Solihull Moors: Club history
The story of Solihull Moors only dates back to 2007 when Southern Premier League side Solihull Borough merged with their tenants, Moor Green, then playing in the Conference North.
The two clubs, both based in the West Midlands town, joined together following two arson attacks at the home of Moor Green, The Moorlands, forced them to ground-share at Damson Park, the home of Solihull Borough.
After two seasons as tenants, the sides agreed to a merger at the end of the 2006-07 season with the new club taking Moor Green’s place in the Conference North for the 2007-08 campaign.
With former Moor Green boss Bob Faulkner in charge, the first four seasons of the new club were largely about surviving at Conference North level. It was not until the 2010-11 campaign when Faulkner appeared to have put together a side which began to challenge for the top spots in the division.
They were in a healthy position in the division when Faulkner died and was replaced by Mickey Moore, who had previously managed Solihull Borough. The tragic passing seemed to galvanise the small playing squad who burst in to the play-off spots, before eventually fading to miss out by four points.
The run earned Moore the job at Mansfield Town and he was replaced by former Bristol Rovers player Marcus Bignot. Momentum was lost and the club finished one point above the drop zone in the 2011-12 campaign. There were 9th, 8th and 12th place finishes over the following three seasons but the club kept its nerve and stuck with Bignot. Patience paid off as the 2015-16 campaign saw them go unbeaten until December and eventually secure the title by a comfortable nine points.
Their first campaign in the National League Premier also saw a first meeting between Moors and The Glovers when Darren Way‘s League Two side came out of the FA Cup First Round Proper hat… but without Bignot, who had been given permission to talk with League Two side Grimsby Town. Having gone 2-0 up at Huish Park with goals from Ryan Hedges and Otis Khan it looked a formality for Yeovil Town to progress but the sending off of Kevin Dawson turned the match and Solihull snatched a replay. That saw an embarrassing Yeovil performance: 0-0 after 90 minutes, the EFL side did take the lead early in extra-time (Francois Zoko) only to concede a penalty just a few minutes later; 1-1, the tie went to penalties. Misses by Ryan Dickson and Tom Eaves, while the home side were faultless, saw Solihull Moors through 4-2. Five days later Yeovil chairman John Fry announced a two and half year extension to Way’s contract.
Bignot took a number of players with him to Grimsby including Jamey Osborne, star of the first tie against Yeovil, and the club’s leading striker Akwasi Asante. His replacement as manager, Liam McDonald, guided Moors to a 16th placed finish, but a miserable start to the 2017-18 campaign saw him sacked by early October with the club in 23rd place. In came ex-Bristol Rovers boss Richard Money. He lasted 26 days before quitting with the club rooted to the bottom of the table in 24th.
In came former Cheltenham Town player and manager Mark Yates, bringing Tim Flowers, the former England goalkeeper, with him as his assistant in November 2017 and brought about an escape in unpromising circumstances with Moors finishing 18th, six points above the relegation line.
Yates was then snapped up in the summer by League Two side Macclesfield Town… where he would last just into October as the Silkmen drew 4 and lost 8 of their first 12 games.
Meanwhile back at Damson Park, Flowers stepped up to the No.1 role and the 2018-19 campaign saw a 2nd place finish and the play-offs. Top scorer for the season was Adi Yussuf (which Yeovil Town fans may find hard to believe). Moors went out at the semi-final stage to AFC Fylde.
During the season the club was taken over by former Oxford United chairman Darryl Eales and automotive trade businessman Calvin Barnett and there was some (much needed) investment in the stadium. On the pitch in the (to be truncated) 2019-20 season Flowers wasn’t matching the new owners ambitions and was gone by January. His replacement was Jimmy Shan out of the West Bromwich Albion youth set up. Moors missing out on the play-offs, finishing 9th after PPG calculations.
The 2020-21 season didn’t start until October and Shan didn’t complete it, sacked in March. With the season abandoned in the regional divisions Yates returned “on loan” from Southern League Stourbridge. He took them on a good run, winning 11 of the final 16 games; but not good enough to reach the play-offs with Moors finishing 11th. Whether Solihull would have been tempted to break its ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ with Stourbridge if he’d taken them that step further we’ll never know – he didn’t, and they didn’t. At the end of the season he went back to the parent club.
