Karl Robinson was relieved that Salford have secured League Two safety despite a fourth consecutive defeat.
Bradford came from behind to win 2-1 at the Peninsula Stadium as goals from Calum Kavanagh and Brad Halliday wiped out Callum Hendry’s opener for the Ammies.
But Sutton’s draw at Harrogate meant that the home side are clear of the threat of relegation.
Salford manager Robinson said: “I’m relieved now we are mathematically safe. The objective was first and foremost to do that.
“I’m not disappointed, I’m not frustrated. I expected some of the things that I have seen.
“The clarity that these games have started to bring is very evident. We have secured our status for next season and now it’s about putting our foot down and being a much better organisation and group moving forward.
“There has been an inconsistency about a lot of our performances, the lack of clean sheets, lack of winning duels and not creating and taking chances.
“For me, it’s something that falls on the toes of us now in the summer. We can’t moan about this next season if we don’t do something about it now.
“The players are generally good lads and I respect them all. But I think we’re a little bit below what we expect.
“The league table never lies. We are where we are and there’s no dodging around that. We rode our luck today, even in the first half we could have been three or four down. It’s not the type of team I want to watch every week.”
Hendry’s half-volley was cancelled out right on half-time by Kavanagh’s close-range finish from Richie Smallwood’s free-kick.
Bradford missed plenty of chances before Halliday struck after 86 minutes to clinch their third win in four.
Manager Graham Alexander, formerly of Salford, said: “I was devastated for the boys when we went 1-0 down. But we’ve talked about how we respond to getting a punch on the nose.
“We were the team in the ascendancy and I thought the response was instant. We went on the front foot again.
“We scored the equaliser and my notes for half-time didn’t change. It was about the quality we had and just having a little tactical tweak on the defensive side to manage their threats.
“We did that second half and just had to keep plugging away. We had numerous chances, in the second half especially, but Brad’s come up with the goods with an unbelievable finish.
“There were a lot of balls pumped into our box and they’ve got massive threats. But I think we stood up to that really well.
“It was a quality all-round performance but we have to improve in our consistency. If we want to be in that top area, we can’t have such a yo-yo experience.”
Arsenal handed another injury blow as White ruled out for 'months'
Mikel Arteta confirmed that Arsenal defender Ben White is facing "months" on the sidelines after sustaining a knee injury.
White had been dealing with several issues all season and has missed five games in all competitions for the Gunners already this term.
After struggling through until the November international break, the decision was taken for him to undergo surgery in order to finally address the ongoing problems.
It serves as a bitter blow for Arteta, with only Thomas Parety (13) making more interceptions than White (11) for Arsenal in the Premier League this campaign.
Though Arteta confirmed that the surgery was successful, White is set for a lengthy spell out of the team.
"It has been different kinds of struggles. It has never been the same thing, but we had to make a decision. He has not improved over the last few weeks, unfortunately," said Arteta.
"We know that Ben is going to push every boundary, but it got to the point where we have to protect the player and we decided to do the surgery.
"He agreed with that and it is going to keep him out for a few months."
Asked for a specific time frame, Arteta added: "We have to see how he reacts post-surgery. I don't expect it to be half a year, but I cannot tell you exactly."
It offers a concern for Arteta in the full-back area, with the Spaniard also revealing on Friday that Takehiro Tomiyasu is "going to be out as well for a bit".
There was, however, some positive injury news for the Gunners ahead of welcoming Nottingham Forest to the Emirates on Saturday.
After not featuring for England during the international break, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice are expected to be fit to feature against Nuno Espirito Santo's side.
Leandro Trossard will also be available for Arteta despite picking up a hamstring injury during the international break with Belgium.
Defender Riccardo Calafiori is also in contention for Saturday's game after a month out with a knee problem.
Vlahovic out of Juventus clash with Milan
Dusan Vlahovic will miss Juventus' trip to Milan in Serie A this weekend and is also a doubt for the Champions League game at Aston Villa, head coach Thiago Motta has confirmed.
Vlahovic returned from the international break with a muscle problem in his left thigh, and the manager, after he confirmed the Serbian's absence for Saturday's game at San Siro, was asked about his chances of playing on Wednesday at Villa Park.
"I don't know. He definitely won't be there tomorrow. We hope to have him back as soon as possible," Motta told a press conference on Friday.
"Injuries are part of football. Now it's Vlahovic's turn, but we'll keep playing with the same principles, attacking and defending together."
Vlahovic is the latest of Motta's injury problems at Juventus. Argentine winger Nicolas Gonzalez missed the last six league games and is still unavailable, while Poland striker Arkadiusz Milik is a long-term absentee.
Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz will also miss the game with Milan and defender Juan Cabal recently suffered an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury, the same issue which will keep fellow defender Gleison Bremer out for the rest of the season.
"I'm really disappointed for Cabal because, like Bremer, he'll be out for a long time," Motta said.
"This is another reason to push ourselves, to commit that bit more so that these absences don't weigh too heavily."
Juventus go into the game as the only unbeaten side in Serie A but find themselves sixth in the standings in what is so far a very tight title race, with just two points separating Motta's side from leaders Napoli.
"It's very balanced and this is good for both us and the public," Motta said.
"We must all try to continue like this. We have to try to get as many positive results as possible."
Milan are one place behind Juve but six points off Motta's side.
Serie A side Genoa confirm sacking of head coach Gilardino
Serie A side Genoa have confirmed the departure of their head coach Alberto Gilardino, with Patrick Vieira reportedly on his way in.
Gilardino, a World Cup winner with Italy in 2006, leaves the club with them sitting just one point above the relegation size with 10 points from 12 matches this season.
A former striker who played for clubs including Genoa, Parma, AC Milan and Fiorentina, Gilardino took charge of Genoa in 2022 and helped them earn promotion to the top division before a 11th-place finish during the 2023-24 season.
"The club thanks Gilardino for the goals achieved together over the years and wishes him the best for his career," Genoa said in a statement.
The 42-year-old saw his side salvage a late 1-1 draw against Cesc Fabregas' Como in their last match before the international break.
Genoa were also knocked out of the Coppa Italia in the second round following a defeat to Sampdoria on penalties in September.
Arsenal legend Vieira is set to replace him, according to multiple reports.
The former France midfielder has been out of work since leaving Strasbourg by mutual consent in July.
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