The Shots were unfortunate to fall to a late defeat at Damson Park as Jamie Stevens’ brilliant 90th minute winner saw a positive second-half Aldershot performance end in defeat.
The game didn’t get off to the most entertaining of starts on bitterly cold night in the midlands, but with the first effort on goal from either side, Solihull took the lead in the 10th minute as Conor Wilkinson headed in from a free-kick down the right wing.
It was a first-half that didn’t see too much action in front of goal but Jamey Osborne kept Jordi van Stappershoef on his toes with a shot from the edge of the box that the Shots ‘keeper did well to get down to.
Dan Ellison played a clever ball out to the left that was well taken by Ryan Jones who then broke into the Solihull box only to see a couple of efforts blocked in the 27th minute in what was the last chance of note in the first-half.
HALF-TIME
The Shots came out of the half-time break a rejuvenated side and began to find more joy in possession against a Solihull side that had been very well structured and difficult to break down and within 10 minutes had drawn level.
Cameron Hargreaves saw a cross blocked but Ryan Jones kept the ball alive and found Jack Barham at the back-post with a dinked cross that Barham headed in.
Just three minutes later, the woodwork denied the Shots a quickfire comeback as Dejan Tetek’s right-footed strike had beaten the Solihull ‘keeper but not the frame of the goal.
Solihull captain Jamey Osborne led by example in trying to regain his side’s lead as he beat a couple of Shots defenders to lay the ball off to Marcel Oakley who forced van Stappershoef into a save in the 66th minute.
James Henry came close to scoring in the 72nd minute as he was denied by a great save from Killian Barrett. Ryan Jones had done brilliantly down the left to beat Oakley with a neat flick and square the ball across to Henry to launch a first-time effort that looked to be heading in.
As the game ticked over into the final ten minutes, the Shots weren’t looking to go home with just one point and were looking the most likely to go on and win the game as they launched quick breaks forward.
Hargreaves was on the end of one such break in the 80th minute but a tame effort from the edge of the box was easily gathered by Barrett. Two minutes later, Ashley Akpan’s neat backheel flick intercepted a fizzed cross across the face of the Shots goal, and the Shots’ defender kept the ball in before driving forward and magnificently switched the play only for Jonny Stuttle’s shot to see the same fate as Hargreves’.
Jamey Osborne flashed a shot from distance past van Stappershoef’s post in a rare attack for Solihull, but it was the hosts who would grab a late winner as Jamie Stevens’ strike from 25-yards out on the left was a fantastic effort and gave the Shots’ ‘keeper very little chance.
Attendance: 740 (102 Away)
Shots lineup: 1. Jordi van Stappershoef, 2. Lachlan Byrd, 7, Cameron Hargreaves, 8. Tyler Frost (27. James Henry, 66′), 11. Ryan Jones, 17. Aaron Jones (C) (9. Kai Corbett, 90+3′), 21. Ashley Akpan, 22. Jack Barham, 24. Maxwell Mullins (19. Jonny Stuttle, 66′), 34. Dejan Tetek, 35. Dan Ellison.
Subs not used: 28. Marcus Dewhurst, 4. Luke Jenkins, 5. Christian Maghoma, 32. Emmanuel Maja.
Solihull lineup: 33. Killian Barrett, 2. James Clarke, 3. Joe Newton, 4. Jamey Osbourne, 5. Alex Whitmore, 7. Jack Stevens, 8. Sam Bowen, 10. Conor Wilkinson (14. Bradley Stevenson, 70′), 12. Marcel Oakley (11. Matt Warburton, 85), 15. John Bostock (16. Olly Tipton, 74′), 28. Michael Adu-Poku (6. Kyle Morrison, 90’).
Subs not used: 1. Laurie Walker, 23. Finn Howell, 26. Kian Ryley.
