Solihull Moors opened their pre-season campaign with an impressive 3-0 win away at Southern Premier League Central side Tamworth.
Goals from Kwame Thomas, Jamey Osborne and new signing Danny Wright were more than enough to see off the Lambs in what was a comfortable victory for Tim Flowers’ side, in his first outing as Solihull Moors manager.
Flowers started with what could be seen as his strongest possible eleven, with new signings Alex Gudger, Danny Wright and Ryan Boot all starting the fixture, and loanee Luke Maxwell finding a place on the bench.
The Moors also started with one trialist in the line-up, former Redditch United defender Jhai Dhillon, who started the game at left-back.
The Tamworth line-up saw numerous familiar faces, with no less than five former Moors players taking their place in the Lamb’s starting eleven. Jaz Singh, Kristian Green, Joel Kettle, Tristian Dunkley and Akwasi Asante all started the game, while former midfielder Paul Green was on the bench.
Solihull Moors started very much the brighter of the two sides and threatened from the off. Jermaine Hylton managed to pip Kristian Green to the ball, setting himself away down the left hand side of the box. He managed to cut the ball back to Danny Wright, who turned and forced Jaz Singh into a smart early save.
The pressure continued, as the roles reversed for the next big chance for the Moors, with Wright setting Hylton up for a chance, as the former Cheltenham Town man won a flick-on, setting Hylton one-on-one with Joel Kettle. Hylton beat the defender for pace down the right side of the box, but again his effort was foiled by Singh in the Tamworth goal.
Tamworth were really struggling to get a foothold in the game and soon found themselves a goal down. A lovely ball down the middle from Moors captain Darren Carter managed to set Danny Wright one-on-one with Jaz Singh, with Wright keeping his composure to cooly dink the ball over the on-rushing keeper and into the Tamworth net. 1-0 to the Moors.
Solihull Moors continued to dominate after the opening goal, creating a couple more half chances, before they managed to double the lead. A long ball up field found the head of Danny Wright, who flicked the ball on, the flick-on just evaded the the stretch of Tamworth defender Regan Upton, setting Kwame Thomas through on goal, and slotted home to give the Moors a two-goal cushion.
Shortly after, it was nearly 3-0. A great long ball from Darren Carter once again found Danny Wright, who managed to bring the ball down, cut inside his defender and shoot, the shot was well saved by Jaz Singh, but the ball landed at the feet Kwame Thomas, who bundled the ball into the net. Unfortunately, the linesman flagged Thomas for offside, so the goal was disallowed and the score remained the same.
The next chance chance once again fell to Solihull Moors, who were in somewhat of relentless mood in the first 45 minutes. Darren Carter took a short corner from the right, the ball went straight to Kyle Storer near the edge of the box, he struck the ball with venom, but somehow Singh once again managed to save powerful drive and keep his side in the game.
Funnily enough with this chance, Solihull Moors boss Tim Flowers shouted to Storer to look for the short corner from Carter and it very nearly ended up being the perfect call!
Tamworth managed to muster a couple of moments before the half-time break, with Dexter Walters coming closest for the Lambs, although his 20-yard free-kick was only able to manage to find the arms of Moors goalkeeper Ryan Boot.
The half-time whistle blew, with the Moors going in two-nil up. Solihull Moors had caused a lot of problems for Tamworth, with Jermaine Hylton and Danny Wright particularly threatening the Lamb’s backline. Trialist Jhai Dhillon had a solid first 45 minutes, he didn’t have a lot to do defensively, but showed good energy down the left and was constantly communicating with his teammates.
The second-half began with Tim Flowers keeping the same eleven on the pitch that started the game.
Tamworth came out with a bit more purpose at the start of the second period and had a good early chance, as Walters capitalised on to a George Carline slip at right-back, he drove into the box, but his effort went narrowly over Ryan Boot’s crossbar.
After a couple more half chances from Tamworth, Solihull Moors managed to get more of foothold, with Jermaine Hylton and Alex Gudger once again testing Jaz Singh, before the Moors managed to get their third goal.
Regan Upton dithered with the ball on the edge of his own box, Jamey Osborne dispossessed him, drove across the box onto his left side and hit his low and into the bottom corner past Singh. 3-0 and game over.
Tim Flowers made a few changes after the third goal, with trialists Jordan Murphy and Jarrell Hylton, brother of Jermaine, entering the fray, as well as loanee Luke Maxwell and Callum Coyle. Moors Academy youngsters Mikkel Hirst, Reiss McNally and Dylan Barkers were also given opportunities late on.
Tamworth tested Ryan Boot a couple of times last on, forcing him into smart saves from former Moors pair Tristian Dunkley and Akwasi Asante, but at this point the result was beyond doubt and the Moors had earned a comfortable win in their pre-season opener.
Tim Flowers will certainly be pleased with what he saw against a determined Tamworth side. The Moors controlled the majority of the game and always looked comfortable.
Next up in pre-season for Solihull Moors is a trip to Southern League Division One West side Evesham United on Saturday the 14th of July (3pm kick-off).
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Tamworth Starting XI: Singh, K. Green, Sharpe, Verma, Kettle, Upton, Dunkley, Wright, Trialist, Asante, Walters.
Substitutes: Trialist, Trialist, Shaw, Barnes, Pegg, Somel, James, P. Green.
SOLIHULL MOORS STARTING XI: Boot, Carline (McNally), Dhillon, Storer (Coyle), Williams, Gudger (Barkers), Osborne (Murphy), Carter (Maxwell), Wright (Jarrell Hylton), Jermaine Hylton (Hirst), Thomas.
Subs Unused: Vaughan, Butler.
