One-time Salford man Odin Bailey has had the first real shot of the game but he is leaning back as he strikes his left-footed drive from well outside the area and it flies high, wide and not very handsome to catcalls from the Ammies faithful.

I have to say it's been all blood and thunder for the opening four and a bit minutes... EFL Thursday night games are rare but tend to be fun!

This has begun encouragingly.

Declan John is the latest Salford man to seek out Matt Smith, this time with a left-footed cross from the right, but Smith's nod across goal evades everyone.

Smith is the definition of a target man so far.

Early action: Luke Garbutt's long throw for Salford finds the head of Matt Smith, who else, but under huge pressure from two defenders he can only glance a header into the hands of Ben Hinchliffe at his near post.

Here we go...

26 points separates these sides at present... what difference will the next 90 minutes make? We'll find out very soon...

Image source, Phil Oldham/Shutterstock

It might be less than nine miles as a crow flies from Edgeley Park to Moor Lane (call it 45 minutes if you try the M60 at this time) but whatever you do, don’t tell a Stockport fan this is a derby game.

The Ammies are the new kids on Manchester football block, plying their trade in the North West Counties League under the name Salford Central and only earning promotion to the Northern Premier League in 2008, nine years after swapping the Central part of their name for City.

The Class of '92 came to town in 2014 and the following year City won promotion from NPL Division 1 North and then the NPL Premier Division play-offs the next season before claiming the National League North title in 2018 – beating Stockport for the first time ever during that season.

Another promotion followed in 2019, with Salford winning the National League play-off final to reach the EFL for the first time.

Their hopes of another promotion were dashed last May as they lost in the semi-finals of the League Two play-offs, to the Hatters.

Stockport fans loved that penalty shoot-out win, they had put the upstarts back in their place. County fans have grown up with rivalries with Oldham, Bury, Rochdale, and, dare I say it… Man City.

Stockport have played the Citizens more times in the league than they have Salford, and actually took 11 points from their last six meetings, including winning on the road.

So if this is a rivalry it’s a fledgling one, and the current 26-point gap could turn into a division gap by the summer, but for tonight, all eyes are on Moor Lane.

Well although they haven't played yet, it's already been a pretty decent week for Stockport.

County sat back on Tuesday and saw leaders Mansfield beaten at Tranmere, Wrexham go second but only via a stalemate at home to Harrogate, and fourth-placed MK Dons stunned at lowly Grimsby.

It left the Hatters in third, but only three points off the top and with a two-point lead over the chasing pack - all with two games in hand, the first of which is here tonight.

Salford will have watched that Grimsby score with keen interest too, the Ammies are now just two points ahead of the Mariners, having played a game more, and are three places and eight points clear of Colchester in the relegation zone.

The Essex side will have three games in hand after tonight's game.

Image source, Paul Greenwood/Getty Images

Karl Robinson makes one change to the Ammies side which saw an early lead slip to a 3-1 defeat at MK Dons on Saturday.

Connor McLennan makes way for Bolton loanee Declan John.

Salford XI: Cairns; Chesters, Vassell, Tilt, Garbutt; Watson, Watt, John; Luamba, Matt Smith, McAleny.

Image source, Ben Roberts Photo/Getty Images

Dave Challinor makes three changes from the side which beat Newport with Callum Camps, Tanto Olaofe and Odin Bailey coming in.

Defender Todd Kane is on the bench for the first time after signing this week but Nick Powell, who was on the books of Man United when Salford co-owner and director of football Ryan Giggs was still there, misses out through injury.

Stockport XI: Hinchliffe; Cass, Horsfall, Pye; Bailey, Sarcevic, Camps, Bristow; Madden, Wootton; Olaofe.

Image source, Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images

It's been 306 days since Matt Smith's scrappy goal gave Salford a first-leg win over injury-hit Stockport in the League Two play-off semi-final.

Seven days later County keeper Ben Hinchliffe made two stunning penalty shootout saves as the Hatters overcame that first-leg deficit to beat City in a gripping second leg at Edgeley Park.

Stephen Mallan's deflected extra-time strike cancelled out Isaac Olaofe's tie-levelling opener and looked set to send Salford to Wembley and keep them on track for a place in the third tier of English football for the first time in their history.

But Jack Stretton headed home from close range within three minutes, after a long throw caused chaos, to take a breathless contest to spot-kicks.

And after Matthew Lund blasted the first penalty wildly over the bar, Hinchliffe made fabulous saves from Adrian Mariappa and Mallan before Antoni Sarcevic smashed home his effort to set up a showpiece Wembley final with Carlisle, which Hatters fans will not need reminding of.

Almost all of those main players are likely to be involved once again tonight, but can Salford get revenge and dent Stockport's promotion hopes this season?

Image source, BBC Sport

Salford have bobbed up and down above the relegation zone for months now, but Forest Green's resurgence, Grimsby's shock win over MK Dons on Tuesday, and the games in hand which Colchester possess will give Ammies fans an uneasy feeling, I'm sure.

Image source, MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images

It was all going pretty smoothly for Dave Challinor and Stockport. After a slow start to the campaign, possibly a hangover from their play-off final defeat by Carlisle last spring, the Hatters launched a record-breaking 12-game winning streak before Christmas and have sat top of the table for more than half the season.

Until the last few weeks, that is...

Mansfield have swooped in to take advantage of County's dismal run of just two points from four games, including losses to Crewe and Tranmere.

They returned to winning ways with a dramatic stoppage-time winner from Paddy Madden against Newport on Saturday, their first goal in four games.

Karl Robinson's Ammies are seeking to end their own run of four games without a win, during which time they have taken just a single point and conceded 11 goals.

Their season is almost a mirror opposite of County's, they had a 10-game winless streak which led to Neil Wood's exit and Robinson's arrival in the New Year.

City have spent the second half of the season in the bottom six, despite Robinson starting with an unbeaten eight-game run, winning half of them, and if they cannot turn around the slide they could yet face a nervy end to the season.

Image source, BBC Sport

Stockport fans will be desperately hoping the little red arrow next to their name which popped up on Tuesday night flips to a green one this evening.

If they avoid defeat it will do, but the bigger the gap over the promotion-chasing pack the better for a club who have no wish for a return to the League Two play-offs for a second straight year.

... and welcome to what promises to be a feast of EFL action on this *checks calendar* Thursday night.

It's not exactly the only show in town tonight, but Salford v Stockport is the only game taking place in the top five tiers of English football this evening, so quite rightly we're giving it the works.

There's plenty at stake at both ends of the League Two table, not to mention local bragging rights so pop the kettle on and enjoy the build-up towards the 20:00 GMT kick-off.