Match Report: Scunthorpe United vs Solihull Moors

Chris Millington’s Solihull Moors team will welcome an AFC Fylde side led by current boss Craig Mahon to Damson Park on Bank Holiday Monday. The Moors will be looking to collect all three points as they look to climb the Enterprise National League table. The most recent game for The Coasters saw them take on Woking away from home at The Laithwaite Community Stadium, where they were narrowly defeated 3 – 2. Danny Ormerod opened the scoring for Fylde before an equaliser arrived through Matt Ward for the hosts. Harvey Broad then scored the goal to give the visitors the lead once more before strikes from Roy Syla and Taylan Harris, the latter being the winner, gave Woking the win and all three points. AFC Fylde are a club with a history that stretches back to when they were founded back in 1988 when there was a merger between Kirkham Town FC and Wesham FC. The new club took the name ok Kirkham & Wesham, adopting the name of a club that had previously existed whilst playing in the West Lancashire League ahead of the start of the First World War in 1914. They played their first season of competitive football in the West Lancashire League back in the 1988/89 season, taking the place of the extinct Kirkham Town in Division One. They finished bottom of the league in the following season, suffering relegation down to Division Two as a result. It would then take them as many as three seasons to secure their return to Division One, finally securing their long-awaited promotion by the conclusion of the 1992/93 season. However, their stay in that league did not last long, with them going on to suffer relegation once again in the following campaign. It was a rollercoaster few years for the club, and this wild ride was to continue for them the following year, which was when they were going to go on and get promotion to Division One once more. Fast forward to the beginning of the 21 st century, they would go on to avoid defeat in any competition for more than a year, 21 months to be exact, between January 2003 and October 2004. This stunning run of form only ended in what was a very narrow defeat against Dalton United in the league, which only ended in a 1 – 0 loss. They then, in April 2006, completed an incredible hat-trick of victories in the Final of the Lancashire Amateur Shield, beating Charnock Richard, also of the West Lancashire League, 2 – 0 to win this trophy for a third time in a row. They also won the Northern Counties Cup in three successive seasons, in the 2004/05, 2005/06, and 2006/07 campaigns. The club then joined the North West Counties League ahead of the 2007/08 season, winning their first home match of the season on 11 th August 2007 5 – 0 against Darwen in front of a crowd of 105 people. Then, on 24 th April 2008, they won the Division Two knockout trophy following what was a 1 – 0 victory against Bootle before then going on to secure an automatic promotion place, one of the two available, following what was an emphatic 3 – 1 victory over Castleton Cables. Kirkham & Wisham then won the FA Vase trophy at the iconic ground of Wembley, beating Lowestoft Town narrowly 2 – 1 in front of a crowd of 19,537. They were then promoted to the Premier Division at the end of that 2007/08 campaign. It was then back in the 2008/09 season that the club changed their name from Kirkham & Wisham to how they are known as of today, AFC Fylde. We now fast forward to the 2013/14 season, which was very successful for The Coasters. They were able to go on to lift not only the Lancashire FA Challenge Trophy, but they were also able to secure victory in the finals of the Northern Premier Division as well as the play-off final, which saw them secure promotion to the Conference North. AFC Fylde had an incredible maiden season in the Conference North, with them finishing as high as 2 nd place in the league after they had managed to secure a total of 85 points overall in the end. They got to the semi-finals of the playoffs, only losing to Guiseley. Their top scorer that season was the prolific Danny Rowe, who scored as many as 31 goals for The Coasters in the end. It was the 2016/17 season when they would move to what is their current home, Mill Farm, whilst also establishing a Women’s team as well. Throughout that season, they were able to score as many as 109 goals, whilst also accumulating as many as 88 points to secure the National League North title, securing them promotion to the fifth tier, the National League, with the aforementioned Danny Rowe scoring as many as 47 goals – a club record that still stands today. In the 2017/18 season, they reached the second round proper of the FA Cup, only losing 3 – 2 in a replay against Wigan Athletic. As for their league campaign, they were able to get a 7 th place finish, which was