Karl Robinson delighted with ‘class act’ Salford in win over Tranmere

Karl Robinson was delighted with his Salford players after they battled to a 3-1 win against Tranmere.

Striker Cole Stockton headed over from close range as Salford dominated the first half.

Luke Garbutt scored from the penalty spot to give Salford a 56th-minute lead, before Omari Patrick finished off a swift counter-attack to draw the away side level.

With time running out, Stockton got on the end of debutant Daniel Udoh’s knockdown to restore Salford’s advantage, before Ossama Ashley curled home a third.

Robinson said that Salford’s performance marked an improvement from last season.

He said: “I thought we looked like a class act today. We had 17 or 18 shots in the first half, and only two or three of them were on target. I think they had nine blocks in the first half as well. I thought their defending was superb.

“I thought when their goal went in, it wasn’t through shape, it wasn’t through poor play, it was through human error, just through an eagerness to make a challenge he didn’t have to.

“Once the game settled back down again, we were very, very good at winning and seeing the game out.

“I think we spoke a lot about our strength in depth. Last year, we couldn’t have coped with this sort of problem, whereas this year we’ve managed to get a bunch of signings in.

“I just think it’s a very exciting time and we are in a really good position. We looked really good this time last season, and I think we were a way away from the strength we are now.”

Tranmere manager Andy Crosby was frustrated with his side’s performance and acknowledged that Salford were deserved winners.

He said: “We got exactly what we deserved, we were handed the goal that got us back into the game. Anyone who saw the game saw that Salford were the only team that was going to win.

“The way we defended our 18-yard box with the amount of blocks we got in was great. But it also meant we were having to do a hell of a lot of defending.

“To get in at half-time 0-0 was pleasing, but I think if we’d have walked away with anything from this game today, we’d have been papering over the actual performance and how the game was.

“I think we had maybe five minutes in the whole game where we played with a little bit of composure, a little bit of quality, stuck one or two passes together and worked our way up the pitch.

“But as I say, I don’t want that to cover up for a performance that was not good enough to collect any points.”