This was another monumental occasion for Solihull Moors, playing against quite comfortably the biggest outfit they have ever played in a league fixture – proven by the record 1,995 attendance for the game.
Yet as much as they were underdogs off the field, Solihull Moors were underdogs on the field too and so it proved as Tranmere romped home 3-0 thanks to a Jake Kirby brace and a late James Norwood finish.
There were two changes to the starting XI following the defeat of Kettering Town with Nathan Vaughan missing out completely as Danny Lewis stepped into the fray while Jordan Gough was benched for Jean-Yves Koue Niate to make his first league start since being sent off in Lincoln. The system was changed from 4-3-3 to 3-5-2 with Fagbola joining Koue Niate and Daly at centre-half and Murombedzi dropping in at right wing-back. Sterling-James partnered Andy Brown in attack.
Despite Bignot’s efforts to nullify a Tranmere Rovers outfit enjoying their honeymoon period under Micky Mellon, they never quite came off as the visitors got straight onto the front foot and ought to have gone ahead when Lois Maynard was given a free header only for Lewis making a fine stop to deny the Tranmere man before clawing away the rebound. Jake Kirby supplied the cross and he was to prove a menace again shortly afterwards.
Scott Davies’ goal-kick was hammered down the park and straight over the top of the Moors defence who stood still to face an offside flag thrown up by the referee’s assistant. Kirby ran through, rounded Lewis and slotted the ball home into an empty net. As the Moors defenders raged about the goal being disallowed, referee Adam Bromley rightly overruled the decision – you cannot be offside from a goal-kick.
Bignot was diplomatic after the final whistle admitting it ‘was poor play from everyone’ before acknowledging that while the linesman has made an error, everybody stopped waiting for a whistle that never came – ‘you don’t stop unless there’s a whistle’.
Tranmere were the better on the outfit on the day but Moors almost gained an equaliser as Scott Davies pushed a corner towards the far post while there was a penalty shout as a Tranmere player knocked the ball away with his arm yet there was no call from Bromley. Ryan Beswick also thundered an effort past the Tranmere post. Kirby came close to a second, tapping home when Lewis saved Cook’s left-foot effort only for it to be ruled out by the referee’s assistant for offside.
The second half saw Koue Niate replaced by top scorer Asante with Moors reverting to a 4-4-2 shape designed to press Tranmere higher up the field and although Norwood nearly scored with a sharp effort after coming off the bench it was Darryl Knights who came closest to scoring with a left-footed volley that flew inches past Scott Davies’ post.
Tranmere all but killed off an ever-tightening contest with 8 minutes to go, Maynard showing his power in midfield leaving defenders in his wake though his shot was saved. Lewis could only parry the effort into the path of the lively Jake Kirby who got his second.
Norwood continued could not finish from 10 yards but he did get his seventh of the season when substitute Darren Stephenson again teed him up, crossing the ball for the returning striker to net.
The result sees Moors drop a place to 15th, an impressive 9 points above 21st place Braintree Town.
Starting XI: Lewis; Murombedzi, Fagbola, Daly, Koue Niate (Asante), Franklin (Gough); Osborne, Byrne, Beswick; Sterling-James (Knights), Brown.
Unused subs: Acton; White
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