their highest ever league finish. In what were expanded playoffs, they lost 2 – 1 to Boreham Wood in the qualifying round. They then finished in 5 th the following season, another club record league finish for the club, only losing 3 – 0 in the playoff final after beating Harrogate Town 3 – 1 and Solihull Moors 1 – 0 along the way. Fylde became the first team to ever win both the FA Trophy and the FA Vase when they were able to beat Leyton Orient 1 – 0 thanks to a free-kick goal from striker Danny Rowe at Wembley. They were unfortunately relegated from the National League on a points-per-game basis following the pandemic in the curtailed 2019/20 season. It took them until the 2022/23 season to secure their return to the top division of non-league football, the National League, as Champions. They would go on to avoid an immediate return to the sixth tier after finishing in 18 th place in the end under Chris Beech. Then in 2024/25, the club were again relegated to the National League North. They were then able to get promoted back to the Enterprise National League last season (2025/26) under new and current, Head Coach Craig Mahon. They won the title with as many as 100 points, doing so in the 46 games that they played that season. They finished 5 points ahead of second-place South Shields. AFC Fylde will be looking ahead to the rest of the 2026/27 season, where they will hope that the momentum that they gained from promotion will mean that they can keep their place in the Enterprise National League come the end of the season. In the opposition dugout – Craig Mahon AFC Fylde’s current boss, Head Coach Craig Mahon, was appointed back on 13 th June 2025 ahead of the beginning of the 2025/26 season, leaving recently relegated National League North club, Curzon Ashton. He led them to the National League North title, and he hopes to keep them in the fifth tier this season. Mahon also had a playing career lasting for 17 years from 2008 to 2009, playing for the likes of Wigan Athletic (2008 - 2009), Accrington Stanley (Loan, 2008), Salford City (2009 - 2010), Burscough (2010), Vauxhall Motors (2010 - 2013), Chester (2013 - 2020), AFC Fylde (Loan, 2013), Ashton United (Loan, 2019 - 2020), Altrincham (2020), and finally the aforementioned Curzon Ashton from 2020 to 2025, serving the club for five years as a player. Key Player – Danny Mayor The experienced Danny Mayor is one of the standout players of AFC Fylde’s squad, having scored 5 goals in 12 appearances since he joined them back in August 2025. His playing career began back in 2016, and he has been with the likes of Liverpool (2016 - 2019), Yeovil Town (Loan, 2018), Crewe Alexandra (Loan, 2018 - 2019), Phoenix Rising (2019 - 2021), FC Tucson (Loan, 2019), Wigan Athletic (2021), and Carlisle United (2021 – 2024), before joining AFC Fylde last year.

The 2026/27 campaign has been a challenging start for Chris Millington’s side thus far, with the club still awaiting their first points of the season – but could things change on Friday as we travel to Scunthorpe United? The Moors have suffered defeats to Harrogate Town, Boston United, Middlesbrough’s U21s and Southend United thus far – though the team performance last weekend left a lot of positives for Millington and his team to take away. On the horizon for Bank Holiday weekend is a trip to Scunthorpe United, a place which has been a positive hunting ground for Solihull Moors teams in years gone by. Ahead of Friday evening’s kick-off, here is everything you need to know… —— An overview of Scunthorpe United: Scunthorpe United (like Solihull) have also experienced a somewhat busy summer – though in their case, they have lost two key playmakers in Cal Roberts & Oli Ewing. Andy Butler’s team have responded with several impressive additions but aside from their victory over Stoke City’s U21s in the National League Cup, they are also yet to win a match in the fifth tier so far this season. They began the season with Luke Brennan scoring an impressive curling effort to rescue a point against Yeovil Town, before slipping to defeat against Southend United and most recently Eastleigh. On home soil, Scunthorpe have only lost once since March, representing a challenging encounter for Chris Millington’s side on Friday night. —— Head-to-head: As mentioned, Solihull Moors have a good record against Scunthorpe United across all competitions. In their six most recent encounters, Solihull won five in a row, before Isaac Moore’s 95 th minute equaliser rescued a point away to Scunthorpe last season. The game promises goals, with their being 27 goals in the last six games between the two teams – including a memorable 4-3 win in August 2022. —— Tickets: Tickets for Friday’s clash against Scunthorpe are available now via the hosts website. The prices are as follows; Adults (22-64): £22.00 