FOOTBALL: RICHARD Money admitted he was ‘delighted’ to see Solihull Moors earn a hard-fought three points at Eastleigh on Tuesday night.
Goals either side of half time from Jermaine Hylton and Oladapo Afolayan gave the Moors a much-needed 2-1 victory away from home.
Despite the win – which is only Moors’ third of the season – Money’s men remain rooted to the bottom of the National League table having secured just 11 points from 17 games.
But the future does look a little brighter for Moors, with 20th placed Chester only four points ahead.
Speaking to Luke Turner after Tuesday night’s win, Money said he was delighted with his side’s performance and hinted it’s the start of a ‘new balance’ the Moors squad can offer for the remainder of the season.
He said: “From one to 11 I thought we were very good.
“We’ve been searching for the right balance between offense and defence and for the right formula.
“Gradually, we’ve eased our way to what we started with tonight.
“I thought we played with a really good shape and intelligence – the front three are a problem for anyone.
“We felt we needed to try and find a way to get those three in the team.
“We’ve tried to play 3-4-3 and probably left ourselves a bit open, tonight we decided to go 4-3-3 in the hope that it would suit us better.”
Money opted to recall Paul Green to the starting 11 as well as shuffling Kristian Green into the centre of defence to partner Liam Daly – something that allowed a front three of Hylton, Afolayan and Akwasi Asante.
The manager was quick to praise those players in particular.
“Paul Green coming back into the team was a real bonus,” said Money.
“Him, Courtney (Richards) and Darren (Carter) really gave us some solidity in the middle and enabled the front three to cause problems all night.
“Their interchange was good, they filled in for each other really well but it’s just the start.
“It’s a great three points and a really important win, but to a certain degree it’s almost a waste of time if we don’t back it up at the weekend.
“If we can back it up at the weekend then a tough week will end up being a good week, but we’ve still got it all to do.”
Next up for Solihull is a tough encounter with AFC Fylde at the Automated Technology Stadium this Saturday.
Three points should be enough to lift Solihull from the bottom of the National League, and that is Money’s aim.
He said: “It’s never easy in this league and every game for us is a real challenge but we can look forward to it with a little bit more momentum and hope.
“They know they’ve played well – let’s see if we can back it up.”
