Salford City sack Karl Robinson despite club's best ever League Two finish

Salford City have sacked manager Karl Robinson following a 3-0 League Two play-off final defeat to Notts County at Wembley last month, ending his tenure of nearly two and a half years at the club.

Robinson had steered Salford to a fourth-place finish in League Two — the highest in the club’s history — but the board, now controlled by Gary Neville and David Beckham after they bought out the remaining Class of 92 members in May 2025, moved swiftly to make a change.

“This decision has been reached unanimously by the club’s board and executive team following a thorough review of the football operation,” the club said in a statement on Tuesday night. “Karl has conducted himself throughout his time at Salford City with professionalism and integrity. He has worked tirelessly on behalf of the club and has been fully dedicated to helping us achieve our ambitions, both on and off the pitch.”

The statement added: “These decisions are never easy, but we believe this is the right moment to make a change as we look ahead to the next chapter in Salford City’s development.”

Robinson departs as the club’s joint-longest serving manager in the Football League era, level with Graham Alexander. His exit follows short-lived stints from Richie Wellens, Gary Bowyer and Neil Wood since Salford reached the Football League in 2019 — a milestone achieved after four promotions in five seasons from the non-league pyramid.

Neville and Beckham completed their buyout of fellow former Manchester United players Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Phil Neville over a year ago. The ownership group, which also includes Dream Sports Group, Colin Ryan, Frank Ryan, Nick Woodhouse and Shravin Mittal, has now made its most consequential football decision since taking full control.

Neville outlined his vision for the club last year, stating that on-pitch success remained the central priority. “Football always will be the priority. Football must come first in every single football club,” he said. “Success on the pitch is critical to us but we also need to make sure that our facilities, stadium and the training ground improve enormously along the way.”

Salford’s progress has stalled in League Two since their rapid rise through the non-league system, and Neville and Beckham will now begin a search for a manager they believe can finally deliver promotion to League One.