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Former Salford Red Devils player planning phoenix club after the team’s collapse

There's already been some key movements behind the scenes.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 12th December 2025

A former Salford Red Devils player is planning to start a phoenix club from the ashes of the fallen rugby league team.

Retired winger Mason Caton-Brown, who played for the Red Devils between 2014 and 2016, is leading the consortium currently being linked with resurrecting the Salford side.

The Greater Manchester sporting institution sadly folded following liquidation on 3 December after a prolonged period of uncertainty and crippling debts.

Despite investors promising funds and multiple adjournments to their winding-up ceremony, time simply ran out and now Caton-Brown and co. are, hopefully, looking to pick up the pieces.

Heading up the move to bring back the beloved outfit, the former chairman of the ‘Forever Reds Supporters Trust’ (FRST), Malcolm Crompton, local entrepreneurs Paul Hancock and Ashley Washington are also assisting with the proposal.

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Simply known as ‘The Phoenix Bid’, they are said to have potentially secured a six-figure sum and have already reached some provisional pre-contract agreements with a new coach and several players ahead of the formal offer being taken into consideration.

Publishing a lengthy mission statement on social media earlier this week, the ex-pro wrote: “I moved to Salford from London over 10 years ago, and the club and city welcomed me with open arms.

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“It made me who I am today. The Salford City community is like no other, and the club is a big part of that, so when I saw it was at risk of going under, I truly felt the need to be a part of a solution and give back to the club, city and the community.

“But I’m not on my own, I’m part of a team of people that are passionate about what this club means and truly focused on making sure a true Salford RLFC stays alive and is something the fans and the city can call their own.”

Chatting with BBC Sport Manchester in a recent interview, the 32-year-old Enfield-born athlete turned businessman – who also represented the London Broncos and Wakefield Trinity – claims that conversations with investors and stakeholders are progressing nicely.

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Signing off the post with a strong assurance, he said: “If our bid is successful, I promise we will do everything we can to protect the club and build a future Salford can be proud of.”

As for the fans, a spokesperson for the aforementioned supporters’ trust dubbed the prospective personnel spearheading the revival as a “powerful and credible team”, with Caton-Brown promising to reveal all the exciting details if the bid gets green-lit.

Speaking in an official press release shared with The Manc, the one-time Jamaican international and adopted Salfordian added: “This isn’t just about rebuilding a club, it’s about rebuilding belief.

“Salford means everything to me as a club and is part of my story. We want to create something the city can be proud of again; a club that stands for honesty, sustainability, and genuine community connection.”

“We’re inviting the people of Salford to stand with us. Together we can rise again, not just to bring rugby league back to this city, but to make sure it thrives for generations to come.”

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Do you think The Phoenix Bid will be successful and, more importantly, do you think this group are the right people to bring the club back and get them moving onwards and upwards again?

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Featured Images — Publicity picture (supplied via Rumpus PR)

Sport

Stockport County release second drop in retro range as classic ‘Romania’ shirt is revived

Danny Jones Danny Jones Stockport County Classic retro Romania kit re-released

Stockport County FC have released the latest drop in their collection of retro football kits and casualwear, resurrecting the legendary ‘Romania’ shirt as the centrepiece of the new range of old school casualwear.

If you’re a die-hard Hatter, we don’t need to tell what jersey we mean or how iconic it is within the club’s rich heritage.

We are, of course, talking about the 1996/97 third strip that County players and Stockport supporters alike donned in their droves during their historic EFL Cup run.

Teaming with local town centre hotspots SK1 Records and Underbank bar, The Spin Off, for an official launch event, here’s how they debuted it to the public:

A cool kit at a cool venue in a cool, up-and-coming town; it’s a great time to be a Stopfordian.

This comes just a couple of months on from the first drop in the new ‘County Classics’ merch and fashion line, which debuted with another cult favourite shirt from that same season.

It’s anyone’s guess as to which throwback fit they’ll go with next or whether they’ll simply complete the 96/97 revival, but it’s safe to say that both have gone down a treat with the local community.

Revolving around the bright and unforgettable yellow, blue and red jersey itself – the shirt that County had to swap into before they went on to knockout then-established Premier League side Blackburn Rovers away at Ewood Park – the colourway is just as bold as ever.

Here’s a closer look at the second County Classics kit:

SCFC retro collection
1996/97 Stockport County Romania third shirt

It’s no surprise that just like the previous instalment, replicas have been snapped up in no time, as indeed has their current third kit for the 2025/26 campaign, which also pays homage to their history.

Dave Challinor’s side hosts Stevenage Town at Edgeley Park this Saturday, 13 December, before taking on Mansfield away the following weekend – you can expect a fair few Hatters to be wearing the third strip (both the original and the re-issue) at each.

You can see more from this second edition in the County Classic range down below; all of the items are now on sale, and find out how much each piece from the full collection costs HERE.

Any of them take your fancy, County fans?

vintage stockport county shirts
County Classics merch
SCFC fashion
stockport county retro range
Credit: Supplied

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Featured Images — Stockport County Football Club (supplied)

Sport

Rebecca Knaak signs new contract extension with Manchester City

Danny Jones Danny Jones Rebecca Knaak signs new Man City deal long-term contract

Manchester City Women’s player Rebecca Knaak has signed a new contract extension with the club.

The 29-year-old international arrived at Man City earlier this year after winning silverware in Sweden between 2022 and 2024.

Having now found herself playing as a centre back for the current Women’s Super League leaders and becoming an increasingly integral cog in the squad, she’s decided to put pen to paper and express her commitment to the club.

Agreeing to a new two-year deal that will see her stay at the Joie Stadium, Knaak will remain in City sky blue until at least 2028.

‘Becks’ has become a clear favourite not only among the fans but in the dressing room, too, insisting that he’s enjoying her football arguably now more than ever.

Having broken through the youth scene in the Frauen-Bundesliga as part of the SC 07 Bad Neuenahr academy, before going on to play for both Bayer Leverkusen, SC Freiburg, she made the switch to Scandinavia and FC Rosengård. 

Scoring an impressive total of 16 goals from defence – a trio of which came against local rivals United Women – her strength, height and added offensive capabilities are definitely traits she’s brought to Manchester at times.

The gifted and versatile centre-half has already scored five goals in just 16 games for Andrée Jeglertz’s side, who definitely knows all about her talents from his own successful spells in Sweden.

Having finally made her German national team debut back in February (before going on to play every game as they made it to the Euros semi-final), 2025 has definitely been her year.

Speaking after the contract extension, Knaak said that while the last 12 months or so have definitely had their challenges, she feels like she’s beginning an entirely new chapter in her career.

Next up for Man City Women in the WSL, they host Aston Villa at home this weekend, with a big League Cup tie against West Ham in the quarters next Friday, 19 December; you can certainly expect Knaak to join her teammates in the starting lineup for both fixtures.

Happy with the deal, Blues?

You can watch her new interview after extending her stay in full down below.

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Featured Images — Manchester City Women/The Manc Group

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