FOOTBALL: MARK Yates said he was ‘delighted’ with Solihull Moors’ response as they earned a 1-1 draw against Maidstone United.
It was Yates’ first game in charge of Moors, and it couldn’t have got off to a worse start as his side conceded within a minute of play.
But, with the help of on-loan striker Kwame Thomas, Moors drew level in the second half to earn a point – a point which lifted them off the foot of the National League table as Torquay United lost.
Reacting to the draw, Yates said he was pleased with his side’s character.
He added: “We weren’t at our best but I was pleased with the effort.
“I said to them at half-time that we can get something out of this if you believe in yourselves – and we did.
“We caused them problems and we were going for the win at the end, I’m delighted with that.
“I saw Maidstone play Cheltenham two weeks ago and they were the best team I’ve seen in League Two and the National League all season.
“It was a big ask to come here today and get something but I thought we showed great resilience and character – the boys have shown me that they care and it matters.”
Despite only arriving at the club earlier in the week, Yates praised the display of debutant Thomas.
“Kwame Thomas was unplayable, he was outstanding today,” said Yates.
“I’m delighted we’ve got him.
“He scored a one-yard tap in and he totally deserved it, he was brilliant after a great strike from Akwasi (Asante).
“I don’t care how other results have gone, we’ve just got to look after ourselves.
“Although we’ve conceded two goals a game on average, I think there’s something there to work with in the defence.
With plenty of hard work still to be done, Yates remained clear in his message that the team must not let their performance levels drop.
He said: “We’ve got to make sure it’s not one game where we show a bit of fighting spirit.
“We couldn’t have had a tougher start but the boys have responded great and started well for us.”