Concessions (65+): £17.00 Young Adult (18-21): £17.00 Kids (13-17) £11.00 Under 12s: £0.00 Reminder that children U14 need to be accompanied by an adult as per National League stadium regulations. —— Getting to the Stadium: Glanford Park is located just off the A1077 and is located ten minutes (driving) outside of the town centre. The closest train station to the stadium is Scunthorpe itself, which is located 2.9 miles away – ten minutes in a car or a 46 minute walk. The postcode for the stadium is DN15 8TD and kick off is 7:45pm. —— In the dugout – Andy Butler: The man in the hot seat for Scunthorpe United this Friday is Andy Butler, who has been in charge since May 2024 and is one of the longest serving managers in the National League. His role at the Iron remains his first permanent managerial role, though he has had a caretaker stint with Doncaster Rovers as well as manage Scunthorpe’s youth team prior to taking the job. He oversaw the clubs promotion back to the National League and has taken control of well over 100 matches thus far, averaging a points per game rate of 1.81. —— We hope to see as many of you as possible at Damson Park ahead of Friday’s clash with Scunthorpe United. COYM 🟡🔵

TICKETS Season Tickets Season tickets are valid for this fixture. All tickets can be purchased here . Opening times and turnstile access The car park will open at 10:00am - please note that the car park is sold out for Saturday's match. The box office for ticket collection will be open from 10:30am The turnstiles will be open from 10:30am for home and away supporters to gain entry into the stadium. When you purchase a match ticket, you must sit or stand in the area where you bought your ticket. The Main Bar and the Trevor Stevens Bar will be open at 10:30am. Hospitality/Executive Boxes Hospitality doors for this fixture will open at 10:30am. Junior Tickets 14-year-olds and under must be accompanied by a full-paying adult on the day of the match; otherwise, U14 ticket holders may be refused entry to the venue: to turn up to the match without a full-paying adult is a safeguarding issue. SAFEGUARDING RE ADMISSION: Note for reference, those supporters aged 14 and under MUST be accompanied by an adult to enter the ground, i.e. individual must be 14 or over. To find out more about the admission & Young Supporters Membership: https://www.solihullmoorsfc.co.uk/solihull-moors-reduces-matchday-ticket-prices-for-young-supporters REFRESHMENTS Supporters can purchase alcohol and refreshments from the Main Bar, the Trevor Stevens Suite and Forest Bar (away fans only) There will be food available at: Bad Boy Wings Hot Food Bar in the old reception Terry's Burger Van GETTING HERE PARKING The Car Park is open from 10:00am Please do not park on the Damson Parkway dual carriageway – this is a red route and parking here is strictly prohibited. Supporters will receive tickets for parking illegally, so we stress the importance of utilising the NCP Car Park and planning your journey well in advance. If fans forget to pay before leaving, they will still be able to pay via Post Pay within 24 hours of exiting the car park however this will charge them the original tariff. Failure to pay will result in a Parking Charge. To learn more, including tariffs and PostPay, please visit: https://www.birminghamairport.co.uk/parking/freeport-car-park . Any Fans using the Car park can use the code ‘MOORS26’ to receive the discounted Rate of £6 for up to 5 hours. This Code will need to be used on the Pay Machine near the exit of the Car Park. Any supporters' coaches must drop fans off at the NCP parking point, as the Damson Parkway dual carriageway is a red route. It is at the coach driver’s discretion to drop supporters off on the red route; supporters must then walk from the NCP Car Park to the stadium. Travel by Bus The X12 bus runs to the ground every 15/20 minutes from Solihull Town Centre, the NCP and Birmingham International. In night matches, this increases to every 30 minutes. Click here to view the X12 bus route, stops and full timetable . Travel by Train Solihull Railway Station is served by trains from Birmingham Moor Street and London Marylebone. The ground is situated two and a half miles away from the station in a roughly north-easterly direction. Birmingham International Station is roughly one and a half miles from the ground and is on the Euston to Birmingham New Street line. Programme The programme can be downloaded here . Kick It Out You can report an incident of discrimination via the Kick It Out App, which can be used on iPhone and Android devices. Phone – 0800 169 9414 Twitter - @kickitout , or by contacting the organisation’s Reporting Officers on @kickitoutreport. Solihull Moors Supporters Association Click here to find out more about the Solihull Moors Supporters Association.

