Football: Family trip to Class of 92 club Salford City awaits Harrogate Railway boss

Family connections will be the extra motivation for Billy Miller when his Harrogate Railway take on the might of the Class of 92 backed Salford City.
Harrogate Railway's Nathan Cartman scythed down (Caught Light Photography)Harrogate Railway's Nathan Cartman scythed down (Caught Light Photography)
Harrogate Railway's Nathan Cartman scythed down (Caught Light Photography)

Free-scoring Railway head down the M62 to the heavily-backed high-fliers in Evo-Stik First Division North this Saturday.

Both teams will go into the match on the back of defeats after Railway gave away a 3-1 lead in a “mad eight minutes” to gift Radcliffe Borough victory 4-3 on Saturday.

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Salford went 13 matches unbeaten at the start of the season to top the table but defeats against Kendal Town (6-0) and Clitheroe (2-1) have followed to drop them down to third.

Former Manchester United stars Gary and Phil Neville, Ryan Giggs, Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes own Salford after a takeover earlier this year.

However, Miller, who grew up a stone’s throw away from Salford’s Moor Lane ground, said family bragging rights would be at the heart of his bid for three points.

“I would love to go there and win,” he said. “I have a lot of banter with my dad and his brothers, they are Salford born and bred and we always have a good giggle about it.

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“Everyone is excited. We will take a few people and I will have a few family there too. It’s certainly captured people’s imagination.

“There’s no jealousy towards them, we are absolutely over the moon that they have secured such investment. It shows what clubs can achieve if they have the right environment.

“It’s a game the players should want to be involved in. If they don’t they shouldn’t be playing here, or even playing in this league.”

Defensive frailties came back to bite Railway in the backside on Saturday in the defeat at Radcliffe.

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Despite falling behind early, Nathan Cartman took his goal tally to 21 for the campaign with a first-half penalty before goals from Malachi Farquharson and Adam Baker put Rail’ in cruise control.

However, Radcliffe hit back late on before Mike Morris’ rash tackle in injury time handed Borough the winner from 12 yards.

“We had a mad eight minutes really,” said Miller.

“We looked so comfortable at 3-1, I never saw it coming.

“It was just individual mistakes. We are brave enough to hold our hands up and we’ll draw a line under it.”

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