Match Preview: Southend vs Moors

Solihull Moors are delighted to announce the appointment of Harry O'Neill as the Club's new Women's First Team Manager. Harry joins the Moors with a wealth of coaching experience, having previously held roles with both Stourbridge FC and Kidderminster Harriers. During his time at both clubs, Harry was part of title-winning seasons at Tier 5 – the level at which Solihull Moors Women will compete this season – bringing valuable experience and a proven track record of success to the role. The appointment marks another positive step in the continued development of Solihull Moors Women, with Harry set to lead the side into an exciting new chapter both on and off the pitch. Speaking following his appointment, Harry said: "I'm absolutely delighted to have signed for Moors for the upcoming season. I was flattered after having a few teams come to me with discussions. But as soon as the Club and I began speaking, there was only one place I was going to go. This will be my seventh season in women's football. I have been involved with successful teams starting from Tier 6 all the way through to Tier 3 of the women's pyramid, both in first-team and pathway development roles. Now, I can't wait to put my experiences and ideas into practice with my own new project.  Come on, you Moors!" Everyone at Solihull Moors would like to warmly welcome Harry to the Club and wish him every success in his new role.

Solihull Moors’ preparations for the upcoming 2026/27 Enterprise National League season continue to take shape, with Chris Millington’s team travelling to Lye Meadow to face Alvechurch, who currently play their football in the very competitive Pitching In Southern Football League Central, where they finished in 14th place with a total of 50 points. In their first game of pre-season, they took on Bedworth United away from home. They were able to emerge as comfortable 4 – 1 winners thanks to the goals of Nick Clayton-Phillips, Miracle Okafor and Ben Stephens, as well as a trialist. Alvechurch started out as Alvechurch Juniors all the way back in 1913, playing their football on Crown Meadow whilst also using the Red Lion Inn as headquarters for the club. Once the 1920s had arrived, they were known as the Alvechurch Swifts, though they would soon have to dissolve by 1926 due to the general strike and the depression at that time, even after lifting the Redditch Cup and Redditch Shield a couple of years previously in 1924. However, it did not take long for football to return to Alvechurch, with the Alvechurch Juniors team making their return in 1929 under the same name, though they too would have to be disbanded, this time as a result of the outbreak of World War Two in 1939. It wasn’t until several years after the war had ended that the club reformed, with a new strong committee forming in 1948, led by Chairman Major Border, with Frank Bullock serving as secretary and groundsman, whilst George Louch was the treasurer and Harold Norton was club president. Alvechurch Football Club was able to acquire its current home, Lye Meadow, in 1957, with fundraising enabling a £1,000 purchase of the land from Philip Palmer, who had now sold the field adjoining his house on Redditch Road. Back in 1955, Alvechurch had been named in the ‘top ten in the Midlands’ by the Birmingham Sports Argus. The years that followed the club’s move to Lye Meadow brought with it great success for the club. In 1960/61, they had finished as runners-up in the West Midlands Alliance League under the stewardship of then-manager Rhys Davies, and the following year saw them claim their first league title by winning the Worcestershire Football Combination League (Now Midland). They would go on to win the title four times and be runners-up on a further five occasions, whilst also being able to lift the League Challenge Cup five times and reach the final a further two times during what was a tremendous period of success for the football club. In the 1964/65 season, they made it all the way to the Quarter Finals of the FA Amateur Cup, being the first side from Worcestershire to do so, only losing 3 – 1 at home to Enfield to end their dream cup run that year. Fast forward to the 1971/72 season, Alvechurch Football Club were able to reach the First Round Proper of the FA Cup, an outstanding achievement for a non-league club. It did follow a record breaking 6 match marathon against Oxford City which made its way into the famous Guinness Book of World Records. In the first round of the FA Cup, they would lose 4 – 2 to Aldershot. 1972/73 saw the club become the first amateur side to win the Birmingham Senior Cup in its history, before retaining it the following year. The 1973/74 campaign stands out as the most successful in the club’s history to date. After they had successfully joined the West Midlands Regional League, they won the Premier Division Championship, the League Challenge Cup, the Birmingham Senior Amateur Cup, as well as the Worcestershire Senior Cup. It was an incredible season for the club, and during this campaign they were also able to make it all the way to the Third Round Proper of the FA Cup, only losing 4 – 2 to Bradford City. They did defeat Exeter City at the Grecians’ St James’ Park home in the first round proper. The 1974/75 season saw them complete the West Midlands League and Cup double, before then going on to win the hat trick of league championships whilst also lifting the Border Counties Floodlit League title in 1975/76. Upon entry into the Southern League in 1978/79, they finished as high as third place. The start of the 1980s saw them win the Midland Division and the Championship of the Southern League after getting the better of Dartford over two legs. Alan Smith also represented the non-league England team before joining Leicester City. Then, in the 1982/83 season, Alvechurch gained promotion to the Southern Premier League whilst also beating Waterlooville 7 – 2 on aggregate to win the Southern League Cup. They then got their highest finish in the Southern Premier League to date, ending up in 4th place by the time the 1985/86 season concluded. There was then a rapid decline in the years that followed. Following the demise of Phillip Palmer and Alan Wiseman, the president at the time, the club were relegated to the Midland Division of the Southern League, though one event that did help the club at the time was Andy Comyn’s sale to Aston Villa for what was a club-record fee of £30,000. Unfortunately, at the end of the 1991/92 season, they were relegated again, this time to the WMRL Premier Division, and by November 1993, the club was forced to close its doors. It did not take long for the club to make its return, doing so under the name of Alvechurch Villa a year later in 1994. By 1996, the club had reverted to being known as Alvechurch FC. Fast forward to the 2002/03 campaign, which was to be their best for at least two decades. They won both the Midland Combination Premier League and the Challenge Cup, with them last doing this all the way back in the 1971/72 season. Promotion was gained to the Midland Football Alliance. The 2003/04 and 2004/05 seasons saw the club win and retain the Worcestershire Senior Urn, and then in the 2006/07 campaign, they won the Worcester Infirmary Cup for the first time, retaining it the following season in 2007/08. 2009/10 saw them finish 7th in the Midland Football Alliance, their best finish since their return just over a decade earlier. The years that followed saw the Midland Football Alliance and Midland Combinations League combine to form the Midland Football League, spending the years that followed in those divisions, before spending the most recent seasons in the Pitching In Southern Football League Central. In the opposition dugout – Kyle Storer Kyle Storer is the current Manager of Alvechurch FC, having been appointed by the Midlands club back in December 2025, having been in an interim role before that. He picked Mark Yates, the former Blackburn Rovers Goalkeeper, as his assistant manager. He managed to lead them to a 14th-place finish last term after being able to accumulate a total of 50 points from their 42 games in 2025/26. Before his current career in management, Storer had a 22 year playing career. He represented the likes of Bedworth United (2003 - 2004), Tamworth (2004 - 2007), Hinckley United (2005 loan; 2007 - 2008), Atherstone Town (2008), Nuneaton Town/Borough (2008 – 2011; 2023 - 2024), Kidderminster Harriers (2011 - 2015), Wrexham (2015), Cheltenham Town (2015 - 2018), Solihull Moors (2018 - 2023), AFC Telford United (2024 - 2025), Kettering Town (2025), and finally Alvechurch themselves (2025). Key Player – Callum Sullivan To the delight of all associated with Alvechurch Football Club, it was announced back in April 2026 that Callum Sullivan had committed to the club for a third season in succession. Last term, he was one of the standout players, which saw him win two accolades – he was named not only as the Supporters’ Player of the Season but also as the Players’ Player of the Season. The former Birmingham City player had been with the Blues’ youth academy before leaving to join Alvechurch on a free transfer back in June 2024 at the age of 19. Since then, the midfielder has become one of the club’s key players, and he will be hoping to lead his side to success over the course of the upcoming 2026/27 season.  Opposition preview written by Adam Holt