JOB TITLE Food and Beverage Supervisor REPORTING TO Operations Manager/Director FULL / PART TIME Part time (12 hours) plus Match days and Events SALARY Competative Responsibilities · Supervise and support casual bar staff during shifts. · Provide guidance, support and training to new and existing staff · Deal with any staff issues, professionally and accordingly in line with company policies · Prepare and manage staff rota’s for regular shifts and any events and match days · Ensure there is appropriate staffing levels in place for Match days/ events. · Arrange suitable cover for any staff sickness. · Oversee the bar and food operation during match days and events. · Ensure the bar is fully prepared before customers arrive. · Cordinate staff throughout a match day or event to maintain efficiency. · Ensure the bar and building are properly closed down and left clean and secure after each any shift, match or event. · Assist with deliveires and stock rotation when required. · Help minimise waste, stock loss and breakages. · If hours required per week are not fulfilled (i.e no games or events that week), then ensure that 2 bar shifts are completed as minimum.

Introduction Solihull travel to Scunthorpe on Friday night, with Chris Millington’s side still searching for their first points of the National League season. The experts at Andy’s Bet Club will be previewing all our games for the 2026/27 season. Their site is packed with free football tips that are updated daily with expert insight. Match Preview The Moors fell to a 3-1 defeat to Southend last Friday in a game where they were unfortunate not to take any points from the match. Jacob Wakeling opened the scoring for Solihull in the 14th minute, before Southend scored twice before halftime via Oliver Coker and Joshia Popoola to turn the game around. Charley Kendall then made it 3-1 in injury time. Scunthorpe, too, are coming off the back of a defeat as they were edged out 3-2 by Eastleigh at the Silverlake Stadium. Alfie Beestin and James Gale were both on the scoresheet for Andy Butler’s side, but it wasn’t enough as Josh Lundstram’s 73rd-minute strike brought home the three points. That result leaves Solihull second-bottom (23rd), with Scunthorpe sitting in 19th just one point above The Moors. Solihull Moors Form Guide Solihull were slightly unlucky not to have anything to show for their efforts in the defeat to Southend. They comfortably won the xG battle, totting up 3.30 xG to Southend’s 1.71, and edged shots, having 16 shots with seven on target to Southend’s 11 with five on target. Southend pressed with intent despite only having 39% possession, with a PPDA (passes per defensive action) of 10.7. Jacob Wakeling caused serious trouble for the Southend backline, having an xG of 2.02 from his four shots on target in the match. Callum McFarlane also had serious attacking intent from the left-hand side, having an xG of 0.73 from three shots (one on target). Despite the result, the dominance of Solihull’s display will buoy them for the trip to Scunthorpe, a team who are also winless in the National League this season. Scunthorpe United Form Guide Scunthorpe controlled the play in their 3-2 loss against Eastleigh, having 63% possession and a pass accuracy of 79% to Eastleigh’s 67%. They fought back twice via Alfie Beestin and James Gale to level the scores at 2-2 before Josh Lundstram’s 73rd-minute winner. The result, though, was probably a fair one given Eastleigh edged the xG battle (1.95 to Scunthorpe’s 1.03). Scunthorpe’s PPDA (passes per defensive action) was 6.3, meaning they made a defensive action for roughly every six Eastleigh passes, a higher press than Eastleigh's own 13.3. The result leaves Scunthorpe with only one point, which came courtesy of a 90th-minute Luke Brennan equaliser on the opening day of the season against Yeovil. Tactical Insight Whilst Jacob Wakeling was the main goal threat for Solihull against Southend, it will be an interesting battle aerially against Scunthorpe’s backline on Friday. Wakeling did not win any of his aerial duels in the Southend game, whilst Scunthorpe’s backline won the aerial battle against Eastleigh. Centre-back Will Evans won six of his 13 aerial duels, and Reagan Ogle won five of his seven. Solihull's width tends to come through crosses from Joe Sbarra and Matty Carson, and it will be down to Scunthorpe full-backs, Joseph Starbuck and Branden Horton, to deal with that supply into the box. Conclusion Both sides go into Friday having produced promising numbers without the results to match. Solihull had more shots than Southend and finished with the higher xG in a game they lost, while Scunthorpe United dominated possession at Eastleigh and still came away with nothing. Neither performance points to a side short of quality, more one still finding consistency at both ends of the pitch.  If you’re a fan of this Statistical Preview, check out Andy’s Bet Club for daily free betting tips for all major football competitions.

