Solihull Moors FC Match Reports

Hayes & Yeading United 02/08/2008

This was an even game, and both sides found shots on target in short supply. Darren Middleton let a golden chance go begging when he beat the defender and bore down on goal, only to let the ball roll for a goal kick. United were big, strong and skilful; the Moors elegant with their passing game, yet without penetration.

At the turn round the sides were separated by an own goal scored by Junior English of all people. He headed home an Allen-Page cross.

Lee Collins was strong and dominant at the back for Solihull, whilst Allen-Page a constant threat for United.

The game was enjoyable and a good advert for Blue Square Football, but with only four shots on target, just one of them from Solihull, defences were on top. Jason Moore made a big difference when he came on at the hour mark, playing alongside Jake Edwards, making Solihull looked a much better outfit with him on the pitch.

Both Managers will be pleased with the work-out, but Bob Faulkner will be worried about the lack of shooting opportunities. (R.C.)


Birmingham City 30/07/2008

A young Academy side gave Solihull Moors a good workout at Damson Park on Wednesday 30th July. Full of running and with a high level of skill, they controlled the game without ever really being dominant.

The Moors did really well to stay with their young visitors. The match was full of good passing, hard - but fair - tackling and all played at a high tempo. The decisive difference between the two sides was that City knew just when to really turn the screw.

Jake Jervis up front, Sean Timmins in defence and Krystian Pearce in midfield caught the eye for City. There were many positives for the Moors. Everyone did their part and had Gary McPhee converted the 63rd minute penalty, a draw would have been a fair result. It was not to be, Krysiak saved the spot kick with ease.

Jervis opened the scoring on 16minutes, and Jake Edwards equalized on 33 minutes. The winner came on the hour from Aluko.

Nevertheless, the crowd was treated to a feast of good football. If Solihull can play like this week in and week out, their season will be better that the last. (R.C.)


Hucknall Town 26/04/2008

No end of season affair this! Right from the start, both sides declared their intention of going forward. Inside the first three minutes both Moors and Town had chances and on four minutes making progress down their right, Town produced a good cross for Saunders to side-foot home. Town continued to dominate until around the twenty minute mark when the home side began to take control. Jason Moore running into the opposing penalty area received a blow in the face which damaged the inside of his mouth and the Referee awarded a Penalty. There was a long delay before Darren Middleton stepped up to hammer home the spot kick to put the Moors level.During the next ten minutes until the break, it was Solihull in control, although it remained one-all.

The Second-Half saw Moors still in charge, however, against the run of play it was Town who forged ahead on 51 minutes when Bacon was given a free header in the 6 yard box. The ball crept over the line. Solihull surged forward with a display of controlled attacking football, and on 61 minutes Darren Middleton, back in defence on the left, found Jason Moore with a long ball, Moore then beat the off-side by being in his own half of the centre circle. The 'keeper advanced beyond the edge of his area and the Moorsman chipped the ball over his head into the net from 30 yards for the equalizer. It was a superbly taken goal. This was a really entertaining game of fluent football, and but for many missed chances, Solihull should have won with ease.


Hyde United 19/04/2008

Although the score suggests that Solihull were well beaten, the game was even in respect of possession. The difference was that Moors finishing was wayward and Hyde's clinical. Solihull also had only 3 subsitutes on the bench due to injuries and illness with Manager Bob Faulkner also being laid low by a virus.

The first fifteen minutes saw the two sides weighing each other up with little for either keeper to do. During this period saw Peter Faulds having to be replaced, following a crunching tackle by Hyde No 2 Brass, by Junior English playing with eight stitches still in his cheek. The first serious attempt on goal came after quarter of an hour when a cross from Simon Hollis on the right found Darren Middleton on the left hand edge of the penalty area with his effort going just wide of the left hand post. Four minutes later a free kick by Lee Ayres found the head of Jason Moore with the ball again going just wide of the left hand post. Play went straight up the other end with Hyde winning a corner which Danny Crane punched away to be cleared up field finding Middleton, whose shot from 20 yards was scooped up by the keeper. In the 33rd minute Solihull were given a penalty after a free kick by Simon Hollis on the left was fired goal wards by Andy Ducros and blocked, with the rebound falling to Middleton whose shot was handled by a defender. Middleton dispatched the penalty with aplomb. Three minutes later Hyde were on level terms when the referee adjudged Lee Ayres to have handled when winger Clee took the ball to the goal line and as he crossed the ball it hit Ayres who was a yard in front of him and appeared to have gone for a corner. Centre forward Tipton put the penalty away and Moors Captain Lee Collins was booked for protesting. Two minutes before half time Hyde went in front when a cross from the left was glanced into the Solihull goal off the head of No 10 Seddon. Right on half time Jason Moore should have put Solihull on even terms when he headed a Simon Hollis corner over the top from 6 yards out.

As the teams came out for the second half Danny Davidson replaced Simon Hollis as the latter was suffering with a thigh strain. Five minutes after the restart Tim Gould fired a Middleton cross straight at the keeper. Within a minute Hyde had gone further ahead when another glancing header this time by Clee ended up in the back of the Solihull net. Five minutes later Crane was in action when he punched away a cross by No 7 Lee Cartwright on the right straight to No 11 Clee on the left whose cross was cleared up field by Collins. Four minutes past the hour Moore took the ball to the goal line, crossed to Middleton whose header from 10 yards went wide of the right hand post. A minute later Hyde scored again when Seddon received the ball on the left, took it to the goal line, beat Lee Ayres just inside the penalty area, cut back to the corner of the six yard box and fired the ball home from an acute angle. Even though they were now three goals down Moors hadn't given up and quarter of an hour from the end saw the Hyde keeper punch away a header by Gould from a Middleton free kick. Three minutes later another Middleton free kick saw a header by Lee Ayres cleared off the line by a defender. Ten minutes from the end Davidson ran 15 yards to the edge of the penalty area slid the ball into the path of Andy Ritchie who saw his shot saved by the keeper at full stretch to his right. Right on full time Moors were still coming forward when Moore set up Davidson just inside the penalty with his shot deflected for a corner. The corner was cleared as far as Middleton 20 yards out whose shot went just over the bar. A roar went up from the spectators four minutes before the game finished when substitute keeper Adam Rachel came on to play in mid-field in place of Tim Gould who had taken a knock to his knee.


Blyth Spartans 15/04/2008

Despite a four and a half hour coach journey Solihull Moors started the brighter of the two sides scoring both their goals in the first half with Blyth adding one to the score sheet in the dying seconds of the game. The three points gained from this fixture meant for Moors that they are safe from relegation and with the results from other games round about going in their favour they moved up the League table two places.

Although Moors were camped in the Blyth half for the first 10 minutes Danny Crane in the Solihull goal was the first keeper brought into action when a free kick for Blyth on the left found the head of No 8 McCabe whose header from near the penalty spot had Crane diving to his right to collect the ball. Play went straight up the other end with Darren Middleton cutting in from the left and firing straight at the keeper. His clearance found Tim Gould who fed the ball to Carl Motteram whose interchanges with Simon Hollis saw the latter lift the ball over the defence into the path of Andy Ducros, 10 yards out, for him to side foot the ball home for Moors first goal. Right on the half hour Solihull won a series of corners with three shots from Darren Middleton either headed for further corners, punched away or tipped over the bar. Immediately after this Blyth broke to the other end and a shot from 20 yards had Crane diving at full stretch to his right to stop a certain goal. Moors kept plugging away and five minutes from half time they went further ahead when a long ball found Middleton on the left who drew the defender and slid the ball across into the path of Andy Ducros who made no mistake from near the penalty spot.

Blyth came out for the second half looking determined to get back on terms and during the first fifteen minutes Crane punched two crosses away and pushed another shot for a corner. Just after the hour Andy Ritchie playing his first full game and Darren Middleton both put efforts over the bar. The game then went quiet for the last twenty minutes with both defences seeming to dominate proceedings during which time there were five substitutions and four bookings. Right on time Blyth had a free kick cleared of the line but the piece de resistance, however, came in the third minute of added time when Blyth No 6 Gary Brown let fly a volley from forty yards moving like an exocet to which Crane managed to get a hand flying across his goal to his right, but could only help it upwards into the roof of the net.


Workington 12/04/2008

Although Solihull scored in the first half Danny Crane was the busier of the two keepers, however when Workington came out for the second they were fired up and very quickly equalized. With three games to go Solihull are six points clear of third bottom club Hucknall Town, who will be visiting Damson Park for the final game of the season, having only two games to play, both away, Harrogate Town, playoff contenders, next Saturday and Solihull Moors the following Saturday.

Although Workington started with vigour gaining a corner in the second minute from which centre half Kirkup hit the bar, Moors soon took over having survived the early scare. A few minutes later Simon Hollis took a free kick on the right which was headed out by a defender to Darren Middleton, whose shot from 25 yards went just over the bar. Darren Middleton was in action again in the 14th minute when he picked up a loose ball on the left, cut inside and let fly from 25 yards only to see his effort go just wide of the left hand post. A couple of minutes later Solihull were in front when a headed back pass by a Workington player was intercepted by Jason Moore, who took it forward, flicked it over the head of the advancing keeper and ran round him to side foot the ball into the net. Just over halfway through the first half Crane was in a good position to take a header from No 10 Jonny Wright, but ten minutes later he had to come sliding out to the edge of his penalty area to take the ball off No 6 Hewson with his foot. Six minutes before the interval No 8 Hopper took the ball into the right corner laid it back to No 2 Andrews, whose shot from 20 yards went just past the angle of the bar and upright. Right on half time Hopper sent in a fierce raking shot from outside the penalty area which Danny Crane managed to get down to.

Ten minutes after the restart Workington were on level terms when a speculative shot by No 11 Anthony Wright from 20 yards just caught the toe of Lee Collins enough to deflect it out of Crane's reach and just inside the left hand post. The game seemed to go flat then with very little positive action from either side, the weather having also deteriorated as well with most of the second half being played in torrential rain. Just after the hour Junior English ducked to head a ball and caught Hopper's elbow with his cheek needing eight stitches which probably means he won't be available for the last 3 games of the season. After substitutions on both sides the game livened up during the last ten minutes, possibly coinciding with the arrival of the sun. In the 80th minute Carl Motteram took a free kick on the right which was punched away by the keeper. Three minutes later Danny Crane had to fly across the goal to his left to catch a header from No 16 Nicholson and right on full time he tipped a 20 yard effort by No 14 Berkeley over the bar for a corner.


