Robinson claims that the excitement of playing Manchester City is unaffected by Salford’s training pitch issues

Salford City’s preparations suffered this week as their Moor Lane pitch became too slippery for training due to the winter weather, making their FA Cup third-round matchup against Premier League powerhouse Manchester City an even more daunting task.

However, manager Karl Robinson stated that his fourth-tier team has already won Saturday’s David vs. Goliath match at the Etihad Stadium, regardless of the outcome.

“I don’t think there’s any outcome from this that should be negative,” Robinson stated to reporters on Thursday. “We should look at this as a celebration of how far we’ve come.”

Due to Manchester’s current cold frost, Moor Lane, which does not have the under-pitch heating of larger stadiums, appeared more like a skating rink on Thursday under a layer of ice and snow.

Salford has been loaned the indoor space of Manchester United’s former training complex, The Cliff.

“As you could expect, we’ve faced challenges. “We are incredibly grateful to United,” Robinson remarked. The issue is that it’s only, I believe, 80 yards long and 50 yards broad. The size of the opposition’s pitch at the weekend will feel far larger than that, I can tell you that.

“We’ve had to do our best to give ourselves the greatest opportunity to put a performance on.”

Even though Saturday’s match will be Manchester City and Salford City’s first competitive encounter, there will still be rivalry between the two teams.

Salford is partially owned by Manchester United legends Gary and Phil Neville, David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, and Nicky Butt.

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Scholes and Giggs frequently attend training; on Thursday, Scholes was present. One “massive reason” Robinson cited for accepting the head coaching job a year ago was the team’s ownership.

“If I can’t learn listening to people who played for one of the greatest managers of all time in Sir Alex Ferguson … just listening to little things like them speaking about some of their big games and how they dealt with that, and can you implement that into League Two in your own unique way?” Robinson, 44, said.

“It was all about me learning how to manage and coach differently. I’ve adored it.

When asked what he has learned most, Robinson cited the game’s simplicity and the fundamentals.

“Are you able to advance? Are you able to sprint ahead? To win, are you prepared to expend every last bit of energy?” he said. “I just want my players to work the hardest they possibly can, and whatever the outcome, I can accept it.”

Robinson, who was born in Rainhill, some ten miles east of Liverpool, claimed that friends had made fun of him because of Salford’s affiliation with United.
“They’re all a little bit two-faced, actually, because they all want tickets for the weekend,” he said.

“Saturday’s game puts Salford on the map for a small team in a city of football giants,” Robinson remarked.

When you’re in the shadow of Manchester City or Manchester United, two of the greatest football teams in the world, you’re always playing in their shadows because of their history, achievements, and massive global fan base.

“But this game has certainly woke a few people up who have gone, ‘They’re doing okay.'”

Salford is tied for second position in the fourth division with second-place Crewe Alexandra after winning six straight games. Despite winning their past two games, Manchester City is currently mired in sixth place in the Premier League following a terrible run of results.