’m absolutely over the moon with this. I think this is a real poignant moment.
“We’ve taken two League One teams to penalties now. We’re not that far off. The hardest thing we’ve got to do is remember where we are and get out of the league we play in.”
The Ammies will take on Cambridge United in their next league fixture at the Peninsula Stadium this Saturday at 3pm.
Recent Comments