TIM FLOWERS
SOLIHULL MOORS – CHARTING THEIR RISE FROM THE ABYSS...
The former Blackburn stopper reveals the secrets behind Solihull Moors’ rise up the charts
Whisper it very quietly, but surely there has been no greater resurgence in English football than that of Solihull Moors over the last year?
Bottom of the National League at Christmas, Moors were odds-on to continue the age-old tradition of a club being relegated if they resided at the foot of the pile. A miserable start to the league campaign had seen Moors, then managed by Liam MacDonald, rooted to the pit of the table and the only question being asked – despite a pick-up in form before the Festive period – was ‘when’ they would be relegated, rather than ‘if ’.
Indeed, rewind back to this weekend exactly 12 months ago, and Moors were sinking into the abyss of the National League with the bull ring of National North waiting. The club’s opening 16 games had heralded a paltry nine points, with only two wins and three draws. MacDonald had not long left the club, while his replacement, Richard Money, was into the third week of what would be a tempestuous 26-day tenure. Unable to commit himself to the arduous task that lay ahead, Money called it quits before he had even had time to park the car and from then on, the fat lady was well and truly clearing her throat!
But after caretaker boss Gary Whild had attempted to steady the ship, in came Mark Yates and his assistant Tim Flowers, with the pair overseeing a steady rise in form as Moors lost only three of their next ten outings. The Great Escape then hit full throttle in the New Year, Moors closing out the second half of the season with a run of form that would leave Champions doffing their caps in appreciation: Played 18; won 9; drew 6; lost 3.
Consistency
“It was hard work,” says Flowers. “We had to bring in a few players and get rid of a lot, and as quickly as we could because if we didn’t we would have been struggling to maintain our National League status. “But our home record last season, from November onwards, was superb. We only lost one game and that was against Eastleigh (4-1) and that was the final game of the season, once we were safe. You just have to give credit to the players; they just found a way.” Nobody at the club would say that losing Yates in the summer was not a blow, with the 48year-old answering a call from promoted Macclesfield to replace John Askey. But in Flowers, the club had their replacement waiting with the engine still purring. Continuity has been key to Moors’ rise and under the guidance of the former Blackburn Rovers keeper, the club and players knew what they were going to get: stability, consistency and, above all, hard work.
It’s a formula that has seen the unfancied Midlanders climb to fifth place in the National League table, with an emphasis placed on looking below them rather than above.
“It’s almost like that momentum from last season has carried on; to have 31 points from 16, I have to be absolutely delighted with that so far.” adds Flowers.
“My general attitude has always been that if it ain’t broke, don’t try and fix it. You are looking for consistency. We do what it says on the tin; we are a humble group who stay true to our values. I have said I don’t really want any high-maintenance players.
“There is a terrific spirit between the players and they seem to get on really well. I have got players in the squad who have won the division so they are a good example to the younger lads.
“We lost a couple of players in the summer, and we had to get our recruitment right. Max O’Leary went back to Bristol City; he’d done brilliantly for us. Ryan Boot has come in and has been terrific, Alex Gudger has come in and has been outstanding, as has Danny Wright, so we have run with a small squad but pretty much the core of what we had last year have stayed and have done very well.
“I am delighted with the way the new guys have come in and bedded in to the way we want to play, which is first and foremost grafting. There are lads who would probably prefer to play in different positions, but they just get on with it. The atmosphere around the place and the way the players conduct themselves has been first class.
“Training has been good, and we now have analysis on individual players and teams and we have gone full-time on that, which is a big help. So slowly but surely we are trying to roll with a full-time professional attitude because if you don’t do that your backs will be up against the wall. On the field, I can’t complain with anything I have seen.”
Despite Flowers’ bullish outlook, the common consensus remains that Moors’ run at the top end of the National League will not last, but it’s a theory Flowers is content to let others have. And, just as Sutton United and Boreham Wood proved last term, the big guns can underestimate the young pretenders at their peril.
Also, there comes a point where league tables do not lie. The congestion of August often sees teams sparring as they work on their most settled sides after the travails of pre-season. Come October, you are where you are on merit.
Determined
“Are we punching above our weight?” asks Flowers. “It’s a long season but the key element is to keep your mouth shut and wait until April and then you will know where you are.
“People go on about early tables after the first four or five games, and it’s an absolute waste of time. We won our first three games and I had people asking me questions about the season and I was like, ‘hang on a minute here, let’s wait and see.
“But now after 15-16 games we are where we are and we are there because we have worked tremendously hard, individually and collectively and we know what we are doing. After a third of the season we need to look at it, and take stock, and if it pans out that way for the next two thirds of the season we are going to be there or thereabouts play-off wise.
“Having said that, there are probably 15 clubs who have bigger attendances and budgets, and who think they have every right to be up there come May. We’re not stupid; we know what we are up against. If we are not on it week in week out, we know we will be found wanting.
“We have to make sure we have our foot on the pedal and if we do we are confident whoever we play they will be in for a game.”
“THE LADS HAVE JUST GOT AND ON WITH IT WHAT BOUGHT INTO I WANT, WHICH GRAFTING” IS Tim Flowers – Solihull manager