Southport 5/04/2008

The Moors dented Southport's Play-Off hopes with a gutsy display of football. For the second week running, Solihull had to perform in adverse weather conditions with rain, snow and hail falling throughout the second half. Moors enjoyed more of the possession overall although the visitors brought Danny Crane into action 3 times during the first twenty five minutes, with efforts being parried and collected & tipped over the bar.

Right on the half hour, however, the flavour of the game changed in favour of Moors when Peter Faulds sent over a speculative cross which was "loop-headed" past his own 'keeper by No 4 Hocking to give Moors the lead. With 36 minutes on the clock a short back-pass was pounced upon by Jason Moore who was brought down by goalkeeper Drench in the Southport penalty area. Surprisingly Drench was only given a yellow card possibly because he spent time writhing on the floor, but. fortunately Simon Hollis made no mistake from the spot beating the offending keeper.

With an hour gone Man of the Match Lee Ayres produced what looked like a good tackle as he wrapped his foot around the ball, robbing the advancing forward in the penalty area, but the referee deemed it a foul and awarded Southport a penalty brandishing a yellow card at the same time. Southport No 10, Gray made no mistake from the spot. Southport started coming forward in search of the equalizer, leaving themselves exposed at the back, such that in the 70th minute Carl Mottram collected a loose ball in his own half, ran down the left wing into their Penalty Area, drew defender and 'keeper before sliding the ball to Andy Ducros who side-footed home from 12 yards out. Two minutes from time Simon Hollis punished Southport for still pushing forward when he received the ball just inside his own half, ran the full length of the field with just the keeper to beat and slid it past Drench's right hand into the net to make it four.

. The result means Southport chances of making the Play-Offs have been putback slightly, however, Solihull's likelihood of staying up is enhanced as they are 7 points clear of the drop zone with four games to play, the last 2 being at home. What will have made this win all the more rewarding for Manager, Bob Faulkner, was the fact that he had just 13 fit men at his disposal and two of them were goalkeepers!


Stalybridge Celtic 29/03/2008

In terrible conditions, Solihull conceded four goals to Stalybridge Celtic for the second time this season. At the start the pitch had little grass, and the driving rain did not drain away. The game was played in ice-cold rain which did little to encourage passing football. Solihull's players were slipping all over the place as the pitch cut up, yet the home players coped rather well. Underfoot standing water hampered any passing, yet Solihull stuck to their principles and tried to pass the ball. Celtic, on the other hand were content to pump the long ball forward for the front men to chase and control. It was a tactic they executed to perfection.

In just 23 minutes Celtic were ahead when Tim Gould's slip allowed the ball to reach Torpey. He had been left alone and wide on the left by Phil Midworth, when the ball reached him, he made no mistake. At the half-way mark it was this goal that separated the sides. More rain during the interval, yet the pitch was not forked or given any attention during the break.

At the start of the second-half Celtic pinned Solihull in their own half for long periods. It was obvious that the visiting players just did not relish the conditions. Awful though they were, when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Too many shied away from the challenge. Earlier, Referee Trott had penalized Lee Collins for a text-book tackle, and on 53 minutes the Referee awarded a Free Kick on the edge of the Area against Lee Ayres for another wonderful tackle. Hall was at the back post to head the Free Kick home. It broke the back of the game and Solihull's resolve. From then on it was damage limitation from the Solihull side. Right on the hour Dean scored the third and Torpey got his second ten minutes later. A few minutes from the end there was a nasty challenge between Theo Streete and Dean, both players appeared to go in studs up and high, unfortunately the Solihull player came off worst and had to go off. Another collapse by Solihull who, despite the awful conditions, ought to have controlled the mid-field better. As it was they allowed Celtic free range to play their long ball game. With Hucknall winning Solihull are now six points above the drop zone.


Redditch United 24/03/2008

Typical local derby in which Solihull just had the edge, having more chances on goal but not able to put them away. Of the two keepers former Moors player Danny Lewis in the Redditch goal was certainly the busier. The point today puts Solihull nine clear of Hucknall, third from bottom with 5 games to play and Moors have a game in hand over them.

After sizing each other up for a quarter of an hour during which Redditch showed their physical attributes, Solihull had the first chance on goal when Darren Middleton on the left fed Andy Ducros whose shot from the corner of the six yard box was pushed up in the air by Lewis with it dropping into his hands. In the 20th minute Solihull had three corners in quick succession with the shot from the final one being put just wide of the post by Tim Gould. Five minutes later another corner found Tim Gould whose shot was blocked with the ball running to Danny Davidson in a good scoring position, but he was adjudged offside. After this Redditch started to come into the game and on the half hour they won two corners but from the second Solhull were given a free kick for pushing. Eight minutes before the interval Redditch had a free kick on the left which hit the wall and rebounded to No 7 Howard Forinton whose long range shot was flicked over the top by Danny Crane. Right on half time Andy Ducros fed Darren Middleton who was running in from the left with his fierce shot hitting Lewis on the chest but fortunately for him he was able to gather it before anyone could reach it.

A minute after the restart No 11 Danny Edwards had a goal bound shot from 10 yards which Danny Crane was able to reach one handed with the ball cleared by Tim Gould. Three minutes later Phil Midworth on the right found Andy Ducros on the edge of the penalty area only to see his shot saved one handed by Lewis with the ball falling to Darren Middleton, who was following up, but his effort went over the top. A few minutes later a cross from Ducros was sent over the top by Junior English. Just past the hour a pass from Midworth to Dale Amderson eventually found Davidson whose shot was fielded low down by the keeper. Shortly after Lee Collins put a header just wide from a Simon Hollis corner. The best chance of the game came in stoppage time when Darren Middleton took a free kick on the left finding Tim Gould whose glancing header went just wide of the right hand post.


Alfreton Town 22/03/2008

This was a typical battle between two sides trying to keep clear of the relegation zone but not wanting to give anything away. On the evidence of play Solihull should have won this, but came up against the heroics of Alfreton keeper, Matthewson. With seven games to go Solihull are eight points clear of third bottom club Hucknall, who were leapfrogged by opponents Hinckley yesterday. Hucknall will also be visiting Damson Park for the final game of the season.

. The first twenty minutes was dominated by both defences until Danny Davidson got free on the left, put over a cross which Tim Gould fired over the top from 15 yards out. A few minutes later Carl Motteram took a free kick on the right which was cleared for a corner by Alfreton centre forward Cusworth. The ensuing corner was punched out by the keeper to Andy Ducros whose shot went wide of the left hand post. Play went straight up the other end and Alfreton No 8 Bowler fired over from the edge of the six yard box from a pass from the left by No 10 Reet. Ten minutes before half time Andy Ducros sent a free kick from just outside the penalty area wide of the left hand post.

The second half saw Alfreton start much livelier than the first and after only five minutes Danny Crane was in action when he tipped a free kick by No 3 Barnard round the post for a corner. Alfreton kept pressing and three minutes later Bowler had a shot cleared by Phil Midworth for a corner from which centre forward Cusworth headed over the top. This spurred Solihull into action and shortly after Danny Davidson would have scored but for a magnificent save by keeper Mathewson. A cross from the right by Dale Anderson was headed on by Junior English to Alfreton full back McFadzean on the goal line who headed it straight at Davidson whose header was going just inside the left hand post but somehow Matthewson flew across the goal and tipped the ball out for a corner. In the 72nd minute Simon Hollis, who had earlier come on in place of Carl Motteram, sent a cross over from the right to Davidson six yards out and looking certain to score but put the ball wide of the right hand post. Eight minutes from the end Darren Middleton tried to lob the keeper, who tipped the ball on to the bar with the rebound falling to Davidson who headed the ball straight at the keeper. Five minutes later Junior English headed a cross from Hollis just wide from close in and Davidson had a shot blocked by a defender with the ball going for a corner.


Harrogate Town 15/03/2008

This game didn't really get going until the last twenty five minutes during which there was plenty of action. This was a vital win for Solihull who are now nine points clear of the relegation zone with three of the clubs below them having played one more game and eight more to play before the end of the season, four of which involve clubs close to them in the league table.

The first half was dominated by both defences with both keepers' virtual spectators as the two sides sized each other up. Apart from two efforts from each side which went the wrong side of the woodwork, the only happenings during this half were Lee Ayres being replaced by Theo Streete just after the half hour and Tim Gould, who was the sponsors man of the match, receiving a booking five minutes before half time for an innocuous looking tackle.

The second half started much livelier than the first and after only five minutes the Harrogate left winger, Merris, cut in from the left and fired a shot from the corner of the penalty area which Danny Crane fielded low down. Two minutes later Phil Midworth sent a cross over from the right which was headed on by Danny Davidson to Carl Motteram ten yards out on the left whose shot was straight at the keeper. In the 54th minute Harrogate were given a free kick on the right 25 yards out which full back Price struck sweetly only to see it bounce across the goalmouth off the right hand post and cleared by Phil Midworth. A minute later Danny Davidson headed a cross by Andy Ducros over the bar. Just after the hour Harrogate made a tactical substitution bringing on Whittington in place of Bettney which paid off within five minutes when he struck a fine volley from just outside the penalty area into the net with Danny Crane groping at fresh air. This sparked Solihull into action and within two minutes an interchange between Carl Motteram and Junior English saw the latter fire just over the bar from 18 yards. Within a minute Moors earned a free kick on the left half way into the Harrogate half, taken by Richard Follett which was headed out for a corner on the right. Solihull equalized from the corner put over by Carl Motteram and glanced in off the head of Tim Gould for his third goal of the season, but his most memorable will be the one away at Kettering in the F.A. Cup, which took Moors through to the next round. Before kicking off again surprisingly Harrogate made two further substitutions still with twenty minutes to go, which probably resulted in them losing the game as within a few minutes midfielder Wood went off to have five stitches in a cut just below his eye and never returned. Five minutes after they had drawn level Solihull brought on Darren Middleton in place of Carl Motteram and carried on applying the pressure. Twelve minutes from the end Tim Gould 25 yards out had another chance to score from a lay back by Andy Ducros but saw the keeper get down and behind his shot. Tim Gould was involved again when Moors took the lead in the 82nd minute. He fed a pass down the right to Dale Anderson who chipped the ball over the defence for Danny Davidson to run on to, round the keeper and stroke the ball into the net for his 9th goal of the season. Two minutes later Harrogate centre half, Hume, was sent off when he bundled over Dale Anderson in the penalty area with suspicion of the use of an elbow. Darren Middleton stepped up to take the penalty which he despatched fiercely into the net for his 10th goal of the season. Even though they were now down to nine men Harrogate didn't give up and for the last few minutes came at Solihull, forcing three corners, but found Danny Crane in good form.


