Frozen pitch, but Salford will turn up the heat on City

Salford City's FA Cup third-round tie at English Premier League titans Manchester City on Jan 11 was already a mammoth challenge, and this week their preparations took a hit, with the winter weather making their Moor Lane pitch too slick for training.

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But manager Karl Robinson said no matter the result, the clash at the Etihad is already a victory for his fourth-tier club.

"I don't think there's any outcome from this that should be negative," he said. "We should look at this as a celebration of how far we've come."

Moor Lane, which lacks the underpitch heating of bigger stadiums, looked more like a skating rink on Jan 9 under a blanket of ice and snow thanks to Manchester's current deep freeze.

Manchester United have loaned Salford the indoor facility at their old training ground, The Cliff.

"We've had difficulties, as you'd imagine. We've been very, very thankful (to United)," Robinson added.