The summer of 2021 saw the arrival of ex-Notts County and AFC Wimbledon boss Neal Ardley. Finishing 3rd, Solihull avoided the first round of the play-offs, beat Chesterfield 3-1 in their semi-final, but came up against Grimsby Town in the final. The Mariners were engaged in one of those “written in the stars” moments. Having beaten Notts County away 2-1 a.e.t. and Wrexham away 5-4 a.e.t. it seemed inevitable they’d carry it on at Wembley… and they did, 2-1 a.e.t.
In 2022-23, Moors started the campaign well and again consistently found themselves up until Christmas before falling away and eventually finishing 15th. The decision of the board to allow star striker Andrew Dallas go out on loan to eventual champions Chesterfield in March before a permanent move was an admission that promotion was off the cards. Ardley departed by mutual consent in the summer and was replaced by Andy Whing, who had recently left National League North outfit Banbury United.
Whing picked Moors back up and last season they were back in the play-offs following a fifth placed finish. They made it past FC Halifax Town and Barnet on their way to another Wembley date against Bromley and, following 120 minutes, went to penalties after a 2-2 draw. They lost 4-3 on spot kicks and were resigned to another season in the non-League.
This season, Solihull were firmly in the play-off race after a strong start to the season, but a surprise exit from the FA Trophy at the hands of lower league Radcliffe Borough and league defeats to Eastleigh and Braintree Town at the start of 2025 saw the promotion push hit a bump. That was compounded by the departure of Whing who joined League Two side Barrow, with the Cumbrians paying a fee for his services.
He left them in seventh place and still in the play-off places when his replacement Matty Taylor joining after Solihull triggered a release clause from his contract with Wealdstone. Since his appointment, Moors have won only once, against bottom side Ebbsfleet United, and have fallen in to mid-table.
Solihull Moors: We’ve Met Before
Previous Results for Yeovil Town First Team vs Solihull Moors
| 05/11/2016 | Home | FAC2 | D | 2-2 | 2118 | Hedges 8, Khan 52 | |
| 15/11/2016 | Away | FAC2R | L | 1-1 | 1460 | Zoko 93 – lost 4-2 on penalties AET | |
| 21/09/2019 | Away | NLP | W | 1-0 | 1525 | Wilkinson 58 | |
| 04/01/2020 | Home | NLP | D | 0-0 | 2907 | ||
| 24/04/2021 | Away | NLP | L | 1-5 | 0 | Murphy 54 | |
| 27/04/2021 | Home | NLP | W | 3-0 | 0 | Quigley 27,53,71 | |
| 30/10/2021 | Away | NLP | D | 0-0 | 1607 | ||
| 05/02/2022 | Home | NLP | D | 0-0 | 1955 | ||
| 08/10/2022 | Home | NLP | W | 1-0 | 2244 | Johnson 58 | |
| 15/04/2022 | Away | NLP | D | 2-2 | 1813 | Siziba 53, Bevan 83 | |
| 10/09/2024 | Home | NLP | L | 0-1 | 2849 |
Results Summary For Yeovil Town First Team vs Solihull Moors
| Home | Away | Overall | ||||||||||||
| W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A |
| 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 11 |
Solihull Moors: Club Statistics
RECENT RESULTS
| 14/01/2025 | Eastleigh | Home | NLP | L | 0-1 | 751 | |
| 18/01/2025 | Braintree Town | Away | NLP | L | 0-1 | 807 | |
| 25/01/2025 | FC Halifax Town | Home | NLP | L | 0-2 | 1316 | |
| 01/02/2025 | Wealdstone | Away | NLP | D | 1-1 | 1418 | Whitmore 45 |
| 08/02/2025 | Oldham Athletic | Home | NLP | L | 0-1 | 1686 | |
| 15/02/2025 | Barnet | Away | NLP | L | 1-3 | 1732 | Holman 46 |
| 19/02/2025 | Woking | Away | NLP | L | 0-1 | 1526 | |
| 22/02/2025 | Gateshead | Home | NLP | L | 1-3 | 903 | Holman 90+1 |
| 25/02./2025 | Aldershot Town | Away | NLP | L | 1-3 | 1603 | Holman 76 |
| 04/03/2025 | Sutton United | Home | NLP | D | 1-1 | 683 | Stevens 18 |
| 08/03/2025 | Ebbsfleet United | Home | NLP | W | 2-1 | 848 | Duku 43, 85 |
| 15/03/2025 | Hartlepool United | Away | NLP | D | 1-1 | Duku 76 |
ATTENDANCE STATISTICS
Highest League Attendance: 2,797 v Tamworth, 31/12/2024
Lowest League Attendance: 683 v Sutton United, 04/03/2025
Average League Attendance: 1252
CURRENT LEAGUE SEQUENCE STATISTICS
| Games Without A Win: | 1 | Games Without A Home Win: | 0 | |
| Games Without An Away Win: | 6 | Games Without Defeat: | 2 | |