Subscribe to our ECAL calendar to stay up to date Ahead of the 2026-27 Fixture Release Day this Friday, Solihull Moors and the National League have launched a new way to keep every fixture at your fingertips. From today, supporters can sync the full fixture list for The Moors straight to their phone's calendar, and whenever a match date changes, it updates itself automatically. No more missed kick-offs, no more checking back for rearrangements. Set it once, and your calendar keeps itself up to date for the whole season. How it works It takes about ten seconds: Tap the button to open the Solihull ECAL. Choose your calendar – Apple, Google or Outlook – and confirm the sync. That's it. All of our fixtures will sync to your calendar, with reminders before kick-off. Whenever a game is rearranged, your calendar updates on its own. You'll always have the right date, the right time, and a reminder when it matters. Sync once, and you're set for the season. We'll see you there!

The first pre season game against Knowle FC ended in defeat for The Moors, after the United Counties League (UCL) Premier Division South side scored late in the first half. This evenings clash was the second pre season fixture for Knowle after they defeated Boldmere St Michaels 4-0 earlier this week. Moors started the game sprightly and after 13 minutes Moors winger Junior Tiensia had a powerful top corner effort superbly saved by the Knowle goalkeeper, Matt Horton to keep the score at 0-0. Five minutes before half time, Knowle FC took the lead with a superb right footed effort from Hayden Purves, which sailed into the left hand side of Nathaniel Ford's goal. At halftime Chris Millington changed the whole Moors eleven to try and change the game and to also give some much needed game time to the rest of the squad. Midway through the second half, Millington’s side kept applying the pressure and a very good effort from 20 yards out just whistled past the left hand side of Knowle's goal. After the game I caught up with Moors manager, Chris Millington for his thoughts on the first pre season game: Challenging, I think is probably a fair thing to say. There were lots of really positive performances. Lads who we've brought into the club to improve us in specific ways showed glimpses of what kind of quality we can expect from them. No one wants to get beat, and it's rubbish losing a game, but I think under the circumstances, we've got to look at the individual performances and where players are at, fitness-wise. Taking nothing away from Knowle, I think they approached it in a really good way, and credit to them for the performance and the win. But from our point of view, there's positives to take out of it, and we're particularly pleased with quite a lot of individual performances. Next up for The Moors is a trip to Alvechurch FC on Saturday, July 11th kicking off at 15:00 before the Arthur George Cup game against Birmingham City on Wednesday, July 15th at 19:45 at Damson Park.  Match Report by Bryan Connolly

