Get the lowdown on our next opponents: Solihull Moors
The Opposition
Solihull Moors have seen a remarkable rise in form since the arrival of Chris Millington, and will be looking to compete towards the top-end of the National League after overseeing a period of flux following the departure of Andy Whing.
Established in the fifth tier since their promotion in 2016, the Moors have steadily moved to become contenders towards the play-off places, with Whing the most recent boss to guide them to a top seven finish after Neal Ardley and Tim Flowers.
However, the departure of Whing to Barrow set the club on a downward slope, with the arrival of former Wealdstone manager Matt Taylor failing to have the desired effect, and led to his dismissal in September with the club rooted at the bottom of the table, just eight months after taking charge.
The appointment of Millington has seemingly had the opposite impact though, with the Moors rising to 12th in the table in the time since he took over. They have lost just two league games under his watch, and key to their swift change in form has been their defensive record, keeping five clean sheets in Millington’s first seven games, while goals scored have also begun to flow at a much more consistent rate, adding 13 goals across that same period.
With eight of their top nine appearance makers being defenders, it is a clear example of the importance a consistent spine has had to their improved run of keeping goals out, with Alex Whitmore notably continuing his run starts in the squad, having completed 90 minutes in all but three games last season, while the likes of Laurie Walker, Brad Nicholson, James Clarke, Oscar Rutherford, Ollie Tipton and Cameron Green have all played at least 20 times so far this term – more than anyone else in the squad.
At the other end, Jacob Wakeling has been tasked with filling the gap left by Conor Wilkinson, who has appeared just eight times this season, and Jack Stevens, who departed the ARMCO Arena to join Oldham Athletic in the summer. The former Peterborough United man has scored seven times this season though, half of his predecessor’s 2024/25 tally, and has been aided by the mid-season arrivals of Joe Sbarra (Doncaster Rovers), Scott High (Barnet) and Tyrese Sinclair (York City), bolstering a frontline which already includes a talented array of players, including Bradley Stevenson, Darius Lipsiuc, Callum McFarlane, Szhem Whyte-Hall and Emmanuel Sonupe.
The Manager
Chris Millington
A midfielder by trade in his playing days, Chris Millington had turned out for Manchester City as youngster before spells at York City and Crewe Alexandra before transitioning into coaching with stints with Altrincham’s Under-18’s and Stockport County’s Centre of Excellence, as well as taking over at Curzon Ashton in 2016.
He would briefly move to Croatia before joining up with Pete Wild for the first time, and they would together work in the Oldham Athletic academy before being promoted to the first team following the sackings of Frankie Bunn and Paul Scholes. Millington would later follow Wild to FC Halifax Town and remained as his right-hand man for three seasons. After Wild opted to depart in the summer for League Two side Barrow, Millington was chosen to fill the vacancy.
The 49-year old subsequently guided the Shaymen to two play-off campaigns and an FA Trophy win in 2023, beating Gateshead in the final, before resigning from his post in the summer ahead three years in West Yorkshire.
He since made the switch to Solihull in October, replacing outgoing boss Matt Taylor, and has guided the club to impressive seven wins in all competitions so far, as well as leading them away from the drop zone, with the Moors currently sitting 12th in the National League.
One to Watch
Joe Sbarra
Fan favourite Joe Sbarra returned to Solihull on a two-month loan deal, joining the club for a third spell with the Moors.
Having begun his career in the West Bromwich Albion youth setup, Sbarra moved to Burton Albion and rose through the ranks at the Pirelli Stadium, making his senior debut on the final day of the 2016/17 season as a substitute, aged just 18-years old. He was later rewarded for his breakthrough with a new contract, although he had to wait until the 2019/20 campaign for his first goal, notching just a few minutes into a 2-2 draw with Portsmouth.
He had previously spent two months on loan at Solihull at the end of the 2018/19 campaign, appearing a handful of times as the club narrowly missed out on automatic promotion, and later falling short in the play-offs too, but he returned to the club on a permanent basis with unfinished business to rectify, and went on to spend four years at Damson Park.
Sbarra became a fans’ favourite during his time at Solihull, playing over 100 times as the club secured a number of mid-table finishes in the National League as well as a third place finish in 2021/22, with the Moors again losing out in the play-offs, though by this point the midfielder had become one of the most dangerous players in the division, and led to him being picked up by League Two side Doncaster Rovers in May 2024.
He has since racked up almost 50 appearances for the club in all competitions and helped them win promotion last term, but after playing just three times in League One so far, he returned to Solihull on loan, adding a further five appearances since making the move back to the ARMCO Arena.
Recent Form
Solihull Moors 2-2 AFC Fylde (8-9 on pens)
Forest Green Rovers 1-1 Solihull Moors
Solihull Moors 1-1 Wealdstone
Solihull Moors 4-1 Manchester United
FC Halifax Town 2-0 Solihull Moors
Solihull Moors 3-0 Scunthorpe United
Last Time Out
Pat Boyes was the hero for AFC Fylde as Solihull Moors were eliminated from the Isuzu FA Trophy at the Third Round.
On the stroke of half-time Fylde deservedly hit the front, as a corner swung in from the far side that Danny Ormerod rose highest to meet a glancing header which crept into the far corner, and he doubled their lead when a long ball caused confusion at the heart of the Moors’ defence, allowing the striker knocked it past goalkeeper Laurie Walker and tap into the empty net to grab his brace.
Solihull grabbed a goal back with just over 20 minutes to go as half time substitute Darius Lipsiuc halved the deficit after beating Pat Boyes, and it was two within 11 minutes for the hosts after Jacob Wakeling’s effort smashed the crossbar, with striker Bradley Stevenson bundling home the rebound to level the score.
Fylde had chances to grab a late winner as Luke Hunter squandered an opportunity before Taelor O’Kane had an effort well blocked, but it was to be decided by spot kicks after the scores were level at 90 minutes.
Tom Whelan stepped up first and calmly converted as Fylde took a strong start in the shootout, but it then looked like it wouldn’t be the Coasters’ afternoon as Luke Hunter blazed over. As a result, Sinclair was given the opportunity to win it for Solihull, but Pat Boyes stepped up with a huge save to send the spot-kicks to sudden death.
Boyes was then forced into a second save to deny James Clarke after Max Taylor’s effort crashed off the top of the crossbar and after 20 spot kicks, it was the goalkeepers to take centre stage.
The Solihull goalkeeper expertly picked out the top corner before pulling off a great stop to deny Walker as Fylde advanced to the Fourth Round of the FA Trophy.
