IT WAS another afternoon to forget for City at Salford as they slumped to a 3-0 loss.

T&A chief sports writer SIMON PARKER has the match stats and his player ratings.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Richard O’Donnell produced a couple of big saves – including one superb point-blank block from Ash Hunter's header – to prevent Salford rattling up a bigger score.

MOMENT OF THE MATCH

Austin Samuels should have hit the net when he pounced on a rebound and clipped the post. Would it have changed the outcome? Probably not but City might have had a foot in the door.

MOAN OF THE MATCH

Once again, City were guilty of conceding poor goals. The second and third were awful.

TACTICS

Injuries forced Stuart McCall into making three changes as Callum Cooke, Billy Clarke and Reece Staunton were not involved. Gareth Evans got his first start since Harrogate and Ben Richards-Everton and Austin Samuels also came in.

REFEREE: Carl Brook

BOOKINGS: Hunter, Bernard (Salford); Richards-Everton, Watt (City)

SHOTS ON TARGET: Salford 9 City 2

SHOTS OFF TARGET: Salford 6 City 10

CORNERS: Salford 5 City 6

FOULS: Salford 22 City 14

PLAYER RATINGS

SALFORD: Hladky 6, Bernard 6, T Clarke 7, Eastham 7, Touray 7, Hunter 8 (Turnbull 82min), Lowe 6 (Threlkeld 61min), Burgess 8 (Boyd 82min), Denny 6, Andrade 7 (Thomas-Asante 67min), Henderson 7. Subs (not used): Elliott, Dieseruvwe, W Evans.

CITY: O’Donnell 6, A O’Connor 5, P O’Connor 5, Richards-Everton 4 (Mottley-Henry 46min, 4), French 4, Watt 5, Pritchard 4 (Scales 46min, 6), G Evans 4 (Sutton 46min, 5), Wood 5, Samuels 6 (Ismail 71min), Donaldson 5. Subs (not used): Longridge, Cousin-Dawson, Hornby.