Salford City have signed goalkeeper Mackenzie Chapman on a one-year deal.
Career
Ammies manager Karl Robinson was key to this deal being completed, having worked with Chapman at Oxford United. The Bury-born goalkeeper had been on the books of Accrington Stanley and Burnley in his youth, before a brief spell at Manchester United. Nearby Oldham Athletic took him on soon after, where he made his only EFL appearance, debuting against Morecambe in October 2020.
After transferring to Oxford the following summer, the 23-year-old had a loan stint at Banbury United, before returning to the Kassam Stadium as cover. But once Simon Eastwood was back available, and with other options also in contention, Chapman had another temporary stint at St Ives Town. Ever since, any senior involvement has been lacking, challenging for first-team positions at Bolton Wanderers and, most recently, Blackpool. After completing the move, Chapman had the following to say:
“I grew up only a couple of miles up the road, and it was a big thing when the investment came in. Me and my friends would nip down to see the Class of ‘92, so to see where the club is now in the Football League and pushing to get into League One.”
Promotion Ambitions
Since the Ammies’ quick ascent up the pyramid, League Two has been a very difficult division to crack. After four promotions in five years to reach the Football League in 2019, Salford have reached the Play-Offs in the fourth-tier once, and were in a relegation battle in League Two as recently as 2024. But after narrowly missing out on another chance to play in the end-of-season competition last term, they appear better equipped to go the distance this time around.
Currently sat in fourth place ten games in, Salford won three on the bounce before losing to Bristol Rovers at the weekend. Chapman will target the crunch Vertu Trophy fixture against Stockport County as his first involvement, with both sides winning their opening encounter in the competition. The FA Cup gets underway in exactly a month, while Salford face their final EFL Trophy game against Wolverhampton Wanderers U21’s in November.
Writer’s View
With only two senior goalkeepers on the books, this move makes perfect sense for Salford City. Given that the games start coming thick and fast, with domestic cup games also added to the equation in the next few weeks, the Ammies will need to utilise the whole of their squad. Both their current keepers are at opposing ends of their careers, with Matthew Young aged eighteen and Mark Howard 39, meaning Chapman should provide a solid middle ground option for Karl Robinson.
