SOLIHULL Moors will be relishing hosting Bromley in the Emirates FA Cup second round after brushing aside Maidstone United 3-0 last Saturday.
The tie against Bromley – who beat Moors in the play-off final in May to earn promotion to the EFL – will be played at Damson Park between November 29 and December 2, with the winners going through to the third round where the Premier League and Championship clubs join the competition.
Last Saturday against Maidstone, there was a bright start for Solihull when top scorer in all competitions, Jack Stevens, went close – his curled shot whistling past the post. The game then went into a stalemate with few chances although Moors youngster Finn Howell did prevent Pierre Fonkou from a dangerous one-on-one.
As Moors searched for answers, Jamey Osborne’s long throw conjured up some attacking moments. This tactic set up an Alex Whitmore header, with Alexis Andre Jr equal to the effort.
Whitmore again proved to be the unlikely goal threat when James Gale’s floated delivery set up the centre-back for the best opportunity of the opening 45 minutes. But the defender could not direct his header on target.
In the 50th minute, the home side eventually opened the scoring when Osborne’s throw-in led to a goalmouth scramble and James Clarke bundled the ball into the net.
Moments later, the 24-year-old produced a sensational goalline clearance at the other end to deny Maidstone an instant equaliser.
Moors continued to provide a stubborn resistance and limited the visitors to feed off scraps and set pieces until a deflected Antony Papadopoulos strike fell into Charlie Seaman’s path, but the Stones forward failed to sort out his feet and his effort trickled harmlessly wide.
And in the 89th minute, the Moors won a penalty after Stevens drew a foul in the box. The electric winger netted the resulting spot-kick to seal the victory.
Moors added a third in the dying seconds when Michael Adu-Poku’s magnificent run and pace brilliantly set up Conor Wilkinson. The striker remained calm and collected and tucked the ball away from close range.
