Solihull Moors v Aldershot Town Match Preview – Saturday 11 August 2018
Aldershot Town were well beaten in midweek by a strong Chesterfield side, leaving them with just a solitary point from their opening two National League matches of the season. On Saturday, they travel to Damson Park looking for their first win, against a Solihull Moors side that have kicked off with back-to-back victories.
Rob Worrall previews the action…
Shots Squad:
Manager Gary Waddock made four changes in midweek and started with a more experienced line-up, bringing in Karleigh Osborne, Jake Gallagher, Scott Rendell and Matt McClure. Waddock has not yet been able to call upon the services of Luke Howell, who continues to recover from an ankle injury sustained towards the end of pre-season, or full-back Marvin McCoy. Otherwise, the Shots boss has a full squad to select from.
Opposition – Solihull Moors:
Nickname: The Moors
Manager: Tim Flowers
Stadium: Damson Park (Capacity: 3050)
2017-18 National League position: 18th
Brief History:
Solihull Moors FC were founded in 2007 following the merger of Moor Green and Solihull Borough. Solihull were promoted from the National League North as champions in 2016. They finished 16th in the first season in the National League and 18th last season.
The Gaffer:
Tim Flowers took over as Solihull boss in June 2018 after Mark Yates left the side to join National League champions Macclesfield Town. Flowers had previously been part of the backroom staff at Leicester City, Manchester City, Northampton Town, Nottingham Forest and Fulham as Goalkeeping Coach. Before joining Solihull, Flowers was Assistant Manager at Coventry City, QPR, Hull City and most recently Kidderminster Harriers.
Outgoings:
Moors released nine players at the end of last season, including Yates’ Player of the Year, right-back Kristian Green. Four others chose to move on, including Luke Benbow and Chris Lait.
Incomings:
Flowers has brought nine players into the ATG Stadium, including 23-year-old goalkeeper Ryan Boot from Port Vale, centre-back Alex Gudger from Brackley Town, striker Kwarme Thomas (Coventry City) and experienced striker Danny Wright from Cheltenham Town.
Referee:
Saturday’s referee is Declan Bourne, who will be taking charge of his first National League match.
Commentary:
BBC Surrey Sports Rob Worrall and ATFC co-founder Graham Brookland will be covering the game live on Saturday. Tune in to the BBC Sport website or BBC Sport App from 2.50pm for full match commentary. To interact with them, tweet @RobShot66 & @GrahamBrookland.
