County will go into the second leg of the play-offs one goal behind following last Saturday's 1-0 loss to the Ammies at the Peninsula Stadium.

Salford's first chance came around the first minute, with some impressive footwork from number nine Callum Hendry. The forward passed to teammate Conor McAleny, whose long range shot was blocked by Neil Byrne.  

The deflection led to a corner, which, after a scramble in the box, led to another chance for Salford from Adrian Mariappa, which was stopped by keeper Hinchliffe. 

County had a good chance later, with Stretton capitalising on a mistake by Salford's Hendry. Stretton passed to Evans, who took a powerful shot from the right side of the box which was blocked by Salford's goalkeeper Alex Cairns. Croasdale took another shot from the deflection which rattled the crossbar.  

A minute later, Salford took the lead, as Elliot Watt sent a cross from the right which seemed to connect with Ammies striker Matt Smith. In actual fact, the ball seems to have made more of a connection with County defender Fraser Horsfall.

Later, Kyle Knoyle sent a cross for county which Byrne caught the end of, although the attempt was caught by Cairns.  

Salford had another shot on goal with a Mallan free-kick, palmed away by Hinchliff twelve minutes before the break.  

After half-time, Salford continued to look dangerous, controlling possession and making a number of attempts on goal. Hinchliffe made a good stop following an attempt from McAleny, whilst shots from Bolton and Watt were deflected and went wide respectively.  

A Knoyle free-kick at 57 minutes found Wright, who headed into the side-netting, and Evans saw a shot deflected behind, as the Hatters pressed for an equalizer before the second leg.

Ultimately, however, the game finished 1-0 to Salford, leaving an advantage but by no means a guaranteed win for the Ammies in the second leg, taking place at Edgeley Park on May 20.  

At the end of the game, Salford had 13 shots (four on target) compared to County's seven (one on target). County ultimately controlled more possession, with 55% compared to Salford's 45%.

610 County fans managed to attend, following complaints that there was limited seat allocation for the away fans.

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