| Games Without A Home Defeat: | 2 | Games Without An Away Defeat: | 1 | |
| Games Without A Draw: | 0 | Games Without A Score Draw: | 0 | |
| Games Without A No-Score Draw: | 37 | Games Without Scoring: | 0 | |
| Games Without Conceding: | 0 | Home Results Sequence: | LLLLDW | |
| Away Results Sequence: | LDLLLD | Overall Results Sequence: | LLLDWD |
Solihull Moors: Club Information
Damson Park (current sponsorship name ARMCO Arena),
Damson Parkway,
Solihull
B92 9EJ
(Click for map)
Telephone Number: 0121 7056770
Email: info@solihullmoorsfc.co.uk
Chairman: Darryl Eales
Club Secretary: Ian Silvester
Operations Director: Richard Blackmore
Safety Officer: Chris O’Neill|
Director of Football: Stephen Ward
Manager: Matty Taylor
Capacity: 5,500
Seated: 2,131
Covered Terrace: Yes
Record Attendance : 4,206 v Chesterfield, National League Play-off Semi-Final 29/05/2022
Colours: yellow with white trim shirt, blue with white trim shorts, yellow socks
Nickname: The Moors
Programme: Free (digital only)
Ticket Prices
The game against Yeovil Town on Saturday March 22nd with a 3.00 p.m. kick-off are on sale and can be bought – HERE. Once again, we are designated as a Category A game – Yeovil are massive, everywhere we go, etc. March 22nd is Non-League Day and therefore if you were hoping that Solihull had slashed ticket prices, booked ELO for a concert in the car park and put on a beer festival – you’re going to be disappointed.
Adult: £21.00
Concessions (65 years+ and 18-24 years with valid student card):£17.00
Under-18s: £9.00
Under-12s: FREE
No-one aged under 14 years is allowed in to the stadium without a full paying adult.
The one (minor) advantage in being a Category A game is the £1.00 surcharge in place last season for buying on the day rather than in advance appears to have been scrapped for fixtures so designated this term. The ticket office is on the right hand side as one approaches the stadium off Damson Parkway by the corner of The Damson Homes Stand and the home end (Jerroms Stand) terrace.
Away supports are housed in the Forest Stand (standing covered terrace), Blocks L and M which are part of the same terrace and not divided as the Blocks suggest. We have also been allocated Block N of uncovered seating in The East End. Away fans enter through turnstiles 9 & 10. Prices are the same for both terrace and seating.
Disabled Info: There is no specific information available for disabled supporters on the Solihull website, however, it does have an Accessibility Policy which contained the following information:
Prices as applicable above plus one ‘personal assistant’ admitted FREE of charge. To be entitled to a free personal assistant ticket, all supporters will need to be in receipt of one of the following:
- The middle rate care component or the highest rate mobility component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA), War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement or the enhanced daily living component or Personal Independence Payments (PIP).
- Severe Disablement Allowance or Attendance Allowance.
- War Pensioners’ Mobility Allowance or War or Service Disablement Pension for 80% or more disability.
- Blind or partially sighted registration certificate (BD8 or CVI Certificate) or evidence from an eye specialist, for example an optometrist, that the individual would qualify to be registered as severely sight impaired (blind) or sight impaired (partially sighted).
Supporters who do not have any of the above but feel they do require a carer ticket are advised to contact the ticket office on 0121 705 6770 to discuss their personal case further.
There are eight accessible parking places available for disabled supporters at Damson Park.
Should any visiting disabled supporters have any specific queries, please contact Jo Malin on 0121 705 6770 or email jo.malin@solihullmoorsfc.co.uk
Official Away Travel
The Green & White Supporters’ Club is running away travel to Solihull Moors on Saturday, April 15th with a 3.00 p.m. kick-off.
Details are as follows:
Members: Adults £29, Concessions £27
Non-Members: Adults £32, Concessions £30
Coach departs Huish Park: 8.45 a.m.
