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Weakened City go down

26/ 9/2002

SALFORD'S indifferent away form continued with this comprehensive defeat, writes Frank McCauley.

Although beaten as early as the seventh minute it was only some heroic saves from City keeper Phil Melville that restricted Clitheroe to a two-goal interval lead.

Weakened by injuries to defenders Tony Cullen and Dave Chadwick, midfield man Dave Gardner and forward Chris Willcock, Salford were also without leading scorer Mattie Hughes, who had work commitments.

The side's first-half showing was below expectations and the writing was on the wall when a loose ball from Ross Harford went straight into the path of Clitheroe skipper Lee Cryer, and he set up Chris Whittingham to plant a shot past Melville.

In the next 20 minutes Melville pulled off three cracking saves. For the first he knocked away a ferocious point-blank effort from Lee Buggie. Within a minute he tipped, at full length, a Cryer volley on to an upright and again denied Cryer with a great stop.

The relentless pressure paid off when full-back Adam Gardner found himself in front of goal and this time Melville could do nothing.

Salford didn't seriously trouble keeper Kris Richens until the 43rd minute, when Karl Margison was unlucky to see a long-range drive cannon off the crossbar. A minute later Loz Greenhalgh hit the post.

Cryer rounded things off 10 minutes from the end after the defence failed to clear a free kick.

l With City's injury list not due to clear for at least another two weeks, manager Andy Brown will be hoping home advantage will win the day over newcomers Alsager Town at Moor Lane on Saturday (3pm) and keep his side in touch with the early pacesetters, which include Prescot Cables, visitors to Moor Lane on Tuesday night (7.45).