Fabio Borini showed he is ‘way above League Two level’ – Karl Robinson

Karl Robinson hailed Fabio Borini’s match-winning assist as “way above League Two level” as Salford secured a 1-0 win at Harrogate.

The ex-Liverpool, Chelsea and AC Milan attacker sent fellow substitute Daniel Udoh clear on goal to settle matters in the 85th minute as the Ammies capitalised on the lunchtime kick-off to move within a point of the automatic promotion places following a third straight win.

Borini – a member of Chelsea’s 2009-10 double-winning squad and a once-capped Italy international – has only started one league game for the Ammies since arriving as a free agent in October.

But as the season approaches its business end, he followed up his winning goal from the bench during a 1-0 midweek triumph over Walsall by teeing up top scorer Udoh, returning from five games out injured, for his eighth of the campaign and first since New Year’s Day.

Delighted Salford chief Robinson declared: “That pass was way above League Two level and he’s getting fitter and sharper by the week.

“He’s now scored a goal and assisted one in the last two games and I’m really, really pleased with him.

“It was an unbelievable performance out of possession from us but after 60 minutes, I felt we needed to do something and triple substitutions often have a big impact. They have for us on other occasions this season and when I saw Dan go through and the ball hit the back of the net, I was delighted.

“It was one of the best feelings of the season for me. We’re now 11 points better off than we were at this stage last season and that’s a great achievement with all the injuries we’ve had.

“It’s about the proudest I’ve felt of a group of players because they have been impeccable, as have our supporters.”

Home boss Simon Weaver insisted his bottom-of-the-table side must prove they are more than just a “nice football team” if they are to preserve their EFL status.

The Sulphurites, who have netted more than a single goal just once in their past 25 league games, could only muster a solitary attempt on target over the 90 minutes and Weaver said: “We play a nice brand of football, but we need to be better than just a nice football team. There has to be an edge to it.

“It was a very tight game but they had what we didn’t – that moment of quality. There was a lot of ifs, buts and maybes in the final third but we didn’t go through the gears enough.

“We played safe and the handbrake was on at times and that’s very frustrating because despite the difference in set-ups between the two clubs, there was very little between the two teams but that one moment of quality.

“We didn’t find any urgency in the final third. We were too methodical and need to show the spark to score goals.”