Barrow 08/03/2008

After a bright start Solihull capitulated to a strong Barrow side leaking five goals, three in the first half and two in the second. The only team in the bottom eight to win was Hinckley, third from bottom, who defeated basement club Leigh, leaving them seven points behind Moors having played one game more.

For the third week running the game was played with a high wind running straight down the pitch at the backs of Solihull in the first half. Whether Barrow were used to these conditions was unsure but they certainly adapted to them better than Solihull. During the first half they were putting high balls into the box which were being held up by the wind and dropping in strategic positions causing the Moors defence great difficulty. During the first ten minutes Moors went at Barrow forcing three corners and sending a shot over the bar. The second of the corners taken by Simon Hollis was played short to Carl Motteram who crossed to Tim Gould whose header was tipped round the post by the Barrow keeper. Against the run of play Barrow scored in the eleventh minute when No 9 Walker on the left beat the offside trap cut into the penalty area leaving Solihull defenders in his wake and slid the ball past Danny Crane's left hand. Despite this Moors still kept up the pressure and were unlucky two minutes later when a Lee Ayres header was cleared off the line. In the fifteenth minute Solihull equalized after a run by Phil Midworth on the right, who squared the ball to Andy Ducros on the edge of the penalty area sending a fierce shot just inside the right hand post. This caused Barrow to up the tempo and within two minutes they had a shot by No 6 Henney cleared off the line. Just past the half way mark in the first half Barrow regained the lead when a cross from the right was poorly dealt with by Lee Collins the ball running to No 11 Brown just behind him, who laid the ball back into the path of No 10 Rogan who fired home from 16 yards out. In the 32nd minute Barrow were almost gifted a goal when Carl Motteram tried a back pass from the left wing which was too soft, collected by Barrow centre forward Walker just outside the penalty area, whose shot luckily was cushioned by advancing keeper Crane enabling Lee Collins to run across and prevent it from going in the net and giving away a corner. Two minutes later a long ball into the box caused confusion in the Solihull defence with players from both sides slashing away at the ball ultimately resulting in Lee Collins upending a Barrow player and giving away a penalty. This was confidently banged home by man of the match centre half Steve McNulty. Two further chances fell to Barrow before half time when a corner by No 8 Boyd was pushed up in the air by keeper Crane and collected by him, then a few minutes later a cross from the right by Henney hit the bar falling to Brown on the left whose cross was cleared by Carl Motteram.

At half time Danny Davidson and Jason Moore came on in place of Darren Middleton and Simon Hollis. This, however did not stop Barrow coming forward and 10 minutes after the restart Danny Crane was in action when he parried a shot from centre forward Walker which went back to him but his second shot went wide. Two minutes later Barrow went further ahead when last defender Lee Ayres on the right half way in his own half kicked wildly at the ball and missed, leaving Walker to run onto it take it to the edge of the penalty area square to No 10 Rogan who side footed it into the net for his second goal of the game. Five minutes passed before Rogan tried to lob Crane, who managed to get a hand to the ball, push it up in the air and collect it. Six minutes after the hour Barrow No 7 Bond saw a header hit the post and cleared by Phil Midworth. Eighteen minutes from the end Andy Ducros cut in from the right and his shot from the edge of the six yard box was blocked by the keeper and so was the rebound which was then cleared by a defender. In the 81st minute Barrow scored their fifth when a long ball reached Henney on the edge of the penalty area with his first time effort entering the net past Danny Crane's outstretched right hand. Having made all their allowed changes Barrow went down to 10 men two minutes from the end when substitute Scales went off injured.


Tamworth 01/03/2008

A sigh of relief ran round the ground after Solihull Moors achieved their second double of the season by beating Tamworth, scoring the only goal of the game. Of all the teams in the bottom nine of the League table Moors were the only one to collect any points. This now leaves them 10 points clear of the drop zone with the next two teams below having played one game more.

For the second week running the game was played with a high wind affecting the ball and unfortunately both teams insisted on kicking the ball in the air for the first half hour, just after which both teams had a penalty shout at each end within a minute. The first real opportunity for a goal came ten minutes before half time when Darren Middleton unleashed a fierce shot from 20 yards out which Tamworth keeper, Alex Cisak, could only push up in the air but fortunately for him the eventual recipient, Simon Hollis, saw his cross cleared by a defender. Two minutes later Tamworth should have gone in front when No 10, Nick Wright, formerly of Birmingham City, picked up a loose ball from a charge down by keeper Danny Crane outside the penalty area, but stubbed his effort giving Lee Collins time to run across and clear. Right on half time Nick Wright had another chance cutting in from the left, which he put across the goal missing the far post by a whisker.

Right from the restart Tamworth came at Solihull and within six minutes had hit the post with a header from No 7 Jonathon Richter from a cross by Nick Wright. Three minutes later Tamworth No 11 Sheldon took a corner on the left which was dropping just under the bar but somehow Danny Crane got his fingers to it and tipped it over the top. The subsequent corner was cleared only as far as No 4 Briscoe whose shot from 25 yards was deflected for another corner by Lee Ayres. Two minutes after the hour Wright jinked his way past two players into the penalty area, however under pressure from Phil Midworth, he pushed the ball too far and Danny Crane was able to drop on it just outside his six yard box. A minute later against the run of play, Moors scored from a break away down the right. Phil Midworth picked the ball up midway into the Tamworth half took it forward and flashed a searching cross into the penalty area, which Dale Anderson got a touch to, close to the right hand post, and found the back of the net. Tamworth came straight back at Solihull from the kick off and Wright broke through the middle again but his shot had no power and went direct into the safe hands of Danny Crane. In the 71st minute Simon Hollis sent a free kick, 20 Yards out on the left, over the bar and six minutes later Tamworth's Gareth Sheldon sent a rocket in from 25 yards which Danny Crane stopped with his chest and subsequently managed to drop on. Danny Davidson came on for the last ten minutes and created a few problems for centre half McAughtrie who up until then had dealt with everything thrown at him confidently.


Nuneaton Borough 22/2/2008

Solihull started for the fourth game running without Davidson (injured), Theo Streete on the bench & Middleton returned on the left, together with Gary Mcphee who has returned after a season and a half away.. Even though Solihull lost this game, fortunately for the second week running, none of the clubs below them scored maximum points. This still leaves Moors seven points above the drop zone.

This was a poor game played against a high wind. Nuneaton looked the better of the two sides until the last ten minutes when Moors decided to turn up and nearly stole a point. During the first quarter of an hour. Daniel Crane punched two crosses away straight to Nuneaton players who luckily mis-cued the wrong side of the woodwork. Darren Middleton had a chance in the 13th minute but scuffed it wide. Five minutes later Andy Ducros went on a run from the centre circle but blazed the ball well over from 20 yards. A minute later Nuneaton went one up from a free kick on the right which was headed home by centre forward Brown. The only other bit of excitement in the first half came when Darren Middleton lobbed the advancing keeper from just outside the penalty area, only to see a defender run back and clear it off the line.

Six minutes after the restart Carl Motteram took a free kick on the right which came to Lee Collins whose shot had little power and was easily cleared off the line by a defender. A minute later Nuneaton were two up, again it was Brown who scored having received a long ball from the keeper taken it forward, fighting off the challenging Phil Midworth, and lobbed it over the approaching Danny Crane from just inside the penalty area. Half way through the second half, Crane brought off an excellent save at full stretch to his left from Carl Palmer who had shot from 18 yards. Over the next ten minutes Nuneaton battered Solihull and had three efforts from set pieces go just the wrong side of the uprights. Ten minutes from the end Carl Motteram took a corner on the right which found the head of Lee Ayres who powered the ball home. This signalled a upsurge from Moors who were unlucky not to equalize with two or three efforts just off target.


Boston United 16/2/2008

Solihull started for the third game running without Davidson (injured), Collins on the bench & Middleton on a work commitment. Even though Solihull lost this game by two goals, fortunately none of the clubs below them scored maximum points. This still leaves Moors seven points above the drop zone.

Although Solihull played some good football in midfield they could not break down a strong, physical and tall Boston defence and their keeper was only brought into serious action once in the whole game. Boston pressed right from the kick off and within 5 minutes had the ball in the net. A long ball down the middle found No 11 Rowan on the edge of the penalty area and he struck the ball sweetly past the diving Danny Crane's left hand. Five minutes later Crane was in action again, but this time he managed to pick a cross out of the air at full stretch. In the 18th minute Simon Hollis tested the Boston keeper from a free kick which was pushed round the post for a corner. Four minutes later Richard Follett blazed a Hollis cross over the bar from 16 yards. Right on the half hour Solihull should have equalized when Hollis hit a hard low ball across the six yard box missing everyone for it to end up with Junior English who did exactly the same, again missing everyone and going out for a throw in.

Within a minute of the restart Crane at full stretch pushed a shot from centre forward, Nuttell, round the post for a corner. Two minutes later No 7, Leabon, took the ball to the near the goal line on the edge of the six yard box and fired a shot, which fortunately for Solihull hit the post and went out. Twenty minutes from the end Boston went two up when Leabon got himself in the same position as before but this time fired low across the box for No 10 Stevenson to touch in. Lee Collins came on in the 78th minute for Richard Follett and was brought into action straight away when he headed a dangerous looking cross away for a corner. A few minutes later he was active up the other end when he headed a cross from Dale Anderson straight at the keeper. Two minutes from the end Anderson was unlucky not to score, when he tried to lob the keeper, but somehow he managed to get his fingertips to it and push the ball on to the bar and out for a corner.


Vauxhall Motors 09/2/2008

An evenly matched game with Solihull having the best of the first half and Vauxhall the second. A draw therefore seemed a fair result and it was pleasing to see both sides play football and not kicking the ball up in the air. This draw took us above Tamworth and into 16th spot still 8 points ahead of Vauxhall Motors in 20th position.

During the first half hour, chances fell to Tim Gould and Darren Middleton with their efforts just going the wrong side of the woodwork, however in the 32nd minute Solihull went in front. Simon Hollis took a corner on the left, finding the head of Lee Ayres near the right hand post, who powered the ball into the net. Vauxhall's only effort on goal in this half came seven minutes before half time when a free kick on the right was headed out by Junior English. The resultant corner found No 10 Smith, whose header was cleared off the line by Carl Motteram. Four minutes later a long cross from Darren Middleton on the left found Hollis on the right who sent the ball into the penalty area to Jason Moore only to see his shot cleared off the line as far as Andy Ducros, whose shot was deflected for a corner. This was cleared to Simon Hollis 20 yards out, whose shot whistled just wide of the right hand post.

