Sir David Beckham and Gary Neville could only watch in horror as Salford City lost to Notts County in the Sky Bet League Two play-off final. The Ammies have been promoted four times in five seasons since being taken over by the Class of 92 in 2014, but will remain in League Two next season.
Manchester United greats Beckham and Gary Neville were part of the new consortium that completed the takeover of Salford just 12 months ago when Nicky Butt, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Phil Neville sold their shares.
But they were helpless as they watched from the stands at Wembley as Martin Patterson’s side secured promotion to the third tier.
Alassana Jatta opened the scoring after 30 minutes, and Lucas Ness made it 2-0 just before half-time. Jodie Jones then scored the Magpies’ third goal 20 minutes after normal time.
The result ended a disappointing season for Salford, who missed out on automatic promotion on the final day of the season.
Cambridge United would have finished third and secured League One qualification if Salford had beaten Crawley Town after Cambridge United were held off by Crewe Alexandra, but like United it ended in a goalless draw.
The closest Salford ever came to promotion to League One was three years ago when they were eliminated in the play-off semi-final by Stockport County.
And before this afternoon’s game, Amies manager Carl Robinson admitted: “This is the biggest game in the club’s history. We value it highly and the story around it is incredibly important, but the city of Salford is truly unique.”
“They’re true to their values, and what we’ve been trying to find is consistency between the team and how you conduct yourself. That’s usually a good position for you. It’s a magical place, but it can be the darkest place if it’s not a good fit for you.”
