New Salford boss Karl Robinson has had an eventful start to life at the club’s helm.
The Merseyside native was sent off just 14 minutes into his first match as his new side drew 2-2 with League 2 bottom side Forest Green Rovers. Ryan Watson snatched a late point for the Ammies, converting a penalty on the 90 minute mark as both sides also saw a player dismissed.
Crawley Town is the Ammies opponents on Saturday at Broadfield with Scott Lindsay’s side firmly in mid table after their recent victory over Bradford, so it will be a tough test for the struggling Ammies.
Karl Robinson said on the sending off: “You can’t stop the flow of the game, the ball initially came to me and their player ran into me trying to get it. He then left it and walked away and another player came up, I dropped the ball and that was that.
“I wasn’t trying to be smart or disrespectful. I thought the ref got it wrong but you have to respect the decision.
“Even when I went off, the players took on board what I had said and worked well and I’m very proud of them for that.”
It wasn’t going to be an easy task for Robinson to come in and get a result against Forest Green Rovers with so little time to work with the squad, but now with almost a week under his belt with the side, he has a much better understanding of the players he is coaching. He brings fresh new ideas to the club to try and steer the side away from the drop.
Robinson adds: “We have to take the good things that are already in place and make them better, you have to find a balance in the squad. It’s about being honest and transparent with the players, we have to work hard with the players to make them understand the team that we want to be.
“We can’t forget how to lose, the more work we put in on the training pitch the better we will become.
“We may need to play a little different, ask them questions, put balls into their box and make them do things they don’t want to. They are a good team that are well coached, they play aggressive and have other options too. I never speak negative about other teams we respect them.”
Salford have had lots of injuries in the first half of the season and have lost one of the club’s best players in Odin Bailley, who has been confirmed as a new permanent signing for league leaders Stockport after spending the first half of the season on loan at County.
Robinson added: “We have to deal with Financial Fair play rules as well. It’s a decision for the club and not me, from the outside decisions like these can be frustrating, but it can be the right one for the club moving forward. Lots of thought and process goes in and its also about what the owners want for the club.
“We have lots of players returning now and we are very close to a full strength side and we are possibly close to getting new faces in on short term deals, as we do need to strengthen and think of the future of the side.”
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