After the restart Solihull carried on as they had left off and within 5 minutes Jason Moore sent a header just wide of the left hand post. Two minutes later totally out of the blue, Motors forward Keith Smith scored the equalizer with a very soft goal. He received the ball just out side the penalty area and sent a weak shot towards the left hand side of the goal which went past a ruck of players who unsighted the keeper, Danny Crane, until the last minute and unfortunately he was unable to reach it and it trickled past his right hand into the net. This spurred on Motors who had most of the possession but kept breaking down around the Solihull penalty area. Right on the hour Tim Gould headed wide and ten minutes later Andy Ducros had a jinking run following which he laid the ball to his right in the path of Hollis who blazed over the top from 10 yards. Seven minutes from time Peter Faulds on for Simon Hollis had a shot from the edge of the penalty area deflected for a corner. The corner was headed upfield to Faulds who headed the ball back in to Junior English with his effort going straight to the keeper. During the last five minutes Middleton had two shots on goal, the first deflected for a corner and the second went straight to the keeper.


Leigh RMI 02/2/2008

Solihull started without Davidson (injured), Collins & Follett, both suspended for one match following accumulating five yellow cards. Even though Solihull took the lead early on in the game and held onto it, Leigh did not give up and but for resolute defending by Moors, they could easily have equalized, especially in the second half when they pinned Solihull in their own half for long periods at a time. This win puts Moors eight points above the drop zone.

The only goal of the game came in the third minute during Moors first attack of the game having spent the opening minutes pinned in their half. A long cross from Darren Middleton on the left, found Simon Hollis near the goal line on the right just outside the penalty area and with his back to goal he lifted the ball over his head to Tim Gould on the edge of the six yard box, whose header looped over the keeper and into the top left hand corner of the net. Leigh kept pressing and just past the half way mark in the first half they twice came close to scoring. The first came as a result of a cross headed away by the Solihull defence straight to No 8 Gibson, who fired just wide of the right hand post. Within a minute keeper Daniel Crane was called into action when a 20 yard shot along the floor from No 10 Salmon was fielded by him low down. Prior to half time Darren Middleton had a shot from 20 yards which was easily dealt with by keeper Dittmar.

Leigh were the livelier side in the second half and five minutes after the restart a cross by Leigh No 7, Settle, was headed upfield by Theo Streete straight to No 4 Willis 20 yards out whose shot went just over the bar. The next piece of action in either goalmouth didn't materialise until eight minutes from time and was at the Solihull end. A cross from Settle was cleared by the Solihull defence, only as far a substitute Chetcuti on the edge of the penalty area, whose fierce shot along the ground was heading for the bottom left hand corner of the net, but somehow Crane came out of nowhere and at full stretch got his hand to the ball and gathered it in. The only effort from Moors during the second half came a minute into time added, when a free kick by Lee Ayres was headed out by a defender to Andy Ducros just inside the penalty area who blazed it over the top.


Redditch United 26/1/2008

This was a game dominated by both defences with very few chances on goal. Although Moors had come to play football, Redditch were determined to stop them resulting in 4 yellow cards for Redditch and one for Solihull. Even though Simon Hollis was making his return to the Valley Stadium, having scored 21 goals for the Reds last season, it was not a bad tempered game.

The most exciting part of the first half came in the final two minutes, with magnificent saves made by both keepers. During the first half there were two half hearted attempts on goal, one from each side. In the tenth minute a move between Hollis and Midworth on the right, saw the latter cross the ball on to the head of Junior English whose effort was caught by former Moors keeper, Danny Lewis, just under the bar. Nine minutes before the interval Exodus Geohaghon, by far Redditch's best player, sent a long throw into the Solihull penalty area for substitute, Chris Murphy, to head just over the top. Right on half time Darren Middleton crossed from the left finding the head of Richard Follett six yards out, whose effort was saved by the keeper. He immediately threw it to winger Alex Cowley on the right, who advanced and crossed to Howard Forinton, whose point blank header was saved by Daniel Crane. The ball came out to Middleton on the left, whose cross found Simon Hollis on the right, hitting the ball on the volley, only to see it come clear off the legs of keeper, Danny Lewis.

The second half saw Moors have the better of the play, but it wasn't until twenty minutes after the restart that either side got anywhere near goal. Again it involved Darren Middleton and Simon Hollis with Darren crossing from the left to Simon on the right, who advanced on the keeper, admitting himself that he should have scored, only to see Lewis make a great save and turn the shot for a corner. In the 72nd minute another ball from Middleton found Danny Davidson near the left post and as he was about to shoot the ball was taken off his foot by a defender for a corner. Five minutes later Middleton on the left slid the ball inside to Richard Follett, who fired from 20 yards with his shot grazing the left angle of the bar and post. Eight minutes from the end Simon Hollis had another wonderful chance when a cross from Carl Motteram was punched away by keeper, Lewis, straight to Simon, who blazed the ball over the top. The break through came right on 90 minutes when a long throw by Simon Hollis on the right found the head of substitute, Jason Moore, looking as though he had scored, but somehow Lewis at full stretch got a hand to it, but only to put it onto the head of a stooping Darren Middleton guiding the ball inside the left post and into the net for the only goal of the game. During the following five minutes of time added, mainly as a result of a nasty tackle by Carl Heggs on Hollis a quarter of an hour from the end for which he needed prolonged treatment, Redditch tried hard for the draw, but Moors defended well to keep a clean sheet.


Burscough 19/1/2008

Even though Burscough took the lead early on in the game, the first half belonged to Solihull, who went in at half time with a one goal advantage. The second half was more even with the only goal coming direct from a free kick just outside the penalty area which whistled through the Solihull wall and just inside the left hand post.

As early as the second minute Moors should have taken the lead. An interchange between Darren Middleton, Carl Motteram and Danny Davidson saw the latter lay the ball into the path of Richard Follett 15 yards out whose shot went just wide of the right hand post. Eleven minutes into the half Tim Gould set up Simon Hollis whose fierce shot was parried and then collected by the keeper. Two minutes later Burscough went in front with a similar goal to that scored by Hollis last week against Telford, when centre forward Smart received a ball on the right 20 yards out and lifted the ball over the head of keeper, Daniel Crane to drop in just under the angle of the bar and post. Seven minutes passed before Moors equalized, when a hard low cross from the right by Tim Gould was turned into his own net by full back Moogan from the edge of the six yard box. Solihull kept pressing which resulted in them going in front in the 29th minute with a spectacular volley from Junior English. Carl Motteram sent Darren Middleton clear on the left whose cross from the goal line went through a ruck of players to find an airborne English, who volleyed home from just outside the six yard box. Twice during this half Daniel Crane, in the Solihull goal, was called into action by Burscough's most active player, Smart, but on each occasion he was up to it and made point blank saves for the defence to clear.

Five minutes after the restart Crane was called into action again when he punched away a cross from the left. Three minutes later Solihull should have gone further ahead when Danny Davidson on the right passed to Darren Middleton who slid the ball into the path of the advancing Richard Follett whose effort went just wide of the left hand post with the keeper out of position. In the 58th minute Danny Davidson received the ball from Middleton on the left and as he was about to side foot it into the net a defender slid in and took it off his toe. Twenty minutes from the end another chance fell to Follett, following a cross by Middleton from the left headed back by Danny Davidson to Follett, whose shot from 20 yards flew past the left hand post. Seven minutes later came the equalizer from a free kick given against Lee Collins just outside the penalty area near the left corner of the D. Full back, Moogan, who had scored the own goal stepped up and redeemed himself by beating the wall and putting the ball just out of reach of Cranes right hand. Two minutes later Burscough were down to 10 men when centre half and captain, Kilbane was given his marching orders after a crunching tackle on Simon Hollis, who was in full flight down the right wing. Shortly after Hollis was replaced by Peter Faulds, who was tripped by Burscough winger Noone, right on full time, for which he received a yellow card.


AFC Telford United 12/1/2008

This was a dogged display by Moors which gradually saw them get on top of Telford towards the end of the game. The two teams matched each other for performance and it was difficult to imagine that Solihull were fourth from bottom and Telford fourth from top in the League tables.

The first breakthrough by either side came in the 18th minute when an interchange between Darren Middleton and Tim Gould resulted in the former crossing the ball from the left onto the head of Simon Hollis whose effort went just over the bar. Within a minute play was at the other end with Matty Lewis, whose volley from the edge of the penalty area was caught by debutant Daniel Crane at head height. Two minutes later Danny Davidson was played in by Simon Hollis and as he was about to shoot, the ball was taken off his foot by a defender resulting in a corner. Ten minutes from half time a Carl Motteram corner was cleared but only as far as Tim Gould whose shot was blocked and cleared.

The second half carried on as in the first half with both defences commanding the game. This was evident in the seventh minute following the restart when Middleton took a free kick on the left which caused havoc in the Telford defence, with the ball eventually being headed back to the keeper. Shots on goal were few and far between at either end, but a quarter of an hour from the end a Simon Hollis corner found the head of Middleton who flicked it on for Danny Davidson to power in at the far post. Seven minutes later Danny Davidson played a one/two with Darren Middleton which saw Danny dragging the ball just wide from six yards out. Five minutes from time Moors made sure with a superb goal from Simon Hollis, shades of Ronaldinho's goal against David Seaman, lifting the ball over the keepers head from 20 yards out on the right dropping just under the angle of the bar and post. A prime candidate for goal of the season and a vital one at that.


Tamworth 5/1/2008

This was a lack lustre performance from Tamworth who only troubled keeper, Adam Rachel once during the game. Whereas wingers Westcarr & Marna had taken us apart at Kettering, Solihull's own version consisting of Darren Middleton on the left and debutante Simon Hollis on the right created havoc in the Tamworth defence.

As early as the second minute Darren Middleton on the left seeing the keeper of his line sent over a cross which bounced off the bar and out to be cleared by a defender. Five minutes later a cross from Hollis on the right found the head of Middleton on the corner of the six yard box whose effort was cleared off the line by a defender. In the 14th minute a cross from Hollis found Gould whose shot was blocked and cleared. On the half hour Middleton collected a long ball on the left , ran forward and slipped the ball past the keeper, but unfortunately there wasn't enough pace on it and a defender managed to run back and clear it off the line. A minute before half time a corner from Hollis reached Gould who set up Davidson, whose shot was blocked and cleared for another corner. This found Hollis who hit the left hand post with the ball going out of play for a goal kick. .