To book, call Paul Hadlow on 07736 044570 (after 6.00 p.m. please).
Note: These are maximum prices and more bookings will lead to lower prices.
You may be asked to pay a £5 deposit to reserve your seat.
Solihull Moors: Directions To The Ground
General
Huish Park to Damson Park is 154 miles. In my opinion whoever stuck a football stadium here was an idiot – though it could probably cope when 200 (on a good day) were turning up to watch Solihull Borough in the old Southern League Midland Division. Pretty much in the middle of nowhere several miles out from central Solihull, it’s surrounded on three sides by the massive the Land Rover factory site, Elmdon Nature Park, two golf courses, Birmingham Airport and the National Exhibition Centre complex. There’s no access except a single road: Damson Parkway. The stadium doesn’t have much parking. The nearest railway stations are nearer three than two miles away and there’s only one bus service that goes by the ground (see below).
By Road
From South and West:
Leave M42 at Junction 5. Take first exit at the roundabout towards Solihull, A41. Stay on the by-pass (dual carriageway) until you reach two sets of traffic lights close together. Turn right at the second set of traffic lights onto Yew Tree Lane which leads onto Damson Parkway. Go past BUPA Spires Parkway Hospital on your left and follow Damson Parkway for just over 1 mile to the roundabout at the Jaguar Land Rover Works. Turn right at the roundabout and the ground entrance is 100 yards on your left.
From The North and East:
Leave the M42 at Junction 6 and follow the A45 for 2 miles towards Birmingham. Go past Birmingham Airport on your right and then past the Allen Kia Garage on your left. At the traffic lights, take the left hand filter lane onto Damson Parkway. Continue for approximately 1 mile until you reach the roundabout at the entrance to the Jaguar Land Rover Works. Go around the roundabout and back down the other side of the dual carriageway for 100 yards to the ground entrance on your left.
Parking
Our experience is that parking around the ground is a real pain. The club has its own limited first come, first served car park which fills up quickly. The charge is £10.00, which is double what it was when we last visited. Thereafter it recommends the NCP Birmingham Airport Cargo Depot car park – posted B26 3QT. This is the other side of the A45 dual carriageway from the stadium (so around 20 minutes walk away). In practical terms, calculating in time to walk to and from the ground, the club advises you should use the payment machines using the discount code MOORS24 and NOT pay at the exit barrier. One can also pick up the X12 bus service here (see By Bus below).
The club states that parking along Damson Parkway is strictly prohibited (it’s designated a Red Route) and parking tickets may be issued. In the past we’ve found the locals taking absolutely no notice of this, squeezing their vehicles on any and every verge in the area, making the only access road to the stadium more and more difficult to navigate as kick-off approaches. We leave it to you to judge whether, if the local’s practice does remain the same, it’s worth taking the risk and joining them.
There are eight disabled parking bays at the ground. If eligible, Solihull advises fans email ticketing@solihullmoorsfc.co.uk to discuss availability and booking.
By Rail
The nearest stations are Solihull Station (Chiltern Railway and West Midlands services) and Birmingham International Station on the West Coast Mainline. Information on the host club’s website is hopelessly optimistic about distances from the ground – it’s clearly just drawn straight as-the-crow-flies lines onto a map. In reality they are around 50 minutes to an hour walk away. Google Maps suggested it is a 57 minute walk from Solihull and 59 minutes from Birmingham International, so factor that in.
The X12 (see By Bus below) route runs past the stadium with a journey time from Birmingham International of around 22 minutes. Solihull Station to the stadium is also best served by the X12, with a journey time of around 18 minutes.
If you want to use Solihull, it involves a couple of changes from Yeovil Junction via Basingstoke and Leamington on South West Trains and CrossCountry. The 9.53am departure from Yeovil will get you to Solihull for 1.55pm. If you are going for Birmingham International, the same 9.53am departure from Yeovil Junction will get you to Birmingham for 1.39pm. There is the same train an hour earlier, which might be advisable given it is an hour walk to the stadium.
By Bus
The bus route past the stadium is the X12 (National Express West Midlands) which runs between Solihull town centre and Birmingham via Birmingham International Airport, with services around every 20 minutes during the day and dropping to around every 30 minutes in the evening. The nearest stop is called Old Damson Lane and is right outside the stadium.