Solihull Moors are delighted to announce the signing of Rio Shipston, who joins Chris Millington's squad ahead of the 2026/27 National League campaign, subject to league and FA approval. The talented midfielder arrives at Damson Park after progressing through Sheffield Wednesday's academy, where he developed into one of the Club's brightest young prospects and gained valuable experience around the first-team environment. Comfortable in possession and capable of dictating play from midfield, Shipston now joins the Moors, looking to continue his development as Chris Millington adds further quality to his squad ahead of the new season. Speaking after completing the move, Chris Millington said: "Rio is another player with exceptional potential. He has the technical ability to help teams control possession and he isn't afraid to take a risk in breaking lines. I am looking forward to working with him and seeing him develop in a Moors shirt" Everyone at Solihull Moors would like to welcome Rio to the Club and wishes him every success in Moors colours.

Solihull Moors are delighted to announce the signing of goalkeeper Nathaniel Ford, who joins Chris Millington's squad ahead of the 2026/27 National League campaign, subject to league & FA approval. Ford arrives at Damson Park following his departure from FC Halifax Town this summer, having previously come through the academy at League One side Rotherham United. The young goalkeeper progressed through the ranks at Rotherham from a young age before signing his first professional contract in 2023. During his time with the Millers, Ford was part of the Under-18 side that reached the Youth Alliance Cup Final and regularly trained alongside the Club's first team, earning praise for his performances both in training and youth fixtures. Following a successful trial with Halifax Town last summer, Ford joined the Shaymen before becoming the latest addition to Chris Millington's squad as preparations continue for the new season. Speaking on the move, Chris Millington said: “ Having worked with Nat previously, I know what a talented young keeper he is. His impeccable attitude, commitment in training and potential to become a number one are just three of the reasons I wanted to bring him to Moors.” Everyone at Solihull Moors would like to welcome Nathaniel to the Club and wishes him every success in Moors colours.

Solihull Moors are delighted to welcome Jevon Mills back to the Club ahead of the 2026/27 National League season, subject to league & FA approval. Mills returns to Damson Park after previously enjoying a loan spell with the Moors during the second half of the 2022/23 campaign. A product of Hull City's academy, Mills joined the Tigers at Under-13 level before progressing through the youth system and signing his first professional contract in October 2021. The defender made his senior debut for Hull City later that year in the Championship, before gaining valuable experience across the National League. Following his departure from FC Halifax Town this summer, Mills now returns to Solihull as Chris Millington continues to strengthen his squad ahead of the new campaign. Speaking after completing the move, Chris Millington said: “Jevon has been on our radar since his first spell at Moors. At 22 years of age we believe he has all the tools to develop into a fantastic centre back. He has a lot of good attributes and he will flourish in the environment here at Moors.” Everyone at Solihull Moors would like to welcome Jevon back to the Club and wishes him every success in Moors colours.

The Enterprise National League fixtures will be released on Friday, July 10 for the 2026-27 campaign, with the opening round of fixtures taking place on Saturday, August 8 and the final day of the season being held on Saturday, April 24. The other key dates for any National League supporter's diary is the promotions weekend that will be held at Wembley Stadium over Saturday, May 8 and Sunday, May 9. Alternatively, if you cannot attend either the fixtures at Damson Park or any of the away fixtures, the streaming platform DAZN will be once again be exclusively showing the matches with the platform showing 400+ live games this season with each team being streamed at least 30 times throughout the season. This is a subscription service with different pricing structures. We will bring you the full season fixtures as soon as they are announced on Friday morning. Written by Bryan Connolly

Solihull Moors can confirm that, should England progress to the World Cup semi-finals, kick-off for this year's Arthur Cup against Birmingham City will be brought forward to 6:00pm. The decision has been made to avoid a clash with England's potential 8:00pm kick-off, allowing supporters to enjoy both fixtures. Following the Arthur Cup, supporters will be invited to remain at Damson Park to watch the England match live on our big screens, with our bars and facilities remaining open throughout the evening. If England do not qualify for the semi-finals, the Arthur Cup will kick off as originally scheduled at 7:45pm. Further updates will be communicated across the Club's official channels should the kick-off time change. We look forward to welcoming supporters to Damson Park for another special Arthur Cup as we come together to honour Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and raise vital funds for the NSPCC and Solihull Moors Foundation.