Eight minutes after the restart an interchange between Gould and Junior English ended with Gould's shot from 10 yards being smothered by the keeper. Three minutes later Solihull's pressure paid off when a cross from Middleton found the head of English whose effort hit the bar and then the left hand post to just drop over the line before a defender ran in to clear. In the 73rd minute Middleton picked up a the ball midway into the Tamworth half ran to the right, cut into the penalty area , only to see his shot cleared for a corner. Carl Motteram took the corner which went straight to the head of Danny Davidson who had no difficulty in putting the ball in the net for Moors second goal. Almost straight from the kick off Solihull came forward and a cross from Hollis was headed over the top by Davidson from 10 yards out. Ten minutes from the end Middleton was unlucky not to get on the score sheet when he ran in from the left and let fly looking as though the ball was going just inside the right hand post, but a defender jumped to head it over the bar for a corner. With six minutes to go Middleton robbed a Tamworth player 25 yards out and slid the ball to Hollis on the right whose shot from 15 yards came back out off the left hand post. Three minutes later Middleton was denied again when a long ball was headed by Davidson into his path and his shot was pushed round the post by the keeper. In the final minute Tim Gould tried to get in on the act when Peter Faulds set him up 15 yards out but he put the ball just wide of the left hand post.


Kettering Town 1/1/2008

Although territorially it was a fairly even game, Solihull were unable to cope with the two fast wingers, Westcarr and Marna, together with the predatory instincts of centre forward, Beardsley, on loan from York.

As early as the fifth minute Kettering had the ball in the net from a free kick 25 yards out on the left. The ball was fired into a ruck of players about 10 yards from goal and the first to the ball was Solkhon who got a foot to it and flicked it into the net. During the next 15 minutes Moors kept pressing and had efforts by Darren Middleton and Charlton Davies turned away for corners. In the 22nd minute Kettering went further ahead when Tim Gould lost the ball near the centre line to a heavy tackle, which went unpenalised, the ball then being fed to Marna, looking suspiciously offside, who dribbled round Adam Rachel and side footed the ball into the net. Running up to half time Moors had a number of opportunities to reduce the deficit through Davies, Danny Davidson, Tim Gould, Peter Faulds and Theo Streete, most of which went just the wrong side of the woodwork or were gathered by the keeper.

Kettering came out for the second half looking to increase their lead and almost did four minutes after the restart when a free kick by Westcarr on the left, 20 yards out, went round the wall and came back out off the right hand post. Two minutes later, however they went further in front when a cross from the right found the head of debutant Beardsley and he had no difficulty in putting the ball in the net. The onslaught was never ending and but for stoic defending by Solihull, Kettering were kept at bay until the 71st minute when Kettering struck again. Marna on the left fed a ball between two defenders for Westcarr to run onto and fire the ball through the keepers legs and into the net. Moors came back at them for a short spell with a shot by Middleton deflected for a corner, which came to Theo Streete whose effort was again turned for a corner. Shortly after Danny Davidson was brought down by Dempster, who received a booking, with the subsequent free kick taken by Darren Middleton firing past the wall and looking as though it was going just inside the post, but somehow the keeper got to it at full stretch. Thirteen minutes from the end Tim Gould had a shot which was blocked and rebounded to Davies, whose shot from the edge of the penalty area was deflected for a corner. Two minutes later Kettering were five up when a free kick by Marna on the left was poorly defended with Solihull players slashing at the ball to try and clear it, however, eventually it fell to Bridges who hooked it into the net. The misery was still not over and two minutes from time Kettering made it a half dozen. A corner was headed goal wards by centre half Kemp, which was cleared off the line by Lee Collins straight to Beardsley who fired home from near the penalty spot for his second goal. Straight from the kick off Darren Middleton received a ball on the left and cut in beating two players shot from near the penalty spot, with the ball rebounding to him off the keeper, whom he ran round and slid the ball just inside the right hand post for a consolation goal.


Hinckley United 29/12/2007

This was the worst display of the season so far and Solihull gifted the bottom club three points and put their own position in danger. It was also a bad tempered game with offenders on both sides.

Hinckley demonstrated in the second minute what they had come to do when Richard Lavery was booked for a horrific tackle on Dale Anderson which resulted in him having to leave the field shortly after and be substituted by Peter Faulds. Despite this Moors were quite lively in the opening minutes and forced centre half Michael Byron to head over his own bar from a cross by Jason Moore. In the 17th minute, however, came a monumental defensive blunder when Lee Ayres instead of clearing the ball stopped it on the edge of the six yard box in front of goal, giving No 7 Story an easy toe poke into the net for Hinckley's first goal. Six minutes later they could have been two up when centre forward Leon Kelly with his back to goal near the penalty spot, exercised an overhead kick which had Matt Ghent stretching to just flick it over the top for a corner. Five minutes before half time Moors should have been level when a cross from the left by Darren Middleton, was headed on by Jason Moore to Peter Faulds whose header was stopped by the keeper in the air with one hand and possibly a bit more pace would have carried it into the net.

The first 15 minutes after the restart saw very little happening until Richard Lavery unleashed a drive from near the penalty spot which shot back off the bar and was cleared by Lee Collins. In the 65th minute Darren Middleton had a searching shot from the left turned round the post by the keeper for a corner. Twelve minutes from the end Danny Davidson was unlucky not to equalize when a corner came to him 2 yards out with his effort somehow cleared off the line for a corner. A minute later Darren Middleton sent in a free kick which was cleared to Tim Gould whose goal bound shot was deflected by a defender to loop over the bar. Five minutes from the end Hinckley made sure of the points when with Solihull pressing forward a long ball found three Hinckley players against two Solihull defenders, a cross from the right was moved on by No 7 Story from the corner of the penalty area to Harry Harris who was free on the left and had no diffiulty in slotting the ball past Matt Ghent for their second goal.


Kettering Town 26/12/2007

Although Moors matched Kettering in open play, their defending of set-pieces left something to be desired. All three goals Kettering scored were from corners and by individual tall defenders, who had come up to add support to the forwards.

As early as the fifth minute Moors created a chance when Dale Anderson sent over a cross which centre half Kemp was forced to head over the bar for a corner. Seven minutes later a shot from Dale Anderson was cleared for a corner. This fell to Lee Collins whose effort was turned for another corner which came to nothing. In the 18th minute Kettering went in front. Centre forward Mark Rawle ran 30 yards down the left flank leaving Lee Collins in his wake and his cross was pushed out for a corner by Matt Ghent. No 4 John Dempster had come up for the corner which found his head and he had no difficulty in putting it away. This spurred Solihull and during the next five minutes they had two chances, the first a shot from Danny Davidson, from a Dale Anderson cross, which went just wide and then shortly after a long ball found Danny whose cross was headed over the bar for a corner by centre half Kemp. Four minutes later Kemp was on the other end of a header when he put it into the Solihull net. A corner by No 7 Westcarr flew over the top of everyone to find Kemp at the far post. The hosts still kept pressing and had a good five minute spell with Jason Moore having 2 shots, Darren Middleton and Richard Follett one each, all of which were turned for corners by the keeper. Eventually this paid off when Danny Davidson was tripped in the penalty area and Darren Middleton sent the keeper the wrong way to reduce the deficit and put Moors back in the game.

The second half started quietly, however after ten minutes Kettering increased their lead. A corner on the left found the head of No 6 Solkhon waiting at the near post, five yards out, with his flick coming to Matt Ghent, who unfortunately could not hold it and the ball spun out of his hands and into the net. Even though they were two behind Solihull did not give up and in the 67th minute Danny Davidson was about to shoot when the ball was taken off his foot for a corner. Quarter of an hour from the end Follett fed Faulds on the right with the cross finding Dale Anderson whose shot went just past the right hand post. Two minutes later a hard cross from Peter Faulds was turned goalwards by full back Nicky Eaden and somehow the keeper at full stretch managed to turn the ball out for a corner. With ten minutes to go a Darren Middleton free kick was headed just over the bar by Lee Ayres.


Gainsborough Trinty 22/12/2007

Although Trinity had most of the possession in the first half kicking down the slope with centre forward Alex Rodman proving a handful, however it was Solihull who came nearest to scoring when a deflected effort from Darren Middleton hit the post right on half time. Throughout the game Moors defence was resolute and it was their finest display for many games resulting in the first League clean sheet since the away draw at Worcester in September. It was also the first League win since the home game against Nuneaton Borough on September 8th and the first double of the season.

Gainsborough came at Solihull right from the start and for the first twenty minutes Solihull soaked up the pressure and ventured into Trinity's penalty area only once during that period. Solihull's first real effort came in the 22nd minute when a Dale Anderson cross from the right was headed over the bar by full back Danny Wood for a corner. Two minutes later the action was at the other end when 3 consecutive shots were blocked by Midworth, Ayres and Follett the ball eventually going for a corner. From the corner Lewis McMahon fired through a ruck of players along the ground which Matt Ghent fielded low down. Immediately Gainsborough were back on the attack with centre forward Rodman breaking free on the right with his cross travelling across the face of goal along the edge of the six yard box to Charlton Davies who cleared under pressure from Chris Hall. Within two minutes Hall picked up a ball midway into the Moors half took it forward and shot from 25 yards which Matt Ghent easily picked up off the floor. Trinity came straight back at Solihull from Ghent's clearance with right back Martin Drury feeding McMahon whose shot from the edge of the penalty area went just wide of the right hand post. The game went flat after this burst until three minutes before half time when a Darren Middleton free kick was deflected by the wall for a corner. This was cleared to the edge of the penalty area from where Darren Middleton unleashed a shot just wide of the left hand post. Right on half time Darren Middleton cut in from the left close to the goal line, shot from the edge of the 6 yard box, only to see the ball deflect of a defender and trickle along the goal line to bounce off the far post and be cleared by left back Danny Wood.

The second half was a much more even game and within five minutes of the restart there were chances at either end. Darren Middleton picked a ball up midway into Trinity's half, took it forward and his shot from the edge of the penalty area was turned for a corner. The corner was cleared straight up the other end with Hall testing Ghent who blocked the ball with his legs back to Hall whose cross was sent up field by Lee Ayres. Right on the hour Rodman had two good runs down the left, the first resulting in his shot going just wide of the left hand post and two minutes later he laid the ball back for Hall to shoot , only to see it blocked and cleared by Lee Ayres. The breakthrough for Moors came in the 73rd minute when Dale Anderson on the right fed Peter Faulds, now on in place of Andy Ducros, who sent the ball across the goalmouth for Danny Davidson to side foot the ball home. Six minutes later Darren Middleton was unlucky not to increase the scoreline, when 20 yards out on the left he saw the keeper off his line and sent a high ball over which bounced off the top of the cross bar and out. Six minutes from the end Jason Moore, who had come on for Dale Anderson nine minutes before, had the ball in the net to secure the game for Moors. He had executed a passing movement with Danny Davidson who laid the ball into his path near the penalty spot and although the keeper got a hand to it the pace of the shot took the ball into the net. Three minutes from the end Gainsborough almost got one back from a free kick 25 yards out which looped over the wall and looked as though it was going inside the left hand post, but somehow Matt Ghent got across to it and made a superb save.

