Big Match Preview: Salford vs Stevenage

2 August 2019

Stevenage travel to Salford City on Saturday 3rd August for a 12:30pm kick-off to get the Sky Bet League Two season underway...

Tickets…

Tickets for Stevenage supporters are only available on the day of the game from the Peninsula Stadium.

Adults: £10
Concessions: £5
Under 5s: FREE

Concessions = 60+, 5-16 Years Old and Students with valid ID.

Advance tickets will not be made available and instead, admission is only to be accepted via cash at the away turnstiles.

Travel...

The Supporters Association coach is departing the Lamex Stadium at 7am on Saturday so please arrive with plenty of time to spare in-order to ensure a timely departure. Tickets cost £20 for SA members and £25 for non-members.

To book a seat, please call John Carroll on 01438 814285 after 6pm or visit www.sfcsa.co.uk/home/travel.

On the Box...

Can't make the journey North? Watch the match LIVE on Sky Sports Football from 12pm or Sky Sports Main Event from 12:30pm.

Don't have a Sky Sports subscription? Head to the Broadhall Suite from 12pm where we will be showing the match live and a Pie and Pint costs just £5.

Team News...

Boro have a handful of injuries to contend with on the eve of the season, as Ben Nugent, Ben Kennedy and Paul Digby are all struggling for fitness ahead of the match. There are also a number of other knocks amongst the squad that will be monitored over the next 48 hours.

Onto the game...

After six weeks of preparation, it all comes down to this. Stevenage and Salford kick-off the Sky Bet League season at lunchtime on Saturday.

Eleven new signings have arrived the Club during the Summer so far (Chris Stokes, Paul Digby, Charlie Carter, Jason Cowley, Jamie Fielding, Dean Parrett, Tyler Denton, Noor Husin, Paul Taylor, Tom Soares & Sacha Bastien) whilst David Oldfield and Mark Sampson have joined Dino Maamria's Coaching Team.

It is the first time in 10 seasons that Stevenage have started their season on the road and it is also the first time that the two Club's have ever played each other.

For a more detailed look at Saturday's opponents, please click here for our Scouting Report.

What they said...

Dino Maamria says that whilst Salford City are an easy target for critics across the football world, he isn’t one of them.

“We have done some work with that. For us it is a 90 minute football match. It won’t decide the fate of our season. We will work our hardest to make sure we get the three points. The rest of it, it will be dominated by the class of 92 as it is a historic game for the Club. Actually, they get a lot of criticism but I am not one of them. I understand their ambition, I know they put a lot of money behind it, but they want to move forward and they have done fantastic over the past five years.

“They deserve all the success they have got. Let us see what they do next season - Non-League to Football League is a totally different ball game but I am sure they are prepared for that. They have a Manager who understands the Football League and he will know that. I think they will do alright this season.”

Click here to sign into your iFollow account to watch the Manager's full pre-match press conference.

Meanwhile newly appointed Club Captain, Scott Cuthbert says is relishing the chance to get the season off to a good start.

"It is very important form our point of view that we focus on it as a normal league game. We have got 46 to go and Salford are no different than anyone else. We stick to our game plan and forget everything else, let’s just focus on winning the game in-front of the Sky Cameras. There is no better way to do it, no better way to set down a marker at the start of the season than to win on Sky Sports and to really show everyone what the Club is about."

Click here to sign into your iFollow account to watch Scott Cuthbert's full pre-match press conference.

Officials...

Referee: Kevin Johnson

Assistant Referee 1: Graeme Fyvie

Assistant Referee 2: Ian Dudley

Fourth Official: Scott Oldham

Betting...

Stevenage are 29/10 underdogs with league sponsors, Sky Bet whilst you can get Kurtis Guthrie to score and Boro to win, PRICE BOOSTED from 9/2 to 7/1. If you fancy a flutter this weekend, use our designated link which enables the club to receive a slice of your stake!

Online coverage...

Live match commentary will be available for UK iFollow subscribers so make sure you sign up to listen to every game. If you are based outside of the UK & Ireland, you can stream the game LIVE!

