So after our astonishing (and yes it was astonishing having lost the previous three games), over Southend I’ve decided that Solihull is a ground that I will finally get to tick off.

“Over the moors, take me to the moors” is an affectionate nod to The Smiths’ Suffer Little Children which I’m sure you all know and if you don’t then you’re simply too young.

Yes, the new OLED will have to wait until the new year now after I’ve made this bat-brained decision to continue following Shots on the road.

But Solihull aren’t the tour de force that they were last season as we look at the top half of the National League…

Of course what this likely means is that Aldershot will rock up and they’ll suddenly find their shooting boots.

If we scroll down (and it’s usually a long way), we can see that the win against the 🦐 Shrimpers was one that helps keep our heads above water for now.

The inconsistency in results and performance has been an unwanted stay in, well, the past five seasons really. As is the board situation with whoever the new manager will be.

There ‘could’ have been an announcement last Friday but then I heard it had been shelved.

After the Maidenhead game it was good not only to meet Ross and James but also Joe Partington. I have a Twitter follower who is a Bromley fan and she gave me a heads up in Joe before he arrived. He is a born leader and like many Shots fans, if he remains injury-free then I think we will be clear of relegation worry – haven’t we more points already than at this stage last season?

SOLIHULL: Where is it?

Solihull is a market town and the administrative centre of the wider Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in West Midlands County, England. The town had a population of 126,577 at the 2021 Census.

It looks like the football ground is about two and a half mile walk from Solihull station so I’d be taking a taxi there and a taxi back to the station. Any football away day must be planned meticulously, including the listing of local taxi firm numbers!

I’m also liking that it’s a Cross Country train trip. This means it’s quick and easy and with free wifi.

Only one station change at Leamington Spa.

It’s also within personal budget. The only reason I didn’t make Wrexham was that it was £93 compared with £66 the last time I went there. When we won. Remember?

I’m in the red just below the union banner.

So it’s £76 for Solihull and an easy journey, let’s hope we come back with at least a point.

NEARBY PLACES OF ENTERTAINMENT

Solihull Moors have a clubhouse which welcomes away supporters and it is situated outside the stadium. The clubhouse has a total of four bars, three on the main floor and one on the top floor.

En route from the station are three pubs, The Masons Arms, The Greville Arms and The Damson.

Note, the Damson was called The Golden Acres before, it’s been The Damson now for ten years.

I’ve just got round to watching the HiccupEU vlog, as always it makes you FEEL as though you were there. Of course I wish I had gone now but it’s tough battling an illness, watching Aldershot has been an addiction since 1978 for me. So let’s enjoy the match report once more! ❤️💙

OUR OPPONENTS

Solihull Moors were formed after the amalgamation of Solihull Borough and Moor Green Football Clubs in 2007. Moor Green were forced to leave their Moorlands Ground after their Main Stand was destroyed by fire. The ground was known as Damson Park for many years but has been renamed in 2019 SportNation.bet Stadium in a corporate sponsorship deal.

THE STADIUM

Called the Damson Homes Stand, it is two-storey and runs the full length of the pitch. With a capacity of 1,219 seats, it is effectively a ‘double-decker’ stand with a seating area below and up above areas for corporate hospitality boxes, press etc.. Disappointingly for a new stand, it does have a number of supporting pillars running along the front of the lower tier. 

Funny as well that the above image, when I searched for it, was linked to this blog so it’s probably from when I planned a trip a while ago but didn’t make it.

The Draintech End of the ground is a small covered terrace. Although it is only seven steps high, it does run for the full width of the pitch and has a capacity of just under 1,000. If segregation is in place then, most if not all of this end is given to visiting supporters. At the opposite end is the Jerroms Stand, which is also known as the Damson Lane End. This small covered terrace is known to the local fans as the ‘Shed End’. The ground has a set of seven tall floodlight pylons, three of which are located on the Main Stand side and four running down the opposite side. 

Away fans are mostly housed in the Draintech Terrace at one end of the ground. Dependant on numbers then all or part of this terrace is given to visiting supporters. This terrace is mostly covered to the rear and has seven steps with a capacity of just under 1,000.

Here is a direct link to the match tickets page on the Solihull Moors FC website. It does look as though you can pay on the day as an away fan but I’m likely to purchase online.

https://solihullmoorsfc.ticketco.events/uk/en/m/e/solihull_moors_v_aldershot_town

This post will be updated once I’ve secured my travel and match tickets – we will be going there hoping to avoid a score-line like this.