Salford City booked their place in the knockout stage of the Vertu Trophy with a 4-2 win against Wolves Under-21s.
Reuben Butt, the son of Salford board member Nicky, scored his first two goals for the club to ensure the Ammies maintained their 100% record in the competition this season.
Before we kicked off, a minute’s silence was held to commemorate Armistice Day. Salford started on the strong foot, peppering the visitors with chances that ultimately ended in nothing.
The Ammies started slowly in torrential rain and Wolves looked to pounce.
The away side took the lead when striker Fletcher Holman was inadvertently played through on goal by a misplaced backpass from Salford centre-back Jacob Lara.
A burst of pace left the number 52 with heaps of space as he composed himself and slotted it neatly past the goalkeeper Mark Howard to put the visitors in front.
The opener was a wakeup call for the Ammies, who upped their intensity instantly and went in search of an immediate response.
Karl Robinson’s side were inches away from being awarded a penalty when Rosarie Longelo was brought down just outside the box following a tidy run forward.
Salford striker Cole Stockton forced Wolves goalkeeper into a fantastic diving save as Salford pressed for a leveller.
Fabio Borini’s much-anticipated first start for The Ammies was cut short after 35 minutes when he was withdrawn through injury.
Cole Stockton was denied at the goalmouth. Alfie Brooks produced a fantastic diving effort to deny the veteran.
Lara was handed a lifeline after making a similar mistake to his first. Holman found himself through on goal again, but was dragged down by a desperate Lara. Luckily for the defender, referee Andrew Miller waved Wolves’ penalty protests away and awarded Salford a goal kick.
After constant pestering inside the young Wolves’ half, Salford finally pulled one back.
The visitors thought they were safe after clearing a corner, but the ball fell to the feet of Bruno Padovani, who rifled the ball through a crowded box and into the back of the net.
The rain only continued to pour as we entered the second half at a goal a piece.
Salford soon had another as Padovani found himself in space. He whipped a ball in the vicinity of goalkeeper Brooks, who had the misfortune of parrying the ball out to Stockton, who blasted the ball into the roof of the net to give Salford the lead.
Ruben Butt extended the Ammies’ lead after dancing his way through the Wolves defence. He curled the ball around Brooks to seal Salford’s ticket into the knockout stage.
As we approached the final 10 minutes, Salford were on the hunt for more.
Butt bagged a brace on the night, striking a lofted ball which had too much power for the keeper, whose touch wasn’t enough as the ball trickled into the goal.
Padovani would’ve had his second if it wasn’t thanks to a fantastic save from Brooks, who palmed a shot onto the crossbar.
In the three minutes of additional time, substitute Leonardo Lopes got one back for the visitors, neatly placing a shot at the keeper’s near post.
Eventually Miller blew an end to the contest as Salford progressed to the next stage of the Vertu trophy.
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