CITY'S missed chances cost them dear as they slumped to a late defeat at Salford.

T&A chief sports writer SIMON PARKER was at the Peninsula Stadium and provides the match stats and his player ratings.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Fiacre Kelleher has big shoes to fill coming in for injured skipper Niall Canavan but he looked solid and composed – and kept Ian Henderson very quiet.

MOMENT OF THE MATCH

City thought they had broken the deadlock a minute into the second half but Andy Cook’s header was superbly saved by Tom King.

MOAN OF THE MATCH

Another case of not taking the chances in a game when they looked comfortable for the most part -and paid the price by conceding a poor goal from a corner.

TACTICS

Fiacre Kelleher made his first league start in place of the injured Niall Canavan – the only change from the Walsall game. Paudie O’Connor took the captain’s arm band while Finn Cousin-Dawson and Levi Sutton returned on the bench.

REFEREE: Jeremy Simpson (Lancashire)

BOOKINGS: Shephard (Salford); Ridehalgh, Watt, O’Connor (City)

ATTENDANCE: 2,863

SHOTS ON TARGET: Salford 3 City 4

SHOTS OFF TARGET: Salford 9 City 10

CORNERS: Salford 5 City 2

FOULS: Salford 10 City 15

PLAYER RATINGS

SALFORD: King 8, Shephard 7, Eastham 7, Ndaba 7, Touray 6, Lowe 6, Lund 6, Morris 6, McAleny n/a (Thomas-Asante 9min), Wright 6 (Hunter 60min, 7), Henderson 6 (Willock 71min). Subs: Love, Turnbull, N’Mai, Jeacock.

CITY: O’Donnell 6, Threlkeld 7, O’Connor 7, Kelleher 7, Ridehalgh 6, Watt 6, Evans 6 (Sutton 74min), Gilliead 6 (Robinson 88min), Cooke 7, Vernam 7, Cook 6 (Lavery 81min). Subs: Songo’o, Cousin-Dawson, Crankshaw, Hornby.