The rise and resilience of Solihull Moors

The growing process

Bob Faulkner, who was previously the Moor Green boss, was named as the first manager of the new club. The 2010/11 campaign proved to be emotional for everyone at Solihull Moors. Faulkner passed away after a battle with cancer, having been in charge for over 1400 Moor Green and Solihull Moors matches. He is a club legend and the team fought heroically in his honour and marginally missed out on the play-off places.

In the 2011/12 season, the Moors narrowly avoided relegation by one point. The following campaigns were a series of comfortable mid-table finishes. The size of the club also grew as a formalised youth structure and female sides were introduced as the number of teams grew from three to 27. By 2014, attendance was up by 80%. The mood dramatically lifted as the team progressed and fans got accustomed to the situation. This progress was rounded off by the club’s biggest achievement to date.

In 2016, under Marcus Bignot’s management, the Moors secured promotion from the sixth tier to the National League. It clinched the National League North title with 85 points, winning it with three games left.

Since then, the West-Midlands-based side has remained in the fifth division but has come agonisingly close to Football League promotion on two occasions. Under Neal Ardley's stewardship in the 2021/22 season, the Moors placed third in the table and headed into the play-offs. It swept aside Chesterfield in the semi-final before a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat against Grimsby Town in the final at the London Stadium.

Ardley couldn’t recapture his magic touch in the following season, and in the summer of 2023, he was succeeded by Andy Whing, who had led Banbury United to the Southern Premier Central Division title and successfully avoided relegation in the National League North. 

Whing's brilliant tenure and the Wembley experiences

Whing’s first campaign, in 2023/24, was an intoxicating rollercoaster. The side beat Bromley to reach their first FA Trophy final at Wembley. It also finished in the play-offs and overcame FC Halifax Town and Barnet to book another trip to Wembley through the promotion final. 

However, the Moors drew the play-off final 2-2 against Bromley and lost on penalties. One week later, in the FA Trophy final against Gateshead, it was the same scoreline and another devastating penalty shootout defeat.

Daniel Jones has worked for the Moors on commentary since August 2023 via Switch Radio, a community-based station in Birmingham, broadcasted on 107.5 FM and DAB in Solihull. This has allowed Jones to follow the Moors to every home and away game, including the two Wembley trips.

“The play-off final was pure optimism,” he reminisced. “As a commentator, you sell these storylines, and no matter what the situation, even if Bromley were dominating, you'd find a way to try and say the Moors would win. When we lost the shootout, it sucked all the life and enjoyment out of that day. To see another team celebrating was horrendous and it felt like it should have been you.”

For Jones, the FA Trophy final loss compounded a gut-wrenching week for himself and the football club.

He said: “That final was debatably one of the worst moments and feelings I've had because I was convinced we would win. To go to penalties and lose it again, there isn’t a feeling or a word to describe it. I was so drained. I can’t imagine what the players and management felt like. It was such a disappointing duo of matches. I can’t think about the Wembley games too often. 

“Most journalists and commentators don’t get too attached to their job, they’re there more for the event itself but these finals were intrinsically linked to my personal relationship with Solihull Moors. You can’t help but get attached to it. After doing the whole season, you want that moment with everybody involved with the club and when that doesn't happen it's hard. But you've also got to appreciate that not many people get to do Wembley once, never mind two times so that's positive.”