With the National League season now into its final weeks, Solihull Moors are only a couple of wins away from confounding most of their pre-season critics.
Many expected the Midlands outfit to settle around the mid-table area but Andy Whing, who arrived as the new head coach last summer, has led his side to an impressive showing that could finish with a double Wembley appearance.
Moors head to Kent this weekend to take on fellow play-off contenders Bromley in the Isuzu FA Trophy semi-final hoping to secure the first of their two chances to play under the arch.
Their league campaign has been a remarkable effort so far. Having dispensed with the services of Neal Ardley, after a disappointing showing last season that followed a play-off final appearance, highly rated Whing was the slightly surprising choice to succeed him.
The former Brighton and Hove Albion and Coventry City man enjoyed success at Banbury United prior to his appointment at the ARMCO Arena. Still, with this job being his first at the top level of non-league, the expectation was for a rebuilding season.
What Moors fans have had instead is a season that should culminate in a play-off place at the minimum but also the potential for two London trips in the space of a few days given the short gap between the National League Play-off final and Non-League Finals Day just under a week later.
Having seen the departures of long-serving keeper Ryan Boot, Andy Dallas, and Callum Howe over the close season, it would have been no surprise to see them struggle after losing the quality of those three players. Some shrewd work in the transfer market headed up by Director of Football Stephen Ward saw the likes of Matt Warburton, Gus Mafuta and Joss Labadie arrive and an attack still bolstered by Josh Kelly and Mark Beck. Those signings, as well as others, have strengthened the squad at the right times. For example, Jon Benton coming in from Aveley back in September and Tahvon Campbell from Rochdale more recently have provided vital goals and assists to keep the side challenging.
As selected by @MoorsFans, Tahvon Campbell has been voted as our March Player of the Month! 👑
Congratulations, Tahv! 🫡#SMFC pic.twitter.com/wHpfkQyUfl
— Solihull Moors FC (@SolihullMoors) April 3, 2024
Those additions sent the club on a 14-match unbeaten run which didn’t come to an end until early October. Further proof of their staying power in this play-off race is that Moors have not been outside the top seven all season despite an at times testing injury list.
Only Chesterfield and Bromley have lost fewer games than Whing’s side just proving that they are hard to beat. Of the top seven sides, only Bromley have scored fewer goals than Moors, evident that Kelly is still the top scorer despite having left for AFC Wimbledon in the January transfer window.
Their form over the last ten matches has been solid with only two defeats, keeping them inside that top seven but not quite enough to trouble Barnet and Bromley who sit underneath Chesterfield.
Furthermore, their record away from home against those around them is pretty solid, with defeats only to the champions and Altrincham so far and with a trip on the road if they get through the eliminator it stands them in good stead.
Quietly, Moors would have been happy with rebuilding their squad and maybe flirting with the play-off places, but Whing clearly has set a higher target and his players are on course to deliver more than was expected from those looking in from the outside.
If they fail to make it into the Football League as they did two years ago, it’s unlikely to be as disappointing. Ardley’s side were expected to be challenging at that top end of the table, Whing quite conceivably has his squad in a position he possibly thought would happen in a further twelve months’ time, being ahead of the curve is no bad thing, the aim then has to be keeping the club on an upwards trajectory.
A renowned non-league blogger and Barnet FC fan, Trevor covers National League divisions with expertise and passion.
