Stanley exited the Leasing.com Trophy at League Two Salford City at the quarter-final stage.

The Reds took the lead through Sam Finley but the Ammies scored either side of half-time to secure a semi-final place and end Stanley’s dreams of a Wembley final in this competition for this season.

John Coleman fielded a strong side and they started off well with Joe Pritchard having an early strike on goal.

The Reds took the lead in the 11^th minute when a Mark Hughes ball found Aji Alese and he fed Finley whose 25 yard strike took a deflection off Jack Baldwin and wrong-footed Salford keeper Chris Neal.

The League Two side then grew into the game and Joe Bursik had to palm an effort off the line.

The Reds keeper didn’t have a lot to do with chances at a premium for both sides.

Then, three minutes into injury time in the first half, an Ibou Toure free kick found the head of Cameron Burgess and, with Bursik rushing out of his goal, it looped into the net to make it 1-1 at half-time.

The Ammies took the lead on 49 minutes when ex-Stanley loan player Luke Armstrong played in a cross and Tom Elliott drilled the ball home.

Stanley pressed to get back in it, with goalkeeper Bursik even taking a free kick 20 yards from the Salford goal on 62 minutes but his effort was wide.

Finley came close to scoring a second on 78 minutes with his strike whisking just past the far post and Pritchard also fired off target while hero of the last round, Ross Sykes, had a couple of efforts blocked.

In the last minute of normal time both Sykes and Seamus Conneely had a go but Stanley just couldn’t find a late finish as they did at Fleetwood.