By Kate Willetts
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August 7, 2026
Moors fans, the wait is finally over. The Enterprise National League is officially back! Strap yourselves in and get ready for the excitement, the drama, the highs and the lows that only football can bring. Looking to get off to a good start, the opening game of the season sees us take a trip to The Marcy Fitness Stadium, home of Harrogate Town, backed by a sold out coach full of our incredible away support. We'll need more of the same again this season if we're to achieve our goals! Pre-season round-up - A mixed set of results and performances in pre-season were to be expected following a busy summer of change, with manager Chris Millington making numerous signings so far, aswell as the Club also saying goodbye to some big players. Knowle FC 1-0 Solihull Moors The Moors first match back was a loss to Knowle. Game time for a large chunk of the squad was the main aim, with plenty of players getting minutes against our newly-promoted neighbours. Alverchurch 1-1 Solihull Moors Joe Sbarra, signed back on a permanent contract, netted the equaliser in an end-to-end game away at Alverchurch, with both sides playing some lovely football in an entertaining contest. Solihull Moors 0-3 Birmingham City Solihull were defeated comfortably by the Championship side, who fielded a strong starting 11 in our annual Arthur Cup match. Blues will be aiming for promotion to the Premier League next year, so you'll struggle to find a better side visiting Damson Park this season. Hednesford 1-2 Solihull Moors Charlie Footes, who has since signed his first professional contract, again showed why he has broken into the first team squad, with another two assists against Hednesford. Conor Wilkinson equalised, before Kian Ryley scored to secure the first win of pre-season for The Moors after earlier falling a goal behind to a Jamie Cooke strike. Hereford 0-3 Solihull Moors Fresh from the Hednesford win, Solihull took on Hereford. A solid showing and another good result saw a second goal in two games for Ryley, a tremendous finish from new signing Junior Tiensia, and an own goal secure the win for The Moors. Solihull Moors 1-1 Burton Albion One of the strongest performances of pre-season, holding our own against a side two divisions above. Both teams had chances to win the game after Ben Worman equalised in the first half, in what was a solid result for The Moors. Solihull Moors 2-4 Northampton The final warm-up game before the League season begins started off well for the home side, Cam Green rifling home to put Solihull 1-0 up. Northampton responded by going into a commanding 4-1 lead, before Jacob Wakeling reduced the deficit towards the end, the final score 4-2. New signings - Goalkeeper Nat Ford - FC Halifax Defenders Matty Carson - Boston Justin Hanks - Nottingham Forest Jevon Mills - FC Halifax Tyrell Warren - Grimsby Alex Whitmore - Re-signed Midfielders Jamie Andrews - Woking Joe Sbarra - Doncaster Rio Shipston - Sheffield Wednesday Junior Tiensia - Wealdstone Forward Ben Wodskou - Brackley Here's a look at our first opponents - Harrogate Town, recently relegated from League Two, were formed in 1919, and first played in the West Riding League. This was after the original formation of the club was postponed from 1914, due to the war. In their first season, they were crowned winners of the Whitworth Cup, coming out 4-0 victors against Ripon City in the final. In 1920, they joined the newly formed Yorkshire League and moved to their new ground Wetherby Lane, a stadium that later played host to more than 15,000 supporters in a friendly against Sheffield United. The Club disbanded in the 1930/1931 season, and weren't re-formed until 1935, taking on the name 'Harrogate Hotspurs'. Another name change happened in 1948, this time to the current 'Harrogate Town'. The 1962/63 season saw them lift the County Cup, before hitting another successful spell in the 70s. 1981/82 brought the last ever Yorkshire League Division Two title win, just before the league joined up with the Midland League, to create the Northern Counties East League. Floodlights we're installed at their home ground in 1982, and to mark the occasion, Leeds United sent their entire squad to the opening, with Eddie Gray switching on the lights for the first time. The Sulphurites won the UniBond League Division One in the 2001/02 season, storming to the title by finishing 10 points clear of second place. 5th and 6th placed finishes in the following two seasons showed the steady progress the Club had been making, and also earned them the right to enter the Conference North. The Club again finished in 6th place, aswell as earning their place in the first round of the FA Cup, losing on penalties to Torquay. 2009/10 was a poor season for the Club, finishing bottom of the league, only to be offered a reprieve due to the fact several other teams in the league went bankrupt,and they were offered their place back. Their highest ever league position was secured in the 2015/16 season, finishing 4th and earning their place in the play-offs, oy to be knocked out by AFC Fylde. The Club made the big decision to operate full time from 2017/18, a season that saw Harrogate achieve promotion to the National League, for the first time in their history, courtesy of the play-offs. The first season started off incredibly well for them, climbing to the top of the table after 11 games, eventually finishing in 6th place. History was made again in the covid-hit 2019/20 season, when the Club claimed promotion to the Football League. Whilst sat in 2nd position behind Barrow, the league decided to end the season due to the pandemic, therefore putting Harrogate in the play-offs. They beat Boreham Wood in the semi-final, and then Notts County 3-1 in the final, in front of no fans, to claim their place in League Two. Their first season in League Two was played mostly behind closed doors, as fans were still kept away because of covid. The 2021/22 season ended on a high as Town lifted the 2019/20 FA Trophy, which had been delayed due to the pandemic, at Wembley Stadium with Josh Falkingham scoring the winning goal against Concord Rangers. The Club reached the third round of the FA Cup in 21/22, before achieving their highest ever league position in the 23/24 campaign, finishing in 13th place in League Two. Town were relegated at the end of 25/26, bringing to an end 6 seasons of league football. Major stadium upgrades were announced at the end of the season, including a new stand that will increase the grounds seating to over 2000. Not to hang around and feel sorry for themselves after dropping down a division, Harrogate, managed by Simon Weaver, have also invested heavily in their playing squad. The most recent two to arrive are Halifax's Josh Hmami, and National League South top scorer Brad Dolaghan signing in the last few days to showing their ambitions for the season. Let's get behind the boys from the start and see where this season takes us! COYM💛💙 Written by Scott Cattell