Worcester City 08/12/2007

This was a game where Solihull had plenty of chances to put the game to bed, but didn't place them where it matters in the net. Although Moors had the better of the first half and should have gone in at half time with a greater lead, they threw the game away in the second half even though they were not outplayed. As early as the 7th minute the home side took the lead when a move involving Follett, Ducros and Anderson found Danny Davidson whose shot was cleared off the line into the path of Darren Middleton who sidefooted it home. Within a minute debutant Charlton Davies had the opportunity to put Moors further ahead when a cross from Follett found his head with a clear chance on goal, but his effort went just over the top. Two minutes later a Darren Middleton free kick bounced off the Worcester wall to Richard Follett on the right whose shot grazed the corner of the upright and the bar. In the 18th minute against the run of play Worcester scored when a corner found Mark Danks whose shot deflected off a Solihull player into the net. During the next quarter of an hour both keepers made two terrific saves each, Rachel turning one round the post from Craig Wilding and blocking a fierce shot from a free kick by ex Blues player Jamie Price with his chest. Cameron Belford in the Worcester goal, the epitome of his father Dale, put a Danny Davidson shot round the post for a corner and then turned another shot round the post from debutant Netan Sansari. In the 33rd minute Moors took the lead again when a pass from Richard Follett found Dale Anderson half way into the Worcester half, who ran between two defenders and shot from the edge of the penalty area with the advancing Belford diving at his feet and fortunately for Moors the ball bounced off his body and into the net.

Within two minutes of the restart Worcester equalized from a free kick on the right which went over the top of the defence to the smallest player on the field, Mark Danks, who back headed the ball against the left hand post and into the net. Five minutes later Dale Anderson was unlucky when one on one with the keeper his shot was kept out by the keeper's legs. Five minutes from the end Worcester went in front when full back Ryan Clarke had a free header from a corner to put the ball in the net and win the game. In the dying seconds Solihull could have drawn level when a Darren Middleton free kick found the head of Sansari on the right hand corner of the 6 yard box, but his header went just wide.

Stalybridge Celtic 01/12/2007

This was a game in which Solihull did not figure apart from a 25 minute spell after half time when Stalybridge gave them room to work, however their keeper had a very quiet game. Within 6 minutes of the start Celtic went one up when chaos reigned in the Solihull penalty area with various players trying to clear the ball without success which eventually fell to No 7 Dean who poked it into the net with his toe from 8 yards out. In the 12th minute Lee Collins headed a Ducros free kick straight at the keeper. During the next ten minutes Matt Ghent saved a shot from Celtic No 2 Woolescroft and Lee Collins cleared a cross over his own bar. This pressure paid off when a free kick by Stalybridge found the head of No 9 Chris Hall who had no difficulty in burying the ball in the net for their second goal. Before half time Darren Middleton and Lee Collins fired shots just the wrong side of the woodwork.

The first 25 minutes of the second half was certainly Moors best spell of the game and 8 minutes in Lee Collins had an overhead kick from a Ducros corner cleared off the line by a defender. Adam Rachel who had come on at half time for the injured Matt Ghent was called into action in the 67th minute when he blocked a shot at point blank range from No 10 Barlow. Six minutes later a Ducros corner reached Darren Middleton on the left corner of the penalty area with his shot parried and subsequently collected by the keeper. The game turned again 13 minutes from time when a long ball was collected on the left by Celtic No 8 Ashley Winn who took the ball on into the Solihull penalty area and lobbed it over the advancing Adam Rachel into an empty net for the third goal. During the next five minutes Darren Middleton had 3 long range shots all of which were easily fielded by the keeper. Six minutes from the end Ashley Winn received a through ball on the edge of the penalty area, advanced to near the penalty spot and put the ball in the net off the left hand post for his second and Celtic's fourth and final goal.

Cambridge City 24/11/2007

This was an evenly matched game over the first 25 minutes with a shot from Carl Motteram tipped over the bar in the fourteenth minute and a breakaway by Cambridge's on loan striker Anthony Thomas who saw his shot go high over the bar. Three minutes before the half hour Cambridge struck with a corner on the right headed on by No 5 Dave Theobald finding Neil Midgley at the far post who side footed the ball into the net. Two minutes later a 25 yard effort by Tim Gould was tipped round the post by keeper Shane Herbert at full stretch. Shortly after this a move involving Chris Duggan and Andy Ducros saw the ball reach Tim Gould again on the edge of the penalty area with his shot just grazing the angle of bar and upright. Seven minutes before half time Cambridge almost went further ahead when a shot from No 10 Thomas on the edge of the penalty area hit the bar and bounced clear. Right on half time Tim Gould had another long range effort which was just wide of the left hand post set up by a move between Dale Anderson and Andy Ducros

The second half definitely belonged to Cambridge City who went further ahead in the 54th minute when a long ball found Thomas who set up No 11 Ashley Fuller for him to guide his shot out of reach of Matt Ghent's right hand. Twenty minutes later No 10 Thomas was involved again when he set up this time No 7 Neil Midgley who fired home from the edge of the penalty area. Ten minutes from the end with the Solihull defence all at sea No 12 Lee Roache jinked his way past 3 players and placed the ball out of reach of Matt Ghent's left hand. Running up to full time Moors had their best spell resulting in Darren Middleton scoring a consolation goal. He picked the ball up part way into the Cambridge half and ran at the defence firing from the right hand corner of the penalty area with the ball somehow squirming its way under the body of the keeper and into the net.

Hyde United 19/11/2007

This was a game dominated by Hyde from start to finish and Solihull never looked like scoring with Hyde keeper Dootson having a fairly quiet night, whereas Matt Ghent was repeatedly called into action.

Straight from the kick off Hyde were in the Solihull penalty area with a shot that was collected by Matt Ghent in his midriff. After 14 minutes Moors had their first effort when Andy Ducros fired through a ruck of players for the shot to go just wide of the right hand post. Shortly after Ghent tipped a shot round the post for a corner. Almost half way through the first half Hyde earned a corner on the left which was headed out by Lee Collins for another corner. This came on to the head of No 9 Simm, whose effort was tipped onto the bar by Matt Ghent, however, Simm made sure that the rebound ended up in the net for Hyde's first goal. A few minutes later a Hyde free kick on the right was headed over by Lee Collins for a corner, which caused chaos in the Solihull defence with 3 attempts to clear eventually falling to No 4 Morley who had no difficulty in side footing the ball into the net for Hyde's second.

Just past the hour Danny Davidson, who had come on in place of Jason Moore, met a cross from the right with his head which looked certain to end up in the top left hand corner of the net, but somehow the keeper managed to get a hand to it and stop it from going in. In the 69th minute to add salt to the wound a hard cross from the left by Hyde No 11 Clee was headed into the net by Lee Collins for an own goal. This actually spurred Moors and during the next 20 minutes Darren Middleton had two efforts on goal as did Peter Faulds and Joszef Jakab also tested the keeper.

Vauxhall Motors 17/11/2007

This was very much a game of two halves. Solihull took the honours in the first half, but the second belonged to Vauxhall Motors and their No 11 Paul Taylor. During the first period Moors had managed to shackle him to the extent that his frustration resulted in him giving away a number of free kicks. In the second half he ran riot and carved apart the Solihull defence like a knife through butter.

Solihull started in determined fashion with Peter Faulds testing the keeper after five minutes from the edge of the penalty area with the ball being punched up into the air and cleared for a corner. After 20 minutes a shot from Richard Follett went just wide of the left hand post after good approach work by Andy Ducros. Two minutes later after a move involving Jason Moore and Andy Ducros, Peter Faulds put the ball just over the bar from 10 yards out. Right on the half hour Vauxhall Motors had their first attack on goal when Paul Taylor hit the underside of the bar from six yards with the ball coming straight down for Matt Ghent to pounce on it. Seven minutes before the interval Moors were given a free kick on the left about thirty yards out which Darren Middleton placed in the top left hand corner of the net for Solihull Moors to take the lead. Three minutes later Paul Taylor was in action again when he forced Matt Ghent to tip his shot from ten yards for a corner. The corner was cleared upfield to Darren Middleton on the left who set up Andy Ducros for a cross to Peter Faulds for him to side foot into the net for Moors second goal.

Within five minutes of the restart Paul Taylor was on the rampage resulting in Vauxhall Motors reducing their deficit. He beat the Solihull defence and laid a perfect ball for No 4 Field to side foot into the net. Right on the hour Matt Ghent was in action when a shot by Motors No. 8 Brannan was pushed round the post for a corner. The corner found the head of the No 5 McMahon with his effort cleared off the line and collected by Matt Ghent. Ten minutes later the hosts were level when Paul Taylor beat four players on the left and placed the ball out of reach of Matt Ghents left hand. In the 74th minute Jason Moore had the chance to put Moors ahead when a loose ball following a tackle on Peter Faulds, reached him and he blazed over from 15 yards. Nine minutes from the end Paul Taylor jinked his way through again only to see his effort come back off the post to be cleared for a corner. He made no mistake, however, from the corner when his shot from 16 yards whistled into the net for his second goal of the game and the winner for Motors.

Birmingham City 13/11/2007

Moors opponents, Birmingham City, fielded a strong side consisting of first teamers, Raidi Jaidi, Franck Quedrue, Gary McSheffrey and Neil Danns. Although the game was evenly contested in midfield, Moors found it hard to break down a formidable defence and up front the experienced pair of McSheffrey and Danns carved open the Solihull defence scoring 3 goals between them in the first half with the other coming from Asa Hall. Solihull Moors were pleased with the draw they obtained from the second half with no additional goals being scored.

