McDonald: ‘We were excellent from start to finish’

Solihull Moors boss Liam McDonald was delighted with his side’s performance in their 4-0 win over Stoke City’s Under-23s on Wednesday night and hopes his side can replicate the performance in what he believes will be a tough test against Southern Premier Division side Stratford Town on Saturday.

Speaking in his column on the club’s official website, McDonald spoke of his delight at his side’s ability to dictate play against the Potters and was also pleased to see four Moors Academy perform well from the bench.

The Moors boss also singled out Oladapo Afolayan and Shomari Barnwell’s performances, as both players proved a handful to the Stoke defence and also got on the scoresheet for the first time in pre-season, with Afolayan scoring twice and Barnwell bagging his first Moors goal from the penalty spot.

Here’s what McDonald had to say in his column:

‘I thought we were excellent on Wednesday from start to finish. Whenever we were in possession of the ball, we were excellent and dictated play- especially first half. In the second half we dictated play out of possession and that’s always difficult for a young team because when you’re not seeing the ball, you can switch off. We stayed focused, we stopped them getting in little pockets and it was really good so we’re all pleased. It was a good workout, they’re a good side, a fit side and we matched them physically.

‘We took our goals well and to score from two set pieces was fantastic. Maybe a couple of times we could have got in behind and added a couple more goals. I felt we totally dominated and I said to the lads at half time “let’s go for the next goal, make it four and we’ll see what happens there”. We got the next one and then it was a case of seeing it out and getting into that mentality.

‘Four lads from the academy have finished the game, all have got 15/20 minutes in them and have performed well

‘The stand out from the first half was Dapo (Afolayan) and Shomari (Barnwell). Both of them were a handful up front. Dapo’s been struggling for a little bit of form, maybe a little bit of confidence as well. He’s come right through that, played really well today and obviously got his goals as well, so that was fantastic.

‘Paul Green’s came through having been injured, Shep’s (Murombedzi) played 45 minutes and he’ll get even more minutes on Saturday. George (Carline) is touch and go for training tomorrow so he’ll hopefully be fit for Saturday. Kristian Green’s back off holiday, Joel Kettle will be back and all of a sudden we’ve got a very good squad of talented young players.

‘It was interesting against Stoke because seven or eight of our starting line up were 23 or under so they were coming up against their own age group. You could see where we are physically compared to them, and that’s pleasing.

‘Connal (Trueman) is an outstanding goalkeeper and already I’d say he’s one of the best in the National League so I’m delighted. His kicking has been excellent, his handling from crosses and everything- he’s a top keeper. We’re lucky to have him. We had a good keeper last season and we’ve got an even better one this season. That’s fantastic for Nathan Vaughan as well with competition.

‘Dan’s (Cleary) come in and he’s a Republic of Ireland U21 international. He’ll be a massive asset for us and it means competition which will keep everyone on their toes now.

‘We were a bit below par on Saturday against Tamworth but I think we’ve just gone right back up there and can now look forward to Saturday against Stratford. That will be a tough one because it’s their cup final playing a National League side. It’s going to be a busy game, a physical game. We need to come through that and then consider what team starts on Saturday against Chester so we`re well prepared on August 5th.

‘I’m pleased with the pre-season and we’ve just got to carry that now into the season.’


Liam McDonald’s side face Stratford Town away from home tomorrow afternoon. The match at the DCS Stadium kicks-off at 3pm and is priced at £5 for Adults, £3 for Concessions (OAPs and Students), £1 for Under-18s and FREE for Under-12s.


What have you made of the Moors’ pre-season campaign so far? Pleased with what you have seen from Liam McDonald’s side? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!