Chris Millington’s Solihull Moors side will be in the hunt for their first victory of the 2026/27 National League season when they travel to Glanford Park on Friday to take on a Scunthorpe United side who are led by current boss Andy Butler. The Iron’s most recent game saw them go head-to-head with Eastleigh away from home, where they lost narrowly 3 – 2. Harry Sidwell, Aaron Blair, and Josh Lundstram were all goalscorers for the Spitfires on that day, whilst it was the likes of Alfie Beestin and James Gale who found the back of the net for Scunthorpe. Scunthorpe United Football Club have plenty of history, with the club being founded all the way back in 1899. Fast forward to 1910, the Iron decided to make the move to a new home, The Old Show Ground, based on Henderson Avenue. They would go on to play their home games for the next 80 years. Two years after they moved to the ground, they gained professional status. 1927 saw Scunthorpe join the Midland League before then going on to win their first piece of silverware on the eve of World War Two, winning their first Lincolnshire Senior Cup in 1939, and have so far won it on 23 occasions to date in their history. Jack Brownsword, who is Scunthorpe United’s leading appearance maker of all time, making 597 appearances for the Iron over an 18 year spell at the club following his initial arrival at the club in 1947. 1950 then saw Scunthorpe get elected to the English Football League, with their debut game seeing them come away with a goalless draw with Shrewsbury Town at the Old Show Ground. Then, a few years later, they got their record FA Cup victory to date when they were able to comfortably and ruthlessly beat Portsmouth in the Fourth Round of the tournament against Boston United in November 1953. In 1958, they won the Division Three title with a grand total of 66 points to secure their status in the next season’s Division Two for the very first time in the club’s history. The 1958/59 season saw them compete at the same level as the likes of Liverpool, Sunderland, and Sheffield Wednesday. Then in 1962, they were able to secure their best-ever finish in Division Two when they were as high as 4 th place by the time that the 1961/62 season came to an end. Their top goalscorer that season was Barrie Thomas with as many as 31 goals, which remains as the club’s all-time individual season record. However, by 1968 the club had been relegated all the way back down to Division Four following relegation after finishing bottom of the Division Three table the season prior. Things got worse in the following decade, with the Iron finishing bottom of Division Four, but narrowly avoided relegation from the English Football League in 1975. 1979 saw the arrival of Steve Cammack, who in two highly successful spells at the club scored no less than 110 goals, and he remains the club’s leading goalscorer of all time to this very day. Promotion was achieved back to Division Three in 1983, and then came a very historic moment a few years later. Scunthorpe United moved to their current historic home, Glanford Park, in 1988, leaving The Old Show Ground behind for good. Their current ground has a capacity of 9,200. Spaniard Alex Cavlo-Garcia arrived in 1997. Now a cult hero of the club, he won four consecutive Ernie Storey Trophies between 1997 and 2000. The Ernie Storey Trophy is awarded to the best player of the season as voted for by the fans. In 2000, they were in Division Two and got relegated in 23 rd place. Years later in 2005, Scunthorpe United were able to secure themselves promotion to League One from England’s Fourth Tier, League Two, after finishing in second place under the management of then-boss Brian Laws. Then in 2007, things got even better for The Iron; they earned another promotion, this time to the Championship. Led by the formidable Billy Sharp, who scored a sensational 32 goals on his own, the club won the League One title after earning no less than 91 points in the 46 matches that they played in that season. In 2010, Scunthorpe United hosted Manchester United at Glanford Park, where a record attendance of 9,077. They would go on to spend a few years in the Championship until 2011, which is when they were relegated back down to League One after finishing bottom in 24 th place in England’s second tier at the conclusion of the 2010/11 campaign. Relegation from League One then came in 2012/13 when they finished in 21 st place. They did, though, secure an immediate return to the third tier in 2014 after finishing as runners-up. Striker Sam Winnall lifted his second successive Ernie Storey trophy that season. Fast forward to 2017 the ended up in the playoffs in the third