Solihull started the game brightly earning a free kick in the seventh minute on the right which found the head of Jason Moore on the left corner of the six yard box with his effort going straight into the safe hands of young keeper Krysiak. Six minutes later Blues went one up when Neil Danns laid a superb pass into the path of Gary McSheffrey just inside the penalty area on the left with his shot perfectly placed out of reach of keeper Matt Ghent's left hand. Not to be out done, four minutes later, Tim Gould forced a superb save out of the Blues keeper, who had punched a cross out to him with his shot being tipped over the bar for a corner. Just on the half hour former Blues player, Carl Motteram, took a free kick on the right which again found the head of Jason Moore on the left corner of the box with his header easily caught by keeper Krysiak. A minute later Tim Gould latched on to a clearance by Krysiak and lashed in a fierce shot from 25 yards out along the floor with everyone anticipating a goal but somehow the 17 year old keeper managed to get his body behind it and carry off an excellent save. Nine minutes before half time a cross by Tim Gould found the head of Darren Middleton who headed just wide of the right hand post. The last eight minutes of the first half were a nightmare for Solihull as Blues turned on the power with 3 more goals before half time. McSheffrey put a shot wide in the 37th minute, however a minute later a cross from the right found the head of Neil Danns, who headed back across for Asa Hall to put it in with his knee from 2 yards out. With five minutes to go Neil Danns laid a ball across to McSheffrey 20 yards out who placed the ball in more or less the same spot as his earlier goal. Three minutes later Neil Danns made it four when he ghosted through the Solihull defence and slipped the ball out of reach of keeper Matt Ghent's left hand from near the penalty spot.

The second half wasn't a patch on the excitement of the first half with Stefan Milojevic going close seven minutes after the restart when he fired through a ruck of players from 25 yards just skimming the right hand post. Five minutes later Phil Midworth cleared a shot off the line from Blues forward Jordan Mutch. Twenty minutes from the end Moors replaced their keeper Matt Ghent to give Simon Lynn, recently joined from Rugby Town, his debut. Another debutant, Oliver Hartill, who had come off the bench in the 64th minute brought a magnificent save out of Blues keeper Krysiak from 20 yards out, which was turned round the right hand post for a corner six minutes from time. Three minutes from the end Neil Danns limped off with what looked like an ankle injury.

Hucknall Town 10/11/2007

A very evenly matched game which went from end to end during the first half with Hucknall probably taking the edge on possession. The first piece of goal action came in the 11th minute when Darren Middleton had a go from 25 yards out which the keeper caught at head height. Immediately the action turned to the other end with Matt Ghent tipping a 20 yard shot over the bar. During the next 20 minutes Matt Ghent was busy and punched away, at least five times under pressure, crosses which came into the box. On the half hour Darren Middleton hit a hard cross from the left which was cleared for a corner. Lee Collins was unlucky with his effort from the corner which went just wide of the right hand post. Again just before half time Darren Middleton tested the keeper from 30 yards out which the keeper took at head height. Right on half time Carl Motteram put in a cross from the left which Richard Follett headed just wide of the right hand post

Three minutes after the restart Solihull Moors went ahead when a cross from Darren Middleton was helped on by Richard Follett to Tim Gould whose shot bounced off the bar to Andy Ducros who headed home. Eight minutes later Hucknall were level when a cross from the right was headed in by centre forward Ben Saunders. In the 67th minute Hucknall went in front when a long ball by the Hucknall keeper found No 10 Danny Bacon who ran between two Solihull defenders and laid the ball into the path of No. 11 Eric Graves who side footed the ball home. Ten minutes from the end Moors scored the equalizer when Andy Ducros placed a lovely ball in front of Darren Middleton for him to put the ball in the net from 10 yards out.

Workington 03/11/2007

This was certainly a game of two halves. Workington were all over Solihull in the first half and Solihull had much the better of the second half. Within ten minutes of the start Workington had the ball in the net when poor defending on the left allowed a cross to reach Graham Anthony on the edge of the penalty area, whose shot went in off the left hand post. In the 27th minute Workington went further ahead when a corner on the left was headed home by centre forward Matt Berkeley from the edge of the six yard box.

Four minutes after the restart Andy Ducros put in a fierce shot from 25 yards which Workington keeper,Adam Collin, fielded low down. On the hour Tim Gould sent in a high ball which Jason Moore headed over the keeper only to see it come back of the bar straight into the keepers arms. Five minutes later Moors had pulled one back when Ducros sent over a cross which was headed back in by Gilbert Cummins to Lee Collins who headed home from 6 yards out. Fifteen minutes from the end the excitement heightened when a Dale Anderson cross found Tim Gould whose intial shot was blocked on the line, the ball falling back to him with his second effort hitting the bar and coming straight down on to the line to be cleard by a defender for a corner. The corner came to Dale Anderson whose shot hit the bar and was cleared by a defender. Four minutes into additional time Workington paid dearly for their earlier time wasting tactics when a free kick on the left found Gilbert Cummins in front of goal, who calmly put the ball in the net from eight yards out for the equalizer.

Rushden & Diamonds 27/10/2007

This game was dominated from start to finish by the full time hosts. As early as the eighth minute Matt Ghent was saving at full stretch. Two minutes later Lee Collins headed a cross over the bar for a corner and four minutes after that a Rushden forward hit the bar from the edge of the penalty area. This onslaught bought rewards for Rushden in the 17th minute when a cross from the right found Marcus Kelly who fired the ball home. Around the half hour Peter Faulds had two chances both of which went the wrong side of the woodwork. This was Moors best spell and in the 35th minute a Darren Middleton shot was blocked by a defender which cleared to Richard Follett who sent the ball back into the penalty area for Danny Davidson to chase who was just beaten to it by the keeper who dived forward to punch it away. Three minutes before half time Matt Ghent was brought into action again making two point blank saves with the ball eventually cleared by a defender. A minute later Rushden were two up when a searching cross from the right into the Solihull penalty area hit Lee Collins who was sliding in to try and clear but unfortunately it ended up in the back of the net for an own goal.

Rushden carried on as they had in the first half and brought an excellent save out of Matt Ghent in the 53rd minute. Right on the hour Rushden were three up when a cross from the left found, sponsors "Man of the Match", Andy Burgess who finished off by hitting the ball just inside the right hand post. Sixteen minutes from the end Phil Gulliver scored the fourth looking remarkably off side and straight after Lee Ayres was booked for protesting and got his marching orders for collecting two yellow cards. In the 80th minute Jason Moore almost scored when his close range shot was cleared off the line by a defender. The last ten minutes saw Solihull under the cosh, with Matt Ghent making two fantastic saves from the Rushden No 7 but in between Rushden added a fifth goal when substitute Michael Rankine cut in from the right and fired home from the edge of the penalty area.

Alfreton Town 23/10/2007

This game was dominated by the visitors. As early as the fifth minute Lee Collins was desperately heading over his own bar to stop a certain goal. The subsequent corner found Danny Davidson near the penalty spot, who inexplicably fired a tremendous shot which luckily Matt Ghent was able to tip over the top. In the 20th minute after a defensive mix up the Alfreton No 10 Peter Knox shot from the right about 10 yards out into the far corner of the net. Two minutes later from another corner a Solihull defender cleared off the line. The only time Moors threatened the Alfreton goal came in the 40th minute when a cross from the left by Darren Middleton was cleared to debutant Gilbert Cummins 25 yards out, with his shot being tipped round the post by the keeper at full stretch. Solihull's run of bad luck continued when Cummins didn't come out for the second half having gone to hospital with a suspected broken elbow, his place taken by Phil Midworth.

Four minutes after the restart Knox increased the lead for Alfreton when he cut in from the right unchallenged and placed the ball past Matt Ghent's right hand from 12 yards. On the hour Solihull's injury problems were exacerbated when Dave Morrison was carried off on a stretcher with a twisted knee, to be replaced by Dale Anderson. Eight minutes from the end Alfreton scored their third when a cross from the right found No 7 Josh Law 20 yards out in acres of space and his shot was perfectly placed in the top right hand corner of the net.

Boston United 20/10/2007

The first half was evenly contested for the first 25 minutes during which Jason Moore received a head wound that kept him off the field for about five minutes ultimately coming back on with his head bandaged. Despite this Jason managed to get the ball in the net after 36 minutes side footing the ball home from a Darren Middleton cross. In the meantime, however, Boston scored in the 25th & 27th minutes through Ellender and Thompson. Three minutes before half time Jason Moore was substituted by Dale Anderson, with blood pouring from his head to receive three stitches to the damage.

Ten minutes after the restart centre half Theo Streete was flattened by a late challenge from Boston forward Leabon, who led with his head. Streete was taken off with three loose teeth and a suspected broken jawbone and more blood on the pitch, Three minute later Leabon, who was lucky to have stayed on the pitch with only a booking, latched onto a wayward pass by Danny Davidson, ran 30 yards to the edge of the penalty area, was tackled by Lee Collins with the ball running free to Thompson, who put the ball away for his second goal of the game. The last ten minutes was eventful with both Darren Middleton and Joszef Jakab grazing the woodwork, but right on full time, Boston substitute Stevenson broke free half way into the Solihull half with Richard Follett trying to marshall him, but unfortunately he brought him down and as he was the last man, Follett got his marching orders.

Coventry City 16/10/2007

Coventry as would be expected were on top right from the start especially as they had eight first team players including four internationals in their side. Solihull repelled them very well until the 26th minute when Kevin Kyle broke on the right and crossed for Julian Gray to head just inside the left hand post. They continued much in the same vain until just before half time bringing two glorious saves out of Matt Ghent. In the last two minutes of the first half Darren Middleton had two good chances saved well by the Coventry keeper, Ireland.

The second half belonged to Moors and just before the hour Carl Motteram had a searching cross headed over the bar by De Zeeuw for a corner , which went straight to the keeper. In the 67th minute a move involving Darren Middleton and Dale Anderson reached Peter Faulds on the left, whose fierce shot from 15 yards grazed the corner of the upright and the bar. The equalizer came in the 76th minute when Darren Middleton on the left fed the ball to Carl Motteram, who moved it on to Dale Anderson on the edge of the penalty area for him to slide it under the keeper into the net. Four minutes later Solihull Moors went in front with another goal from Dale Anderson. A cross from Peter Faulds on the right was spilt by the Coventry keeper straight to Dale, who took it round him and side footed the ball into the net. During the last five minutes both Peter Faulds and Darren Middleton had chances to put Solihull further in front, but were thwarted by the goalkeeper..

Kettering Town 13/10/2007

Kettering started the livelier of the two sides and it was almost ten minutes before Solihull managed a foray into the Kettering half. As a result of resolute defending, neither goalkeeper was called into action until the 38th minute when the Kettering keeper was picking the ball out of the back of the net. Much against the run of play Darren Middleton broke down the left wing with his cross causing chaos in the Kettering defence, the ball eventually falling to Jason Moore, who poked it home from six yards out, being his 6th goal in four games.

