Carter: ‘A good team spirit is going to be key for us’

New midfielder Darren Carter has spoken of the key factors behind his decision to join Solihull Moors and also his affection for his hometown club.

Carter joined the Moors on a free transfer last week after leaving National League play-offs winners Forest Green Rovers in May.

The former Birmingham City man said that despite a number of offers from clubs for his services, the locality of the Moors to his home coupled with the long-term affection he has for the club were key factors in helping decide a move to Solihull Moors was the one for him.

‘I have been very fortunate to have had 17 seasons in the professional game before this one. It was a case of looking what was out there for me, particularly in terms of travelling and location,’ Carter told the Birmingham Mail.

‘I had offers from around the country but I am at an age where I need to weigh everything up.

‘I have done more than my fair share of travelling and hours on the road so for me it was always going to be about being able to live at home.’

‘I know a lot of people who have worked for the club, a lot who are still there and being from Solihull I have always had an affection for it and back in the days of Moor Green and Solihull Borough, my dad used to play for it.

‘Barring Blues, Solihull Moors is probably the club I know most about and know most people associated with. It’s a family run club that looks after everyone.’

The 33-year-old midfielder also credited Moors Academy manager Mark Fogarty with helping attract him to the club, with Fogarty always having left the door open for Carter to aid with the coaching side within the youth setup.

With coaching being something that the Solihull Moors newboy wants to pursue in the future, this option certainly made the move more of an attraction to Carter.

‘Mark Fogarty, who is involved with the academy, is a good friend of mine and to be fair he’s one of the major reasons for me coming to the club because he said straight off he’d be happy if ever I wanted to get involved in some coaching.

‘I’ve got to start looking towards the future, half an eye on what I am going to be doing after I stop and I`m very interested in things like that. I still feel good but it’s not going to last forever so it`s good to be making that transition.’

Despite having half an eye on the future with this move, Carter’s primary focus is on helping Solihull Moors survive their second season in the National League, and with the nature of his departure from Forest Green Rovers at the end of last season, the midfielder feels he has even more of a point to prove at Damson Park.

‘It wasn’t great the way things ended with Forest Green and I wasn’t happy with it. But I have been in the game long enough to know these things can happen.

‘It gives me a bit more motivation for next season, it fires you up. Like anything in life if you have a set-back you want to come back fighting and that’s what I’ll do.

‘I go there with the attitude that I am going to play 40-odd games next season. There might be times when you have to manage things but you take that as it comes.

‘We know we are going to be up against it and that nothing is expected of us because there are some full-time clubs, the likes of Tranmere and Wrexham in the National League.

‘But Moors showed last year they are up to it. We’ve got some hungry lads who want to make an impact and if we can build a good team spirit that`s going to be key for us.’


What do you make of this signing? Pleased to see an experienced player like Darren Carter join the Moors’ ranks? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!