PREVIEW: Salford

United's busy run of fixtures continues with the away trip to Salford on Tuesday night.

Salford conducted two bits of post-summer transfer window business as they looked to bolster the squad and begin a charge up the table.

Forward Aramide Oteh, who had been a free agent since his release from QPR in May, was the first to come through the door in September when he signed a short-term deal to take him up to January.

Central defender Theo Vassell finally put pen-to-paper on a contract in November, having trained with the Ammies since July.

A problem with tendonitis delayed the agreement, but he's already notched up a run of appearances as he looks to secure a longer stay.

January has also seen transfer activity, with midfielder Stephen Kelly agreeing a half-season loan deal from Rangers midway through the month.

Fellow midfielder Ryan Watson was brought in from Tranmere for an undisclosed fee, and the forward line was bolstered when Matt Smith penned an 18-month contract, having parted company with Millwall.

The Ammies became very difficult to be beat in the league through November and December, with just an away defeat at Mansfield to blot the copy book.

January has very much been a mixed bag, with two wins and a draw to accompany the two defeats that took them into their Tuesday night meeeting with Barrow.

That saw them return to winning ways with a free kick from Ash Hunter complemented by a Romeao Hutton own goal in time added on.

They were away again at the weekend, at high-flying Northampton, and it was back to earth with a bump as they fell to an early goal from Paul Lewis. It was a game that could have gone either way, with chances created by both teams.

Experienced midfielder Matt Lund rediscovered the scoring bug towards the end of November, which coincided with a better run of results for his team.

Three goals in four league games helped the Ammies to victory in back-to-back outings against Mansfield and Oldham.

A strong, no-nonense approach to games makes him a formidable opponent and he's very vocal as he demands the best from those around him. 

If selected (he was on the bench on Saturday) he's our midweek one to watch. 

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This game is kive to watch as part of the EFL midweek streaming agreement.

With match commentary provided by BBC Radio Cumbria, this is a fantastic way to follow your team through the season.

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These teams have met on just four occasions, having lost one of the games at the Peninsular Stadium to the 2020 pandemic.

United took the honours at Brunton Park in September 2021 when Jon Mellish bagged the winner after Josh Morris had levelled the first-half scores just moments before the break. Brennan Dickenson had notched the early opener.

Watch the highlights from that game here:

It was 1-1 in Salford in February 2021 with George Tanner opening the scoring for the away side with just 11 minutes on the clock. James Wilson equalised on 79 minutes to make sure the spoils were shared.

Watch the highlights from that game here:

We hosted the Ammies in December 2020 with strikes from Lewis Alessandra and Rhys Bennett putting the Blues two goals to the good. D'Ishon Bernard hit back late in the day but it was too little too late the Cumbrians took the points.

Watch the highlights from that game here:

The first meeting of these clubs was in August 2019, when the newly-promoted outfit came north for our first ever meeting. An early lead for the Blues from an Olufela Olomola goal was turned on its head as Salford's Emmanuel Dieseruvwe and Danny Whitehead scored in quick succession to put the visitors ahead as half-time approached. Stefan Scougall completed the scoring moments before the break, and that was it for the day as it ended all-square at 2-2.

Watch the highlights from that game here:

Referee - Simon Mather
Assistant Referee 1 - Paul Stonier
Assistant Referee 2 - Lewis Raper
Fourth Official - Christopher Ward
Observer - Mark Haywood

Our referee for this fixture is Mr Simon Mather. He has taken charge of 19 games so far this season and has shown seven red cards and 82 yellows. 

He was in charge for our away visit to Sutton in September 2021. United lost by 4-0, Brennan Dickenson was booked and substitute Manny Mampala was sent off when he picked up two yellow cards within the space of just 18 minutes.