The club would adopt its current name of Salford City in 1989 and, the following season, they returned to the final of the Manchester Premier Cup, losing to Curzon Ashton.

Manager Andy Brown resigned in March of the next season, with their title challenge collapsing following a post-Christmas run of one win in 10, culminating in a 4–0 defeat to Skelmersdale United.

[10] In the 2003–04 season, with the team 16 points behind Mossley despite being again considered amongst the favourites for the league, the club sacked Chris Wilcock and replaced him with former player Mark Molyneaux.

[13] In the 2004–05 season, Salford reached the third round of the FA Vase before losing 2–1 to West Allotment Celtic[14] In March, they appointed John Foster as manager to replace Darren Lyons, with his first game being a 5–1 victory over Atherton Collieries.

[35] Salford would also enter the FA Vase for the final time in this season, achieving their joint-best run after beating Hallam 3–0,[36] before suffering a surprise 3–1 defeat to Coventry Sphinx.

[37] The club suffered a difficult start in the NPL, losing six of their first seven matches, including shipping four goals in three consecutive games to Clitheroe, Mossley, and Bamber Bridge,[38] a run of form which resulted in Fellows being relieved of his managerial duties in October 2008.

[39] In the two fixtures following his departure, the team picked up their second point of the season against Colwyn Bay, followed by a victory in the FA Trophy preliminary stage against Gresley Rovers.

[52] Salford won their game in hand against Harrogate Railway Athletic, but lost 4–1 to Skelmersdale United, meaning the relegation battle would be decided in the last round of fixtures.

[62] Salford started the 2010–11 season in similar form to the end of the previous; a last minute equaliser earned a 2–2 draw with Trafford which was followed with a 2–1 away to Prescot Cables, meaning they sat in eighth place, their highest league position since promotion two years earlier.

[71] After picking up four points from six against during the Easter weekend against Prescot Cables and Warrington Town, Salford moved into the top ten,[72] and eventually finished the season in 12th position.

[76] The 2012–13 league season started well, and the club also enjoyed a local derby in the preliminary round of the FA Cup against FC United of Manchester.

[78] Sheridan's tenure lasted only eight months, resigning in January 2013 following a review of the club's budget, with his final game being a 5–2 win against Wakefield despite being down to 8 players.

[82] Before his first game, club captain Jimmy Holden departed, defender Jameel Ibe left for York City, and striker Danny Heffernan returned to Australia; Heald managed the team to a 2–2 draw with Mossley.

[85] At the end of the season, Heald and his assistant Chris Thompson left the club by mutual consent, citing business and family commitments.

[95] At the following Salford games, a 3–2 win over Farsley Celtic and a 3–1 home loss to New Mills, fans chanted "We are Tangerine" in protest at rumours the club's colours would be changed.

[105] Scholes and Phil Neville acted as caretaker managers for the subsequent match against Kendal Town,[106] before announcing the arrival of the new managerial team of Anthony Johnson and Bernard Morley.

In front of a sell-out crowd of 1,400 and airing on live the BBC, Salford scored a famous 2–0 win over League Two side Notts County at Moor Lane, with goals from Danny Webber and substitute Richie Allen.

The Ammies' scored twice in the final eleven minutes to claim their place in the National League North for the 2016–17 season, the highest level the club had ever reached in their 76-year history.

[129][130] On 8 May, it was announced Johnson and Morley had left the club by mutual consent, due to irreconcilable differences regarding performance and contract length.

[148] Salford reached the National League play-off final after overcoming Eastleigh in a penalty shootout after a 1–1 draw, meaning they would play at Wembley Stadium for the first time in their history.

[149] On 11 May 2019, they beat AFC Fylde 3–0 in the final, with goals from Emmanuel Dieseruvwe, Carl Piergianni, and Ibou Touray;[150] this marked the first time Salford had ever reached the Football League.

[153] Salford would take part in two competitions for the first time; they lost their first ever game in the League Cup 3–0 at home to Leeds United in front of 4,518 fans, a record attendance at Moor Lane.

[154] Later in the season, the club would reach the EFL Trophy final after defeating Newport County via a penalty shootout, where they were due to play League One side Portsmouth;[155] the game was postponed indefinitely following the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.

While successful in the early rounds of the FA Cup, winning both the first and second matches, their third-round encounter with Manchester City resulted in a significant defeat, the worst in the club's history.

[197] Tables of kit suppliers and shirt sponsors appear below:[198] At each home game the team walks out to The Pogues' cover of Dirty Old Town, the 1949 Ewan McColl song inspired by the singer's childhood in Salford.

[24] In December 2013, Salford club president Dave Russell held secret talks with former Manchester United players Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs.

[208] Gary Neville and Giggs were said to be concerned with the lack of talent produced at grassroots level, and chose Salford due to the club's proximity to The Cliff, the former training ground used by Manchester United when the pair were youngsters.

[209] With talks ongoing, four of the prospective buyers (Butt, Giggs, Gary Neville, and Scholes) attended the 2–0 home defeat to Curzon Ashton on 1 March.

[210] On 27 March, it was announced that, subject to Football Association and NPL approval, the group had agreed a deal to takeover the club, expected to be completed by the summer.

[216] Ahead of the club's first ever FA Cup tie against Notts County in 2015, Salford were featured in a BBC One two-part documentary series titled Class of 92: Out of Their League, which showcased the first season under the ownership of the group following their takeover the previous year.