Make sure you are following our Twitter account throughout the day as we bring you the very latest from the Peninsula Stadium.

iFollow subscribers will also be able to access full match highlights along with all the post-match reaction on Sunday.

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Match Reports

REPORT: Salford 2-0 Stevenage

3 August 2019

Stevenage started the Sky Bet League Two season with a 2-0 defeat at Salford City, as a goal from Emmanuel Dieseruvwe in either half came without reply...

Typical of an opening day clash, there was little between the two sides as nerves appeared to play their part, but when faced with the goal to aim at, it was Salford who were more calm and more clinical.

Dino Maamria named three debutants as Jamie Fielding, Tom Soares and Chris Stokes all featured for Stevenage in a competitive match for the very first time. Dean Parrett also returned to the starting XI for the first time since leaving the Club three years ago.

It was 19 year old Jamie Fielding who caught the eye during the early stages of the contest, showing impressive calmness and technique at left-wing back, a position unfamiliar to the former Hastings defender but standing in due to a rash of pre-season injuries throughout the squad.

Salford got off to a fast start, buoyed by their enthusiastic home support on a historic day for the football club as they embarked on their first ever season in the EFL. Ibou Touray forced the first save of the game, making Farman get down quickly to his near post after the Ammies almost caught Maamria’s men out by going short from a corner. Farman was needed again 16 minutes in as he kept out Rooney’s half volley with a spectacular stop that saw the ball tipped onto the crossbar and over.

Stevenage started to grow into the game though and saw a big penalty appeal fall on death ears after 20 minutes as Parrett played Sonupe through on goal, only for his progress to be halted by what looked like a flagging Salford challenge. Much to he and his teammates frustration, referee Kevin Johnson waved away all protests, just as he waved away what might have been another Sonupe goal a few minutes alter as he acrobatically volleyed the ball home from an offside position.

Despite having just wrestled control of the contest, Salford went ahead on 28 minutes as Dieseruvwe fired in from six yards out, after a brilliant through ball by Wiseman split open the Boro defence. Things got more complicating before the half as Dean Parrett was forced off on 43 minutes with what looked like a slight hamstring problem, allowing for the introduction of Paul Taylor to make his debut.

Danny Newton replaced Jamie Fielding at the break as Boro but many of the Manager’s half-time plans would have gone out the window just a few minutes after the restart, as Dieseruvwe pounced from close range to capitalise upon rather hesitant Stevenage defending. The Salford striker should have had his hat-trick on 55 minutes as he created a decent look for himself from a narrow angle before poking wide.

Guthrie fired over shortly after with an ambitious volley on his left foot and Husin soon replaced Iontton, but nothing was quite coming off for Boro as every attack seemed to stall before reaching its conclusion.

Things picked up inside the final 15 minutes – first up Newton rattled the woodwork as he came steaming in at the backpost from a corner before hitting whipped a well-hit shot from the edge of the box straight into the goalkeepers hands. Guthrie saw a deflected shot fall wide of the post as the match approached its conclusion, by which point, it became clear it wasn't going to be Stevenage's day.

In the end, it was a frustrating return to league action for Boro who will look to pick up their first win of the season at the second attempt, in one weeks time at home to Exeter.

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Ticket News

Salford Away is Pay on the Day

29 July 2019

Stevenage supporters are to be advised that tickets for the opening Sky Bet League Two fixture at Salford City is Pay on the Day...

Dino Maamria's men get the 2019/20 campaign underway with a high-profile televised clash at last season's Conference Champions on Saturday 3rd August 2019, at the earlier than usual time of 12:30pm.

Ticket prices are as follows:

Adults: £10
Concessions: £5
Under 5s: FREE

Concessions = 60+, 5-16 Years Old and Students with valid ID.

Advance tickets will not be made available and instead, admission is only to be accepted via cash at the away turnstiles.

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Stevenage FC

Standings

Big Match Preview: Salford vs Stevenage

REPORT: Salford 2-0 Stevenage

Salford Away is Pay on the Day