Salford’s 3-1 win over Wrexham extended their unbeaten run to five games under new head coach Karl Robinson – who insists there is still more to come from his side.
The Ammies had lost four in a row and were without a win in 10 before Robinson took charge.
He, though, insists the recent turnaround in fortunes is down to the players.
He said: “We showed a real forward-thinking mentality. You’ve got to earn respect when you play football and we felt we were going to earn respect in their half.
“There’s so much more to come. What I’ve done is just stood on the touchline, the players are the ones who take on information and work hard everyday.
“They also know they’ve been under par and that they’ve got a point to prove and I think that is a little bit of a regret by them.
“We’ve played three teams in the top seven and in all of those games we’ve scored goals, so it just shows you there’s so much frustration in the team – to get 11 points out of 15 is remarkable but still that’s not enough.”
Despite a good run of form which has resulted in an upsurge in points, Robinson is not getting carried away.
The Ammies boss added: “I’m sick of hearing people around the club talking about promotion. All that matters is the next game. We’ve got to keep working hard.”
Theo Vassell headed the opener from a corner and Elliot Watt scored direct from another. Sam Dalby pulled one back but Matt Smith volleyed a brilliant third for the hosts.
Wrexham remain well in the hunt for promotion, but their home and away form are like chalk and cheese.
The Red Dragons have picked up 35 points at home and 17 on the road, scoring just 12 goals away from the Racecourse Ground compared to 43 at home.
Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson said: “To give two goals away like we did in the first half is very difficult. We got one back and on the third one we weren’t strong enough in the box again.
“We have to find a way on our travels, when the pitch isn’t great or when the team plays a certain way, to get points.
“We’ve come out second best today in important areas. If we defended the two set-plays, we would have started to get a foothold in the game.”
Parkinson also praised Robinson for his impact.
He said: “Karl has come in and they’re playing direct. We can’t legislate for the two corners going in, we got back in the game but the third goal was a real blow for us in the second half.
“We have to find a way to play better in these games, and collectively we need to do better in dealing with strong and physical players. It didn’t go our way.”
Al-Ahli 1-2 Al-Hilal: Mitrovic double keeps Saudi champions perfect
Aleksandar Mitrovic proved to be the difference once again for Al-Hilal as the reigning Saudi Pro League champions beat Al-Ahli 2-1 on Saturday.
Al-Ahil went in front with 12 minutes played when Gabri Veiga was sent through on goal by Franck Kessie, with the Spaniard rounding Yassine Bounou to open the scoring at King Abdullah Sports City.
The hosts went close to doubling their advantage soon after, with Riyad Mahrez and Ivan Toney going close, before Sergej Milinkovic-Savic saw his effort cleared off the line at the other end.
But parity was restored early in the second half through Al-Hilal's master marksman, as Mitrovic nodded home a trademark header from Renan Lodi's delivery.
Al-Ahil were then awarded a penalty when Rayan Hamed fouled Malcom inside the box, only for Mitrovic to see his effort saved by Abdulrahman Al Sanbi.
However, the Serbian was given the chance to redeem himself after the VAR deemed encroachment had taken place, and he made no mistake at the second time of asking to net his 14th goal of the season in all competitions.
Data Debrief: Mitrovic the main man
Mitrovic has been in fine form since his move to Saudi Arabia, with his latest double taking his tally to 54 goals in as many appearances for Al-Hilal.
This time out, he contributed 1.16 expected goals (xG) tally to the visitors' 2.24 total, while also recording the most touches in the opposition box (six).
Malcom also impressed for Al-Hilal, creating more chances (three) than anyone on the pitch, with his 14 passes into the final third a total only bettered by Ruben Neves (18) and Salem Al Dawsari (15) among his team-mates.
Al-Nassr 3-0 Al-Orubah: Mane double helps hosts close in on leaders
Sadio Mane scored a goal in either half, helping Al-Nassr cruise to a 3-0 win over Al-Orubah and close in on the top two in the Saudi Pro League.
Cristiano Ronaldo had given the hosts the lead from the spot, setting them on their way to a dominant victory.
After a slow start, Jean Seri was penalised for a handball, and Ronaldo made no mistake from the spot. After a stuttering run-up, he coolly slotted his strike into the bottom-left corner.
Mane got his first on the stroke of half-time, latching onto Ronaldo's pull-back before firing his low shot into the far side of the net.
He could have had a hat-trick, having also hit the woodwork and squandered a first-time shot by slicing it wide, but he did get his second in the 71st minute, guiding Nawaf Bu Washi's cross past Gaetan Coucke.
Cristian Tello came closest to a consolation for the visitors, smashing a long-range effort off the crossbar.
Data Debrief: Mane's time to shine
Mane, so far this season, has been providing the spark as a playmaker after registering five assists in Al-Nassr's first five games in the Saudi Pro League.
Today, however, he regained his scoring touch, getting his first two goals of the campaign.
He had the most shots (five), and shots on target (three), as he accumulated 0.97 expected goals (xG), while his seven touches in the box was the most of any player on the field.
Napoli 3-1 Como: Lukaku and McTominay on target to extend hosts' Serie A lead
Romelu Lukaku continued his fine start to life at Napoli as the Belgian notched a goal and two assists in his side's 3-1 win over Como on Friday.
The hosts found themselves ahead with just 26 seconds on the clock when Scott McTominay was picked out by Lukaku, with the Scotland international firing home his first goal for Gli Azzurri off the post.
But Como would draw themselves level two minutes before the break when Gabriel Strefezza's strike from distance rifled into the bottom corner.
However, Antonio Conte's side needed just eight minutes after the interval to restore their advantage when Sergi Roberto brought down Mathias Olivera in the box, with Lukaku stepping up from 12 yards to net his fourth Serie A goal of the season.
Napoli continued to push for a third goal to secure the victory, with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia going closest but saw his effort saved by Emil Audero.
But the points were sealed in the 86th minute when Lukaku turned provider once again, holding off his marker before slipping through substitute David Neres who slotted home with a fine finish to extend Napoli's lead at the top of the standings to four points.
Data Debrief: Lukaku continues Conte love story
Lukaku has been a player reborn under Conte's stewardship. The Belgian is the player who has been involved in the most goals in his first five appearances for Napoli in Serie A since the Italian top-flight returned to 20 teams (since 2004/05) with three goals and four assists.
He has also managed to better his assist tally for the whole of last season, managing just three in 32 appearances for Roma last term.
McTominay's goal after 26 seconds is the third-fastest scored by Napoli since the start of a Serie A match in the three points for a win era, after Hirving Lozano's goal against Hellas Verona in 2021 (nine seconds) and Ezequiel Lavezzi's goal against Genoa in 2008 (25 seconds).
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