With a 1-0 victory in the first leg of their League Two play-off semifinal at the Peninsula Stadium, Salford took the lead over nearby rival Stockport.
The shot statistics confirmed that the hosts were by much the superior team on the night, but they could only generate Matt Smith's lone goal in the first half.
Neil Wood's team may later regret not holding a stronger lead going into the second leg on Saturday, even though they did hand County their first loss since February.
The match between two close neighbors had a fantastic atmosphere.
The Ammies, who finished the regular season four points behind Stockport in fourth place, got out in front early.
Conor McAleny's initial long shot was deflected away, and County goalkeeper Ben Hinchliffe subsequently had to heroically leave his position to stop experienced Adrian Mariappa.
Stockport was having trouble getting into a good rhythm, and in the 16th minute, on their first significant attack, they were stopped by the woodwork.
Alex Cairns made an outstanding save on Connor Evans' original shot, and Ryan Croasdale's follow-up shot hit the crossbar.
Less than a minute later, the hosts scored what ended up being the game's winning goal.
Smith outjumped Fraser Horsfall to score from six yards out after Elliot Watt sent a precise cross.
The stunning curling free-kick from Stevie Mallan required Hinchliffe to dive full length to stop it at almost two minutes after the half-hour mark.
Salford, which is vying for a possible seventh promotion in as few as nine years, dominated the first 45 minutes, but when referee Tom Nield blew for halftime, their lead was still just one goal.
Salford started out the second quarter on the offensive, continuing the theme.
They had a good chance right away after the restart when Smith set up Callum Hendry for a low shot that Hinchliffe well saved.
While hosts Salford were consistently organized in control and appeared to pose a much greater danger, passes from Stockport were going astray.
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