Veteran midfielder Matthew Lund’s first-half brace ensured Salford advanced to the second round of the FA Cup with a 2-1 win over Shrewsbury Town.
The game was only five minutes old when Lund capitalised on sloppy Shrewsbury defending to rifle home from close range.
Undettered by their opponents’ fast start, Shrewsbury battled their way back into the game and drew level after 15 minutes through John Marquis’ calm finish.
Kelly N’mai was denied by the offside flag as Salford muscled their way back into the ascendancy.
The home side were rewarded for their positive attacking intent when Lund headed low past Toby Savin to restore Salford’s advantage.
Moments after falling behind again, Shrewsbury squandered a golden opportunity to restore parity as George Lloyd was denied one-on-one by Matt Young.
The away side improved after the half-time break and came close to drawing level after 50 minutes, but had a goal ruled out as Lloyd was denied by the linesman after tapping in from close range.
Savin reacted sharply to deny livewire N’mai as the energetic attacker ghosted through the Shrewsbury backline.
Salford’s resilient defence stood up in the face of late Shrewsbury pressure to battle past their higher-league opposition.
