Solihull Moors suffered a 3-1 defeat at the hands of AFC Fylde at Damson Park, leaving Chris Millington's side bottom of the National League table after losing each of the first five fixtures in the competition. An even start to the game saw both sides struggle to create clear-cut chances. The only Moors effort of note in the first was a cheeky attempt from Jacob Wakeling from near the halfway line, his effort going just wide, to the relief of AFC Fylde goalkeeper Zac Jones. A neat interchange in midfield saw Greg Olley put through on goal, the Fylde man firing well over from distance. By the 20th minute, Fylde had ready been forced into two substitutions due to injuries, but rather than hamper the away side, it seemed to galvanise them. A flurry of chances fell to Craig Mahon's men, Max Metcalfe dealing with a couple of efforts from outside the box, aswell as the Coasters hitting the woodwork on three occasions as they caught The Moors backline out several times with long diagonals and through-balls. The first effort came from a cross-field pass, and landed at the feet of a Fylde winger. The Fylde man cut inside and unleashed a terrific curling effort that hit the crossbar. The second was Adam Lewis, who found himself in space on the right and poked a shot goalwards, beating Metcalfe, but seeing the ball come back off the post before been cleared for a corner. The resulting corner was played short and laid back to the taker, who took a touch inside, and bent an incredible curling effort off the bar yet again. Jamie Andrews was busy in the midfield, coming out on top of a number of committed challenges, his tireless workrate allowing High and Sbarra to focus more on creating openings for their side. It was a crunching Andrews tackle that led to a decent chance for Jacob Wakeling, the ball got played out to Joe Sbarra who, after some nice footwork, sent the striker through on the left, only for his powerful shot to hit the side-netting. GOAL - 34' Fylde. A corner at the other end of the pitch fell nicely for Rio Shipston, the midfielders attempt was blocked well and collected by Fylde keeper Jones, who then launched a long ball over the top of The Moors defence. Metcalfe raced out of his box and attempted to head the ball clear, but was undone by an awkward bounce, the ball glancing off his head and Fylde's Harvey Broad was more than happy to run past and roll the ball into an empty net. It was very harsh on Solihull's number 1, who has been one of the bright sparks of the season so far. 0-1 GOAL - 42' Fylde. Jack Morris was played through one-on-one with Metcalfe and made no mistake as he calmly slotted into the bottom corner to put his side two goals ahead. 0-2 Scott High sent a free-kick inches over the post as we looked to halve the deficit just before half-time. GOAL - 51' Moors. The second half kicked off with Solihull knowing they needed something special to turn the game around, and as he has so many times already this season, Wakeling was the man to produce it. The forward headed in from close-range following a flick-on from a corner. The home crowd, who unfortunately haven't had too much to cheer about so far this season, began to believe the comeback was on, turning the volume up as The Moors drove forward. Wakeling in particular, playing like a man possessed, pressed the Fylde defence and started to get some joy and force mistakes. Whatever Millington had said at half-time clearly worked wonders as his side were transformed. A superbly timed challenge by Andrews in the box denied a great Fylde chance about 10 yards out, the ball then finding its way to Wakeling, who charged up the pitch on a one-man mission, before cutting in and unleashing a fierce low drive that was well held by the keeper. Wakeling was at the heart of everything, forcing a mistake from the central defender before racing down the left and having a powerful strike well saved by Jones. High then had the goal at his mercy as the save landed at his feet, only to smash over the bar from 8 yards out. GOAL - 59' Fylde. Luca Thomas scored Fylde's third goal on the counter. They worked the ball into the box, and after failing to be cut out, it fell nicely to Thomas, one of the enforced early substitutes, who thundered home, leaving Metcalfe with no chance. 1-3 With the steam knocked out of the Moors after the goal, Wakeling dropped deeper to get himself on the ball more now that Ben Wodskou and Callum McFarlane were on the pitch, with our goalscorer intent on inflicting more damage on the Fylde defence in another lively performance. McFarlane created another good chance for Wakeling, the forward attacking the ball at the near post and seeing his shot deflected out, only for the officials to give a goal kick rather than a corner. Tyrell Warren did well to chip a cross onto the head of Joe Sbarra, who was desperately unlucky to see his header hit the bar. A couple of ferociously whipped in corners from substitute Matty Carson led to scrambles in the box, but the Moors were unable to find a finishing touch. Jevon Mills had a goal bound effort cleared off the line, the ball then falling to Wodskou who smashed narrowly wide as another good chance went begging. Justin Hanks came on in the 80th minute to make his Moors debut. His first action of note was a missile of a throw, that was flicked onto Wodskou, the striker heading over the bar when well placed, before another throw-in led to a half chance for High, but the ball bounced awkwardly. Hanks, a summer recruit from Nottingham Forest will surely be looking to put those long-throws to good use after causing so much havoc with them in the oppositions box. The last Moors attack saw Andrews swing a dangerous cross in from the right that was well dealt with by Jones in the final minute of added time. Ultimately it was another frustrating afternoon for Solihull, but the second half performance in particular will be hugely encouraging in this tough period. Thank you as always for your unwavering support. We look forward to to welcoming you back to Damson Park💛💙 Sponsors man of the match - Jacob Wakeling Our next National League fixture is an away game that sees us make the trip up to Gateshead on Saturday 5th September. Kick-off - 3pm. To purchase coach tickets for this fixture, please visit the link below - https://solihullmoorsfc.ticketco.events/uk/en/e/gateshead_coach_away_travel_2627?version=m Coach Prices - 18-21 Coach Travel £27.00 Adult Coach Travel £32.00 U18's Coach Travel £22.00 COYM💛💙
