Salford City 2 FC United Of Manchester 1

Pre-season brings together two local rivals whose owners, at least from the outside, appear to have vastly different philosophies on what constitutes progress. While the visitors seem relatively content with life in the National League North, their hosts are aiming higher – though whether Salford could sustain League football remains to be seen.

- Drew Whitworth

There’s something strange about going to a football match in July, before the schools break up. The morning’s grim weather reinforces a feeling that I’ve somehow skipped summer. Drizzle envelops the train as it leaves Manchester on the short but significant, and, by outsiders, altogether underestimated crossover to Salford. The fact that Salford is not Manchester is very important to Salfordians. The two cities are administratively separate and manifestly different in style. Joy Division were a Salford band; had they been from Manchester they’d have been Oasis. LS Lowry’s industrial landscapes are quintessential Salford; Manchester has the Hallé orchestra and international arts festival.

Salford City, founded in 1940, never rose above local non-League for three-quarters of a century and doubtless would have stayed that way but for their 2014 takeover by the members of “Project 92”: Gary and Phil Neville, Ryan Giggs, Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes. Between them these ex-Manchester United players now own 50 per cent of the club, with Singaporean businessman, and owner of Valencia, Peter Lim holding the other half.

In the fly-on-the-wall documentary about the takeover (Class of 92: Out Of Their League), the Famous Five were depicted as sprinkling fairy dust, bringing glamour to ungrateful small-timers. Gary Neville – clearly the leader – was often shown to be irritated by part-time players and coaches turning up late for training because they couldn’t get away from work. In a meeting with long-standing fans, explaining the sale of half the club to Lim, he said: “If we want to be a big league club we need that kind of investment.” The looks on the fans’ faces suggested that becoming such a club was the last thing they wanted.