For their final away trip of the season, United will be going west tomorrow to face Salisbury City.
It has been a topsy-turvy season for the Whites, who have steadied the ship in recent weeks following a spell where they looked certain for the drop.
Salisbury enjoyed a promising first season in the Blue Square Premier last time around, and achieved a credible 12th place finish. However, it was a very different story this season, and Nick Holmes' side have been one of a number of clubs at Blue Premier level to make severe cutbacks, citing the global credit crunch as the reason for this.
Salisbury also lost major shareholder Peter Yeldon in the summer, and his departure has been another big factor in their current financial problems. The remaining directors set City fans the task of raising £100,000 in just two weeks to keep the club going. Perhaps understandably, they were unable to achieve such a massive total and gathered just £33,000, meaning the directors had little choice but to put the entire playing squad up for sale.
Offered the choice of a 30 per cent wage cut or a free transfer elsewhere, a lot of last season's key players have moved on, including prolific strikers Robbie Matthews and Andy Sandell, goalkeeper Ryan Clarke, and long serving skipper Aaron Cook.
However, just as the spectre of relegation was beginning to loom large, Yeldon returned to the fold, bringing with him increased financial stability and allowing Holmes to make a handful of quality loan additions, including Torquay pair Chris Todd and Michael Brough. This has led to an up turn in form, and Salisbury now sit 15th in the table, comfortably clear of the bottom four.
More problems could arise in the summer though, with Chairman Neville Beal having putting the club up for sale for a nominal fee of £1. Seeking a backer with 'more financial clout', Mr Beal is already in discussions with a number of interested parties.
The club was founded as Salisbury FC in 1947, adding the "City" to their name in 1992. It is somewhat ironic, then, that they don't actually play their home games in the City of Salisbury itself, having moved to the purpose built Raymond McEnhill Stadium, in nearby Sarum, in 1997.
Having spent most of its life in the lower reaches of the Southern League, the club almost went out of business in 2002. They were saved by a local consortium, who disposed of long-serving manager Geoff Butler and put current boss and former Southampton midfielder Holmes in charge.
In the 2003/2004 season City gained promotion, via the play-offs, from the Dr Martens Eastern Division, and were elevated into the Isthmian Premier League which ended their 36-year association with the Southern League. 2004/05 produced mixed fortunes, despite the arrival of former Southampton defender Tommy Widdrington, who joined from Port Vale as Holmes' coach.
The 2005/06 campaign proved wholly successful as the Whites romped to the Championship by a clear twelve points, meaning a first ever tilt at Conference South life. The season was also noteworthy for a fine FA Trophy run to the quarter-finals before finally being defeated by Exeter City.
Much like our near-neighbours Histon, they took the Conference South by storm in 06/07, and although the Stutes pipped them to the title, there was to be joy in the play-offs when a Matt Tubbs goal saw them see off Braintree and take their place in the Conference National. They also enjoyed a good run in the FA Cup, with a 3-0 win at Fleetwood Town setting up a televised Second Round tie with Nottingham Forest. City did not disappoint the BBC as they held the League One side to a 1-1 draw, although they lost the replay 2-0.
Upon promotion the Club decided to go professional, with Tubbs being the first to sign a full-time deal. In hindsight it appears that this was a little hasty, but the move allowed Holmes to lure higher quality reinforcements in preparation for their debut at the top of the Non-League pyramid, such as former Mansfield and Hartlepool midfielder Darrell Clarke and winger Liam Feeney.
Salisbury started last season in fine fashion, and shot up to sixth in the table. However, they were unable to maintain this form, and seven pre-Christmas losses put pay to any hopes of a sustained promotion challenge. Despite beginning the second half of the season with a 17-game unbeaten run, they fell away again towards the end, and a series of losses, including a 2-0 defeat to United, saw them end up in 12th.
The Squad
Between the sticks will be former Weymouth man James Bittner, who replaced Ryan Clarke after his departure to Northwich last year.
Long serving full back Scott Bartlett left the club in February after nine years, so Gillingham loanee Sean Clohessy will be at right back, with utility player Ian Herring filling in on the left.
In the centre of defence, Dimi Sangare, a Frenchman who has experience of Conference relegation battles with St Albans and Stafford Rangers, has been in good form of late, and he is likely to partner Luke Ruddick. Another option is Jon Bass, who has League experience with Bristol Rovers.
With Brough recalled by Torquay earlier this month, Holmes is likely to pair the combative Michael Fowler with the silky skills of player/coach Darren Clarke in midfield. Clarke made his name as a goalscoring midfielder with Mansfield and Hartlepool, and now brings much needed experience to the Whites squad.
Salisbury started with four natural strikers on the pitch in their match with Torquay, with Matt Tubbs and Charles Ademeno adopting wide positions. Tubbs is back at the club following a loan spell with Bournemouth, but the formerly prolific front man has notched just two goals this term.
Ademeno's pace and trickery won him plenty of admirers during a loan spell at the Abbey in 2007, and he has been a key player for his new side in recent matches.
Leading the line against Torquay were the imposing figures of Charlie Griffin, an-ex Swindon striker with 20 goals to his name this season, and Danny Webb, formerly of United and practically every other club in the south of England. Griffin sustained a nasty blow to the head in the Torquay match, and could be a doubt for tomorrow's game.
This Season
Unsurprisingly, City's form dipped when they started losing their top players, and they have taken some time to recover. Although they lost their opening game, 1-0 to Burton, four successive wins - including a 4-1 spanking of Lewes - saw them amongst the early pace setters.
Then came a run of one win in 13 games, with several late goals costing Holmes' side dear, and they were knocked out of the FA Cup at the fourth qualifying round stage by Team Bath, who grabbed the only goal of the game ten minutes from time. Christmas was a particularly dire period, with drubbings at the hands of United (4-0) and Burton (3-0) making it a bleak midwinter in Wiltshire.
January was little better, but a 1-0 win over Woking at the start of February was the catalyst for a stirring run which took them clear of the drop zone. The goals of Griffin and Ademeno were key to notable victories over Crawley and league leaders Burton, while they also picked up points against Wrexham and Kidderminster to virtually secure their survival.
However, they are now on a run of four games without a win, after slipping up at Rushden and Grays, and succumbing to a last minute Nicky Wroe goal at home to Torquay on bank holiday Monday. Wroe struck in injury time to make the final score 2-2, after a bizarre match with saw the Gulls score one penalty but miss two others. Griffin and Ademeno were on target for Salisbury.
Last time
Strangely enough, United's last trip to Sarum was almost exactly a year ago, and Gary Brabin would surely be quite happy with a repeat of our 2-0 win.
Having slipped up the previous week at home to Stafford, Jimmy Quinn made three changes, including a recall for West Ham loanee Jack Jeffrey. He marked what would turn out to be his last appearance for the club with a goal, turning well to fire home from six yards after Danny Brown had flicked on a Stephen Reed corner.
Salisbury were already down to 10 men by this stage, with Michael Fowler living up to his name with a horrendous two-footed lunge on Rob Wolleaston for which he was rightly red-carded.
Mark Beesley made it 2-0 before half time with a stooping header from a Jeffrey cross, and United played out the second half comfortably to all but secure a place in the top five.
Matt Gooding
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