MOORS’ FIVE-STAR SHOWING
SATURDAY MATCH CENTRE
TIM Flowers labelled Solihull Moors’ drubbing of Maidstone as the “perfect way to bounce back” from FA Trophy heartbreak, after a first-half Jermaine Hylton hat-trick set his side on the way to victory, while further damaging the visitors’ survival hopes. Darren Carter’s firsthalf free-kick and a goal from substitute Adi Yussuf to cap off the victory in stoppage time, was a just reward for Moors’ efforts. “It was an emphatic win and an excellent performance,” said Flowers. “It was a classic game in Solihull Moors’ DNA today – in your face with balls in behind and balls forward, sending the ball into the big men and making it stick. “We brought full-backs and midfielders into play and got plenty of balls into the box, we won countless set-plays and converted them. “That’s what we’ve been about since I’ve been in this building, and we’ve improved steadily at it today.” Flowers was impressed by the quality of the finishing of his team, and thought his side could have had more. We could’ve had two before we scored. We just looked potent, as if we were always going to carve chances out, but we were ruthless.
“It’s not an easy thing to do going 4-0 up against any opponent at half-time, we put them to the sword and we must make sure that we replicate that kind of intensity and ferocity until the end of the season.”
Solihull had striker Danny Wright back in the starting 11 for the first time since a three-game suspension, and he was denied a goal on his return inside the opening couple of minutes.
A double save from DionCurtis Henry from Wright and then Carter’s efforts at goal were a signal of what was to come, as Moors dominated the proceedings with their determination to challenge for every ball and their physicality in the final third.
The first goal arrived on ten minutes when George Carline’s long throw was headed on into the path of Hylton, shifting the ball onto his left foot before rolling the ball past the keeper.
Carter left Henry motionless four minutes later, after he swept his
free-kick beyond him and sent the ball into the bottom-left corner.
The third arrived just before the half-hour mark when Carline’s long-throw was again headed into Hylton’s path, who flicked a header home, sealing his hat-trick with a 33rd minute penalty after sending the keeper the wrong way.
The relenting Wright continued to battle late on, and his efforts reaped a final goal of the night, when Yussuf met his centre.
Maidstone United head coach Hakan Hayrettin said: “Every player is going to be important for our runin.
“We just didn’t deal with what they threw at us, even though we prepared for it.”