Solihull host Fylde at Damson Park on Monday afternoon, aiming to pick up their first points of the campaign. The experts at Andy’s Bet Club will be previewing all our games for the 2026/27 season. Their site is packed with free football tips that are updated daily with expert insight. Match Preview Solihull lost 3-1 at Scunthorpe on Friday night. Moors took the lead in the 26th minute, but it was short-lived, as Scunthorpe equalised soon after. The hosts then scored twice in the second period, to take the game away. Fylde beat Forest Green 2-0 at Mill Farm. The newly-promoted side have started the season strong, picking up seven points from their opening four games. Fylde have conceded six goals from four games, and they sit 8th in the early league table. Solihull Form Guide A positive for Solihull this season has been Jacob Wakeling - he scored his third goal of the campaign against Scunthorpe. The 24-year-old has looked sharp in building on his first season at the club last term. The upcoming clash against Fylde is a chance to start climbing the table. Fylde Form Guide Fylde have made an encouraging start following their promotion from the National League North last season, collecting seven points from four matches. They started the campaign with a 2-2 draw against Wealdstone, before beating Tamworth on their travels. Fylde secured their first clean sheet against Forest Green last time out, which was big for them as they had conceded six goals in the previous three. Last season, Fylde finished top of the league with exactly 100 points from 46 league matches. They bagged 112 goals, which shows how effective they can be in the final third. Tactical Insight Harvey Broad scored both of Fylde’s goals against Forest Green last time out, and he was the standout performer for his side. Prior to that, he also found the back of the net against Woking, highlighting how the 20-year-old is in excellent form. Solihull will have to be wary of his deep runs into the box from midfield. Both of Fylde’s goals against Forest Green were created from that flank, as Greg Olley provided the assist for the opener, and right back Aaron Drewe created the second. Fylde like to concentrate play down that right side, which means Matty Carson could have plenty of defensive work to get through in the right back position for Solihull. Conclusion This match presents an opportunity for Solihull to get one over newly-promoted opposition and benefit from the quick turnaround following Friday’s defeat. Visit Andy’s Bet Club for daily free betting tips and the Best Free Bets .
Friday night football returns to the National League for game day number 4, which saw bottom placed Solihull Moors travel to 19th placed Scunthorpe United. On the 26th minute, after applying constant pressure for around 5 mins, Moors opened the scoring. A free kick near the halfway line was floated in and Alex Whitmore rose to head it towards the back stick where Jacob Wakeling was waiting to slide the ball home. Scunthorpe 0-1 Moors The lead lasted 4 minutes after Moors lost possession 25 yards out which resulted in Jacob Butterfield taking control of the ball, and the shot looped over Max Metcalfe. Scunthorpe 1-1 Moors In the 56th minute Scunthorpe United took the lead. The ball was crossed in from the left wing which missed everyone but got picked up by the right winger. He then lifted the ball back into the box in which the ball dropped to James Gale's right foot. Scunthorpe 2-1 Moors The home side then made it three on the 76th minute. After moving the ball around on the left hand side, the ball was played into the substitute Alfie Beestin, whose deflected effort nestled into the bottom left hand corner. Scunthorpe 3-1 Moors After a fourth straight league defeat The Moors stay bottom of the National League, whilst Scunthorpe climb into 16th on 4 points. Written by Bryan Connolly
Solihull Moors is delighted to welcome Sans Restaurants as the official match ball sponsor for Monday’s National League fixture against AFC Fylde. Based in Henley-in-Arden, Sans has been a valued and longstanding supporter of the Moors, and the Club is incredibly grateful for its continued backing. Supporters can book a table or order a takeaway from Sans through the Sans of Henley app, available to download from the App Store, or online at www.sansrestaurants.co.uk . Orders and bookings can also be made by calling Rebecca, Sans’ AI receptionist, on 020 4652 2704, contacting the restaurant directly on 01564 792104, or simply visiting the restaurant to order. The Club would like to thank Dennis and the entire team at Sans Restaurants for their loyal support over the years, and we look forward to welcoming them to Damson Park for Monday’s match. The Moors take on AFC Fylde at Damson Park on Bank Holiday Monday, and you can purchase tickets here .