tier after finishing in third place, though they were knocked out in the semi-finals and missed out on Championship football for what would have been the second time in their history. Things soon fell apart for Scunthorpe when, in 2019, they ended up being relegated down to League Two after a 23 rd place finish. This culminated in relegation from the English Football League and down into the National League for the first time which ended their 72 year stay in the Football League. By 2024, they found themselves in the Sixth Tier, the National League North, which is the lowest division that the club had ever been in their history to date, and this remains the case. They were not there for long, as they would go on to win the 2025 National League North play-offs to re-secure their status in the National League. The trophy was lifted by manager Andy Butler. Last season, the 2025/26 season, was their first back in that division, and they would go on to finish in 5 th place with a grand total of 82 points being secured from their 46 games. They lost in the semi-finals against Rochdale, who would go on to win the Playoff Final on penalties against Boreham Wood. In the opposition dugout – Andy Butler Current Scunthorpe United boss Andy Butler has been in charge ever since his appointment was confirmed back in May 2024 after being promoted from his previous position as one of the club’s first team coaches. He led the club to promotion from the Sixth Tier when The Iron secured this achievement thanks to a 2 – 1 victory over Chester. A Scunthorpe favourite, he spent 7 years at the club over three spells, playing for them between 2002 and 2008, 2019 and 2020, and then again between 2023 and 2024. Butler also played for the likes of Grimsby Town (Loan, 2006), Huddersfield Town (2008 - 2010), Blackpool (Loan, 2010), Walsall (2010 – 2014; Loan 2014), Sheffield United (2014 - 2015), Doncaster Rovers (Loan, 2014 – 2015; 2015 – 2019; 2020 - 2021), Boston United (2021), and Farsley Celtic (2023 - 2024). Key Player – Danny Whitehall Danny Whitehall is a prolific striker who has played for Scunthorpe United ever since he signed for The Iron back in 2023. So far, he has scored as many as 38 goals in just 76 appearances for the club to date, and he should continue to score goals over the course of the current, ongoing 2026/27 Enterprise National League season. He scored 19 goals and got 4 assists in the league last term. Before joining The Iron, he has spent time playing for the likes of Southport (2014), Marine (2014), Prescot Cables (2014 - 2015), Chattanooga FC (2017), Bugeaters FC (2018), Maidenhead United (2019 - 2020), Kilmarnock (2020), and finally Eastleigh from 2021 to 2023. Opposition Overview written by Adam Holt

It just wasn't Solihull Moors day today, with Chris Millington's men falling to a 3-1 defeat to Southend at Damson Park in the National League The visitors came from a goal down to maintain their 100% league record, winning all three of their games so far. It was The Moors, though, who started the brightest, going straight onto the front foot from the whistle. 3' PENALTY. Joe Sbarra burst into the box and was taken down by a late challenge, leaving the referee no choice but to point to the spot, much to the delight of the home fans. That joy was short-lived though, striker Jacob Wakeling stepped up and struck it hard and low, only for Southend keeper Joe Duncan to pull off a terrific save to his left. The rebound was then struck narrowly over the bar from close-range. Southend went straight up the other end and had a great chance of their own, Chambers-Parillon bending a shot just wide. A minute later, Tyrell Warren was booked for pulling down his man after losing possession in a dangerous area, in a frantic start for both sides. Wakeling, looking to make up for his penalty miss, was causing all sorts of problems for the away side, and had a powerful effort well saved by Duncan. 14' GOAL. Wakeling then took full advantage of a defensive error, taking the ball into his stride with his first touch, before firing in a brilliant strike from the edge of the box to put the Moors ahead. 1-0. A hopeful long range effort was the best Kieron Dyer's men could come up with as the game looked to be edging more and more in favour of The Moors. Colclough's effort caught comfortably by Max Metcalfe. Junior Tiensia went on a mazy run on 20 minutes, cutting in from the right-hand side, skipping past several challenges, laid the ball to the right where a dangerous cross was fizzed in and fell to Scott High, who's strike was flicked onto the post and out for a corner. Tiensia was caught during his burst forward and went down to receive treatment shortly after, before then coming off for defender Craig Farquhar, making his Solihull Moors debut after joining on loan from Barnet. Wave after wave of Moors attacks led to several half-chances, most notably for the Wakeling, our number 9 unlucky to not get the bounce of the ball on a couple of occasions. 