MAGIC MOORS ON A MISSION
HIGH-FLYING Solihull Moors continued their promotion push with an impressive victory at struggling Rochdale – which leaves the Dale’s own play-off hopes hanging by a thread.
Tahvon Campbell returned to haunt the hosts, netting the winner shortly after the break – his first for Moors since transferring from Rochdale – after Callum Maycock’s early strike had been cancelled out by Dale’s Cian Hayes.
“I’m really, really delighted,” said Solihull boss Andy Whing. “Unbelievable performance, unbelievable result and a great mentality. To a man they were outstanding, really good performance by everyone.
“There’s a real togetherness from the lads, and we have a lot of attacking options now we’ve brought in Campbell, and it was great for him [to get the winner], and it was great for us.”
Moors burst out of the traps and could’ve been front inside two minutes when Jack Stevens laid the ball off to Joe Sbarra inside the area but his powerful low effort was well parried by Tiernan Brooks in the Dale goal.
But, seven minutes later, Moors made it count when Campbell took down another neat pull back by on the right from Stevens, and Maycock was on hand to slot the ball into the bottom corner from ten yards.
Dale weren’t shaken and equalised within ten minutes when Ryan East spread the ball over to Hayes on the right and the Fleetwood loanee cut back onto his left and hit a low curling effort into the far corner – his first goal since returning to The Crown Oil Arena.
Ian Henderson fired into the side-netting for Dale butm, at the other end, Brooks was forced into further saves by Tyrese Shade and Campbell.
And six minutes after the restart, the visitors retook the lead – a speculative effort from distance from Stevens deflected into the roof of the net from close range by Campbell.
Brooks did well to keep out Sbarra late on and the hosts might have nicked a point in stoppage time when Devante Rodney raced clear and squared to his fellow sub Tyrese Sinclar, but he blazed over from 10 yards.
“We’ve just lost four on the spin,” said Dale boss Jimmy McNulty. “We need to be humble, accept that we’ve done things wrong, and make it right. I think a draw would’ve been fair but that’s football, it happens.
“The fans won’t be happy with the result, and the players aren’t, but singing all the way to the end, in awful conditions, that’s empowering.”