Chris Millington’s Solihull Moors team will welcome an AFC Fylde side led by current boss Craig Mahon to Damson Park on Bank Holiday Monday. The Moors will be looking to collect all three points as they look to climb the Enterprise National League table. The most recent game for The Coasters saw them take on Woking away from home at The Laithwaite Community Stadium, where they were narrowly defeated 3 – 2. Danny Ormerod opened the scoring for Fylde before an equaliser arrived through Matt Ward for the hosts. Harvey Broad then scored the goal to give the visitors the lead once more before strikes from Roy Syla and Taylan Harris, the latter being the winner, gave Woking the win and all three points. AFC Fylde are a club with a history that stretches back to when they were founded back in 1988 when there was a merger between Kirkham Town FC and Wesham FC. The new club took the name ok Kirkham & Wesham, adopting the name of a club that had previously existed whilst playing in the West Lancashire League ahead of the start of the First World War in 1914. They played their first season of competitive football in the West Lancashire League back in the 1988/89 season, taking the place of the extinct Kirkham Town in Division One. They finished bottom of the league in the following season, suffering relegation down to Division Two as a result. It would then take them as many as three seasons to secure their return to Division One, finally securing their long-awaited promotion by the conclusion of the 1992/93 season. However, their stay in that league did not last long, with them going on to suffer relegation once again in the following campaign. It was a rollercoaster few years for the club, and this wild ride was to continue for them the following year, which was when they were going to go on and get promotion to Division One once more. Fast forward to the beginning of the 21 st century, they would go on to avoid defeat in any competition for more than a year, 21 months to be exact, between January 2003 and October 2004. This stunning run of form only ended in what was a very narrow defeat against Dalton United in the league, which only ended in a 1 – 0 loss. They then, in April 2006, completed an incredible hat-trick of victories in the Final of the Lancashire Amateur Shield, beating Charnock Richard, also of the West Lancashire League, 2 – 0 to win this trophy for a third time in a row. They also won the Northern Counties Cup in three successive seasons, in the 2004/05, 2005/06, and 2006/07 campaigns. The club then joined the North West Counties League ahead of the 2007/08 season, winning their first home match of the season on 11 th August 2007 5 – 0 against Darwen in front of a crowd of 105 people. Then, on 24 th April 2008, they won the Division Two knockout trophy following what was a 1 – 0 victory against Bootle before then going on to secure an automatic promotion place, one of the two available, following what was an emphatic 3 – 1 victory over Castleton Cables. Kirkham & Wisham then won the FA Vase trophy at the iconic ground of Wembley, beating Lowestoft Town narrowly 2 – 1 in front of a crowd of 19,537. They were then promoted to the Premier Division at the end of that 2007/08 campaign. It was then back in the 2008/09 season that the club changed their name from Kirkham & Wisham to how they are known as of today, AFC Fylde. We now fast forward to the 2013/14 season, which was very successful for The Coasters. They were able to go on to lift not only the Lancashire FA Challenge Trophy, but they were also able to secure victory in the finals of the Northern Premier Division as well as the play-off final, which saw them secure promotion to the Conference North. AFC Fylde had an incredible maiden season in the Conference North, with them finishing as high as 2 nd place in the league after they had managed to secure a total of 85 points overall in the end. They got to the semi-finals of the playoffs, only losing to Guiseley. Their top scorer that season was the prolific Danny Rowe, who scored as many as 31 goals for The Coasters in the end. It was the 2016/17 season when they would move to what is their current home, Mill Farm, whilst also establishing a Women’s team as well. Throughout that season, they were able to score as many as 109 goals, whilst also accumulating as many as 88 points to secure the National League North title, securing them promotion to the fifth tier, the National League, with the aforementioned Danny Rowe scoring as many as 47 goals – a club record that still stands today. In the 2017/18 season, they reached the second round proper of the FA Cup, only losing 3 – 2 in a replay against Wigan Athletic. As for their league campaign, they were able to get a 7 th place finish, which was their highest ever league finish. In what were expanded playoffs, they lost 2 – 1 to Boreham Wood in the qualifying round. They then finished in 5 th the following season, another club record league finish for the club, only losing 3 – 0 in the playoff final after beating Harrogate Town 3 – 1 and Solihull Moors 1 – 0 along the way. Fylde became the first team to ever win both the FA Trophy and the FA Vase when they were able to beat Leyton Orient 1 – 0 thanks to a free-kick goal from striker Danny Rowe at Wembley. They were unfortunately relegated from the National League on a points-per-game basis following the pandemic in the curtailed 2019/20 