28' GOAL. Out of nowhere, Southend equalised. Cardwell broke down the right, cutting in and having a powerful effort saved by Metcalfe, only for the ball to fall nicely into the path of Southend captain Oli Coker, the midfield man smashing in from close range. 1-1. Andrews block in the 36th minute summed up the fight and determination shown by The Moors so far, flying in to deflect a dangerous effort out for a corner, which was then collected well by Metcalfe. 39' GOAL. Southend went ahead after a neat passage of play led to Chambers-Parillon crossing deep into the box, Coker kept the cross alive at the back post, drilling back across for Josh Popoola, who did well to re-direct the ball into the roof of the net. 1-2. Coker went close again, striking wide from dostance just after the break, with Chambers-Parillon coming even closer with a similar effort as Southend tried to build on their lead. McFarlane had a couple of chances to equalise, good headed effort went just over after getting on the end of a free kick. Moments later finding himself just inches away from getting on the end of another dangerous cross as The Moors pushed to get back into the game. Scott High was desperately unlucky not to score on 65 minutes, his deft chip hitting the crossbar before been cleared by the scrambling Southend defenders. McFarlane tried to go one better, from even further out than High did moments earlier, Southend keeper Duncan making an outstanding save from his 35 yard effort after another Southend mistake had given possession back to Solihull. Sbarra had an effort deflected after going for goal from the edge of the box and a couple more balls into the box came to nothing as The Moors refused to go down without a fight. With 10 minutes remaining, Southend were restricted to counter attacks, one of which led to Colclough rifling a left-footed effort inches wide of the far post as Southend looked to put the game to bed. Solihull's high press caught out the Southend defence again, this time, substitute Ben Wodskou having an effort well saved after winning the ball back high in the opponents half. Wakeling thought he had scored again with 5 minutes to go, having his shot touched onto the post, and out for yet another Moors corner. 90+2' GOAL. Southend wrapped up the points on the breakaway. With Moors keeper Metcalfe going up for a corner trying to salvage a draw, Southend cleared and the ball was picked up by Charles Kendall, who had the freedom of Damson Park, to sprint the length of the pitch before rolling into an empty net. 1-3. Alex Whitmore prevented the visitors from further adding to the scoreline, The Moors captain came flying across to block a certain goal. Final Score - Solihull Moors 1 - 3 Southend Sponsors' Man of the Match - Jamie Andrews Today's Attendance - 1231 Next up for The Moors - Although today wasn't the result we wanted, there were plenty of signs of encouragement. Our next fixtures see us face a Bank Holiday double header, first up, away to Scunthorpe on Friday 28th August. Kick-off 7:45pm, before facing AFC Fylde at Damson Park on Monday 31st August, kick-off 3pm. To purchase coach travel for the away fixture at Scunthorpe, please visit the link below - https://solihullmoorsfc.ticketco.events/uk/en/e/scunthorpe_coach_away_travel_2627?version=m To secure your tickets for AFC Fylde's trip to Damson Park, visit the link below - https://solihullmoorsfc.ticketco.events/uk/en/e/solihull_moors_v_afc_fylde2627?version=m Thank you again for your incredible support Moors fans, we look forward to seeing you soon. Match report written by Scott Cattell

Solihull Moors are delighted to announce the signing of defender Craig Farquhar on a short-term loan from Barnet until 18th September. The 23-year-old centre-back arrives at Damson Park having joined the Bees earlier this summer following two and a half years with Crystal Palace. A Northern Ireland Under-21 international, Farquhar began his career with hometown club Ballymena United, signing his first professional contract at 18 before progressing into the first team. He gained further senior experience during a loan spell with Dundela before joining Larne, where he won the NIFL Premiership and County Antrim Shield. Farquhar also featured in a Champions League qualifier against Finnish side HJK Helsinki. His performances earned him a move to Crystal