Kettering kept up the pressure from the restart which paid off right on the hour, when a poor defensive header from a Moors player fell kindly for Kettering Captain No 6 Brett Solkhon, who rifled it home from the edge of the penalty area, just inside the right hand post. Five minutes later Dale Anderson came on for Jason Moore leaving Danny Davidson as the lone striker up front. This extra strength in midfield saw Solihull start to get on top resulting in them going ahead again in the 75th minute. A corner on the left by Darren Middleton found the head of Tim Gould on the edge of the six yard box, who powered the ball home. This was Tim's first goal for the Club since joining from Boldmere St Michaels in July. During the next five minutes both Dale Anderson and Tim Gould had chances to put Solihull further ahead when they tested the Kettering keeper, who had to go full stretch to keep their respective shots out. Four minutes from the end Kettering thought they had equalized when they got the ball in the net only to find that the linesman had his flag up for offside.

Leigh RMI 06/10/2007

Right from the start of the first half Solihull had the edge and during the first fifteen minutes Jason Moore had three good chances. On the half hour a Dave Morrison free kick on the right was fielded low down by the keeper with Peter Faulds sliding in and missing by inches. In the 41st minute Moors broke the deadlock when a Danny Davidson cross from the left came off a head to fall kindly for Jason Moore who scored with a diving header just inside the right hand post

Leigh came out for the second half determined to make amends and within five minutes they had equalized. A cross from the left was poorly defended and No 11 Heald had no difficulty in heading just inside the right hand post from six yards out. Leigh had tightened up their defence compared with the first half and Solihull couldn't find a way through until seven minutes from the end when Jason Moore sent a fierce header against the left hand post.

AFC Telford United 02/10/2007

The first half of this Setanta Shield first round game was dominated by Telford. As early as the first minute they hit the post and Matt Ghent was certainly the busier of the two keepers. Eventually in the 35th minute the pressure told and Telford went in front. A corner on the left wasn't cleared effectively with the ball bobbing from head to head in the penalty area, subsequently falling to Asa Charlton who headed just inside the right hand post. Three minutes before half time Lee Ayres was carried off on a stretcher with what appeared to be a neck spasm and taken to hospital as a precaution, but thankfully he was able to return to the ground before the end of the match.

Telford started the second half as they finished the first. In the first minute Matt Ghent pulled off a fine save sending the ball round the post for a corner. The corner came to Telford No 9 Luke Reynolds whose shot was tipped onto the bar by Matt and cleared by a defender. In the 53rd minute Telford went further ahead from a free kick on the left taken by No 10 Lee Moore which found the head of Asa Charlton for his second goal of the game. Three minutes later Solihull brought on Danny Davidson for Jozsef Jakab & Dale Anderson replaced Darren Middleton. This changed the game and Moors looked the better side, however it took a further quarter of an hour for Solihull to get on the score sheet. Danny Davidson received a long ball on the edge of the penalty area, turned and saw Jason Moore free on his left and slid the ball just in front of Jason who ran on and sidefooted the ball past the keeper from 10 yards out. Ten minutes later Solihull were level when a long ball from Matt Ghent came to Danny Davidson, who laid the ball off to Jason Moore, who returned it perfectly for Danny to put the ball in the net from near the penalty spot. A minute later Solihull could have taken the lead when Jason Moore running in from the left shot from a tight angle hitting the bar with the ball falling to Theo Streete whose shot was cleared off the line by a defender.

Extra time was then order of the day and Solihull again were unlucky not to go ahead. Theo Streete picked up a loose ball just on the edge of the Telford centre circle ran fully 40 yards and fired a rasping shot which the keeper at full stretch just managed to turn for a corner. Another chance went begging from the corner, Dave Morrison got his head behind it and again the keeper saved with one hand when it looked destined for the net and a defender got it away. Just before the halfway stage of extra time Telford scored the vital goal to seal the game. A long ball from the left found right back and Telford's man of the match Elliot Durrell with acres of space and as he advanced into the penalty area he shot across Matt Ghent from 12 yards just inside the left hand post. Four minutes from the end came the final blow for Solihull when Tim Gould received a second yellow card and was sent off.

Soham Town Rangers 29/9/2007

Soham of the Eastern Counties League Premier Division have had a good start to the season having won six of eight league games, drawn one and lost one with their latest being a 9-0 win at home last Tuesday against Wisbech. Solihull Moors therefore went into this game under no illusions that it would be tough. The first half proved this where it was an evenly matched encounter, but the second half was all one way as Soham tired and Solihull took over resulting in a hat trick for Jason Moore. Phil Midworth was included at right back being his first start of the current campaign having been injured during pre-season.

The first half saw the teams sizing each other up with a couple of opportunities on goal for either side which did not cause any problem for the respective keepers. At the half time stage with no score it was hard to imagine that there were 3 levels difference between the sides, however the second half was a different story.

Solihull started like an express train with Carl Mottram rattling the cross bar after 3 minutes followed by a solo goal by Jason Moore a minute later. Jason picked the ball up on the left wing, ran 20 yards into the penalty area, taking it to the corner of the 6 yard box, shooting across the keeper into the far corner of the net.

Although Soham carried on applying pressure, their attacks kept breaking down around the edge of the Solihull penalty area, however in the 65th minute, Solihull went further ahead when Danny Davidson crossed from the right to Darren Middleton who laid the ball off to Jason Moore near the penalty spot with plenty of time available to put the ball in the net well out of the goalkeeper's reach.

Four minutes later an almost identical move involving the same three players resulted in Jason Moore achieving his hat trick. This time Darren Middleton provided the cross for Danny Davidson to flick on to Jason 10 yards out who side footed the ball home.

Soham's most dangerous player No 7, Charlie Libam, almost pulled one back 12 minutes from the end when he ran into the penalty area on the left with his shot going just wide of the right hand post. During the last 5 minutes, Leigh Downing and Dale Anderson had shots saved by the keeper, but in the dying seconds Jason Moore perfectly placed for his fourth goal headed straight into the keeper's arms.

Blyth Spartans 22/9/2007

A lacklustre game which was always going to be decided by a glaring error by either side. A lapse of concentration by one of the midfield on the edge of his own centre circle gifted the ball to Blyth and a through pass found No 8 Chris McCabe who timed his run perfectly between two defenders to race 40 yards and slide the ball past the advancing Matt Ghent's left hand and just inside the post to take the points.

Solihull Moors started on the back foot for the first few minutes with debutant Nicky Eaden called into action early on in the right back position. Both sides had opportunities during the first half but the shooting was wayward and many chances went the wrong side of the woodwork. In the 24th minute Junior English playing his first game for some time turned his ankle and was replaced by Adam Fry.

The second half saw Solihull start as the livelier of the two sides with Danny Davidson bundling the keeper into the back of the net from a corner 5 minutes after the restart. In the 58th minute a move between Carl Mottram and Peter Faulds on the right resulted in the latter firing a low ball across the 6 yard box with 2 Moors players sliding in and missing the ball by inches. A minute later Danny Davidson crossed the ball from the left and Jozsef Jakab's header went straight to the keeper. Jozsef was replaced by Dale Anderson, who was returning after injury, with 25 minutes to go and made an immediate impact on the game. Danny Davidson had a shot which was turned round the left hand post by the keeper with the resulting corner falling to Dale who tried an overhead kick which beat the keeper and was headed off the line by a defender. A few minutes later a cross by Danny Davidson from the left reached Dale near the penalty spot and his shot was saved at full stretch by the keeper. In the 78th minute against the run of play Blyth took advantage of a mistake by a Solihull player to score the only goal of the game. Moors had a chance to equalize in the dying seconds when a free kick by Adam Fry was tipped round the post by the keeper.

Worcester City 17/9/2007

An entertaining evenly matched game with wayward shooting from both sides and both goalkeepers only troubled on a couple of occasions. During the first twenty minutes, Lee Ayres sent a freekick over the bar, Leigh Downing did the same and Carl Mottram fired just wide of the right hand post. In the 22nd minute a ball from Peter Faulds found Danny Davidson who laid the ball off to Carl Mottram whose shot was parried by the keeper and cleared. Ten minutes before half time Adam Fry took a corner on the left which was headed just wide of the right hand post by Tim Gould. Right on half time Carl Mottram cut in from the left and his shot went just wide of the right hand post.

The first few minutes of the second half saw Worcester try to continuously break down the Moors defence, which withheld this onslaught until on the hour when Lee Ayres took a quick freekick on the right finding Carl Mottram on the left hand edge of the penalty area whose shot just grazed the bar, Fifteen minutes later a cross from the right was cleard to Tim Gould on the edge of the penalty area whose fierce shot was fielded low down by the Worcester keeper. A few minutes from the end Chris Duggan tackled one of the Worcester players near to the corner flag and as he put his hand down to steady himself he fractured his wrist and had to be taken from the field on a stretcher, He was taken immediately to the local hospital and we hope the damage is not too serious. We wish him well, a speedy recovery and back in the side in the not too distant future.

Southport 15/9/2007

Southport dominated the first half of this game, however Solihull Moors came into their own in the second half and almost forced a draw. Southport, one of three full time teams at our level, struck early in the match with a training ground style goal. No 11 Neil Prince took a short corner on the left and at the same time No 9 Tony Gray ran out of the ruck of waiting players to the edge of the penalty area, laid the ball back to Prince, whose cross found the head of the tall No 5 Kevin Lee, who powered the ball home. During the first half hour Jason Moore and Richard Follett had chances which just missed the target, but although Southport had midfield advantage, they didn't test Matt Ghent again until the 34th minute, A throw in on the right found its way into the Moors penalty area and a number of attempted clearances ended with the Southport No 10 Michael Powell receiving the ball 10 yards out and firing the ball into the net. Right on half time the lead was reduced when Danny Davidson took a ball from Jason Moore to surge into the penalty area on the right shooting hard at the keeper who couldn't hold the ball with the rebound falling back to Danny, who went round the keeper and scored from an acute angle.

Within a minute of the restart Carl Mottram cut in from the left and fired just wide of the right hand post from 20 yards out. Twenty minutes later Dave Morrison fired just over the bar from just outside the penalty area, however within one minute Southport increased their lead. A freekick on the left was beautifully flighted straight onto the head of No 5 Kevin Lee, who had run 10 yards to get it, beating Matt Ghent to the ball by a fraction. During the next 20 minutes Lee Ayres, Chris Duggan and Tim Gould had long range efforts close to the woodwork, however this pressure paid off when Leigh Downing rifled a shot past keeper Richard Whiteside from 20 yards out following a corner on the right in the 89th minute.