season. It took them until the 2022/23 season to secure their return to the top division of non-league football, the National League, as Champions. They would go on to avoid an immediate return to the sixth tier after finishing in 18 th place in the end under Chris Beech. Then in 2024/25, the club were again relegated to the National League North. They were then able to get promoted back to the Enterprise National League last season (2025/26) under new and current, Head Coach Craig Mahon. They won the title with as many as 100 points, doing so in the 46 games that they played that season. They finished 5 points ahead of second-place South Shields. AFC Fylde will be looking ahead to the rest of the 2026/27 season, where they will hope that the momentum that they gained from promotion will mean that they can keep their place in the Enterprise National League come the end of the season. In the opposition dugout – Craig Mahon AFC Fylde’s current boss, Head Coach Craig Mahon, was appointed back on 13 th June 2025 ahead of the beginning of the 2025/26 season, leaving recently relegated National League North club, Curzon Ashton. He led them to the National League North title, and he hopes to keep them in the fifth tier this season. Mahon also had a playing career lasting for 17 years from 2008 to 2009, playing for the likes of Wigan Athletic (2008 - 2009), Accrington Stanley (Loan, 2008), Salford City (2009 - 2010), Burscough (2010), Vauxhall Motors (2010 - 2013), Chester (2013 - 2020), AFC Fylde (Loan, 2013), Ashton United (Loan, 2019 - 2020), Altrincham (2020), and finally the aforementioned Curzon Ashton from 2020 to 2025, serving the club for five years as a player. Key Player – Danny Mayor The experienced Danny Mayor is one of the standout players of AFC Fylde’s squad, having scored 5 goals in 12 appearances since he joined them back in August 2025. His playing career began back in 2016, and he has been with the likes of Liverpool (2016 - 2019), Yeovil Town (Loan, 2018), Crewe Alexandra (Loan, 2018 - 2019), Phoenix Rising (2019 - 2021), FC Tucson (Loan, 2019), Wigan Athletic (2021), and Carlisle United (2021 – 2024), before joining AFC Fylde last year.
The 2026/27 campaign has been a challenging start for Chris Millington’s side thus far, with the club still awaiting their first points of the season – but could things change on Friday as we travel to Scunthorpe United? The Moors have suffered defeats to Harrogate Town, Boston United, Middlesbrough’s U21s and Southend United thus far – though the team performance last weekend left a lot of positives for Millington and his team to take away. On the horizon for Bank Holiday weekend is a trip to Scunthorpe United, a place which has been a positive hunting ground for Solihull Moors teams in years gone by. Ahead of Friday evening’s kick-off, here is everything you need to know… —— An overview of Scunthorpe United: Scunthorpe United (like Solihull) have also experienced a somewhat busy summer – though in their case, they have lost two key playmakers in Cal Roberts & Oli Ewing. Andy Butler’s team have responded with several impressive additions but aside from their victory over Stoke City’s U21s in the National League Cup, they are also yet to win a match in the fifth tier so far this season. They began the season with Luke Brennan scoring an impressive curling effort to rescue a point against Yeovil Town, before slipping to defeat against Southend United and most recently Eastleigh. On home soil, Scunthorpe have only lost once since March, representing a challenging encounter for Chris Millington’s side on Friday night. —— Head-to-head: As mentioned, Solihull Moors have a good record against Scunthorpe United across all competitions. In their six most recent encounters, Solihull won five in a row, before Isaac Moore’s 95 th minute equaliser rescued a point away to Scunthorpe last season. The game promises goals, with their being 27 goals in the last six games between the two teams – including a memorable 4-3 win in August 2022. —— Tickets: Tickets for Friday’s clash against Scunthorpe are available now via the hosts website. The prices are as follows; Adults (22-64): £22.00 Concessions (65+): £17.00 Young Adult (18-21): £17.00 Kids (13-17) £11.00 Under 12s: £0.00 Reminder that children U14 need to be accompanied by an adult as per National League stadium regulations. —— Getting to the Stadium: Glanford Park is located just off the A1077 and is located ten minutes (driving) outside of the town centre. The closest train station to the stadium is Scunthorpe itself, which is located 2.9 miles away – ten minutes in a car or a 46-minute walk. The postcode for the stadium is DN15 8TD and kick off is 7:45pm. —— In the dugout – Andy Butler: The man in the hot seat for Scunthorpe United this Friday is Andy Butler, who has been in charge since May 2024 and is one of the longest-serving managers in the National League. His role at the Iron remains his first permanent managerial role, though he has had a caretaker stint with Doncaster Rovers as well as managed Scunthorpe’s youth team prior to taking the job. He oversaw the club's promotion back to the National League and has taken control of well over 100 matches thus far, averaging a points-per-game rate of 1.81. —— We hope to see as many of you as possible at Attis Arena ahead of Friday’s clash with Scunthorpe United. COYM 🟡🔵 Match preview written by Callum Moseley