Palace in January 2024, where he represented the club’s Under-21 side and played a role in its Premier League International Cup-winning campaign. The defender also captained Palace’s Under-21s on several occasions and scored the winning goal on his Northern Ireland Under-21 debut against Serbia in March 2024. Speaking about Farquhar’s arrival, Moors boss Chris Millington said:  “Craig is a player who brings good experience for his age and gives us another strong option defensively. He’s physical, comfortable on the ball and has already played in some really competitive environments, including senior football in Northern Ireland and at international level. We’re pleased to bring him in and look forward to seeing the contribution he can make during his time with us.” Welcome to the Moors, Craig! 💛💙

Three defeats on the bounce has saw Chris Millington’s side get off to a disappointing start to the 2026/27 campaign, but all eyes will be on Saturday’s visit from Southend United – hopeful of grabbing their first points of the season.  The Moors suffered defeats to Harrogate Town, Boston United and Middlesbrough’s U21s so far this month in what’s been a frustrating start to the campaign. Up next for Solihull is a home fixture against Southend United, a clash in which has proven to be a tricky objective for Moors teams in the past. Solihull currently find themselves 23 rd in the standings, though of course the league table means absolutely nothing for almost the majority of the season. Ahead of Saturday’s early kick-off, here is everything you need to know… —— An overview of Southend United: It’s a fresh look for Southend United this summer, following a summer of change in which they said goodbye to several first-team starters including Gus Scott-Morriss, Harry Boyes, Keenan Appiah-Forson and Collin Andeng-Ndi. Similarly, FA Trophy-winning manager Kevin Maher has also departed after his sides failure to secure promotion back to the EFL and has since been replaced by former England international Keiron Dyer. As a result of their busy summer of outgoings, the club have had no choice but to be busy in terms of incomings too – with the likes of Darren Oldaker, Josh Popoola and Anthony Hartigan amongst several new recruits for the Shrimpers. Southend finished the 2025/26 season in sixth-place but lost to Scunthorpe United in the play-off quarter-final stages, 12 months on from their Wembley heartbreak and will be eager to avoid a repeat this time around. —— Head-to-head: Unfortunately for Moors fans, the head-to-head battle between the two clubs isn’t one to celebrate. Since 2021, Solihull have won just two of the ten meetings between the two sides – most recently coming in April 2025 when Elliot Thorpe scored a superb cross/shot in a 1-0 win at Roots Hall. You’d need to go back to October 2021 for the last time Solihull beat Southend at Damson Park, when James Ball scored a second half penalty in a 2-0 win. Though the last meeting was a goalless draw back in April, five of the last six meetings prior to that ended with Southend winning 17-3. —— Tickets: Tickets for Saturday’s clash against Southend are available now via the Solihull Moors website. The prices are as follows; Adults (25-64): £22.00 Concessions (65+): £18.00 Young Adult (16-24): £11.00 Kids (12-15): £7.50 Under 12s: £1.00 Reminder that children U14 need to be accompanied by an adult as per National League stadium regulations. —— Getting to the Stadium: Damson Park is located just outside of Solihull Town Centre, just under three miles to be exact. If supporters are travelling by train, there are two relatively close stations that serve the stadium. The first is Solihull Station, which is three miles away (10 minute car journey), whilst Birmingham International Station is 3.4 miles away. From either train station, supporters can board the x12 service which will take you to the stadium – though tickets need to brought either on the bus or via the NX West Midlands App. If supporters are arriving by car, the stadium is located on Damson Parkway, next door to gate two of the next door Jaguar Land Rover site. Parking is on a first come basis. —— In the dugout – Keiron Dyer: The man in the hot seat for Southend United this weekend will be former England international Keiron Dyer. Dyer has been in charge since the summer and has taken control of just two matches thus far. Both of those games have ended in victories for the Shrimpers – edging past Scunthorpe United with a 1-0 victory as well as beating Altrincham 3-1 on the opening day of the season. —— We hope to see as many of you as possible at Damson Park ahead of Saturday’s clash with Southend United. COYM 🟡🔵