As an alternative from central Solihull, the A1 Solihull-Damsonwood Circular (operated by Diamond Buses) will get you as close as the Land Rover Works stop, which is 0.2 miles (so about five minutes walk) from the ground. This runs once an hour, with the last service around 18.00.
Taxi
Given the location of the ground to the town centre one of these might be more than useful. As a bonus one of the town’s taxi ranks is pretty much right outside two of the pubs listed below, the Flute & Flagon and White Swan. A list of Solihull taxi companies can be found here. However, as a warning, have come across comments that whilst getting a taxi up to the ground pre-match isn’t usually a problem, finding one prepared to risk the post-match traffic snarl ups to pick up after the game can be more of a challenge.
Web Sites
@SolihullMoors – the club’s official X/Twitter feed
Solihull Moors – the club’s official Facebook
@solihullmoors – the club’s official Instagram
Runboard message board – if you thought online message boards were a thing of the past, nobody told Solihull.
Sadly the Bandwagon Fanzine stopped operating in May 2024 and therefore there is even less independent information available than normal on Solihull.
Local Press
Solihull Observer – observing on Solihull since…..well, probably quite a while.
Birmingham Mail – we’re not sure people in Solihull will thank us for saying it’s in Birmingham, but it’s covered by the local paper.
Solihull Moors : Food & Drink
General
With Damson Park (currently on yet another sponsorship name change to ARMCO Arena) being over two miles from the centre of Solihull, rather in the middle of nowhere, places to drink and eat close to the ground are basically non-existent. The ‘Beer Revolution’ seemed to just about be peaking its head above the parapet in Solihull on our 2021 visit with the Indian Brewery having opened a branch there in the same format as its excellent Birmingham (Snowhill district) outlet, but it has disappeared already – so much for the ‘bustling, cosmopolitan café culture’ (see Local Amenities, below). The pubs and bars that do exist mostly remain restricted to the dull international and national chains and tied house sectors of the market. There is a micro-brewery on the edge of Solihull called Silhill Brewery (website here), which has been operating since 2014 but it doesn’t have a Taproom.
The Old Colonial was the closest pub to the ground – that closed before our first visit. The (Golden) Acres then became the closest on our first trip. That changed its name to The Damson (2017) – but didn’t last long under new management and seems to have closed again in 2018. The fortunes of the site appear to have subsequently been various but it seems to have returned to being a pub again, maybe in 2020 or 2021, retaining The Damson name (below).
Club Bar
Solihull has a clubhouse just outside the ground which usually welcomes away supporters. The bars are divided into four areas – three downstairs and one upstairs – and they vary what is open from match-to-match depending on what sort of a crowd they’ve got coming and what other events they’ve got on; but most commonly it’s the two main downstairs bars. It has the usual type of offerings one expects in a football ground, in this case the likes of Coors Light, Worthington Creamflow, Guinness and Sharp’s Cold River keg cider. However, it does stock several different bottled/canned beers from the local Silhill and Sadler’s breweries. In the past occasionally had something from them on cask too, including on one of our visits; but not seen evidence whether this remains the case or not.
Available in the away area are the usual huts one tends to see at this level offering the usual pies/chips/teas/coffees type provision and a small bar.
Local Pubs
Damson: Let’s be up front, if this wasn’t the closest pub to the ground it wouldn’t be receiving much notice from this guide. An estate pub about which current information is hard to come by. The last proper survey by local CAMRA was 2011; the Facebook page hasn’t been updated since 2018 and presumably belonged to previous owners; and even on its more recent website (see link) the last event listed is from October 2021 and there’s no indication of opening times. However, a quick phone call did get through to the landlady who confirmed it is trading and opening times are generally evenings only Monday to Thursday, all day from noon Friday to Sunday. Keg tap offerings are of the most basic multinational industrial varieties: Carling, Coors Light, Birra Moretti, Stella Artois, Guinness, Strongbow etc. If there is any cask still surviving looks like it’ll be a single hand pump serving Doom Bar. Has pool table, darts board, Sky and BT Sports, outdoor seating area. 0.8 of a mile (so about 15 minutes walk) from Damson Park.
The Damson, Rowood Drive, Solihull, West Midlands, B92 5NG. Tel: 0121 7041414. Map: The Damson.
Dingle: Second closest pub to the ground but only if taking the 1.2 mile (so about 25 minutes) walk across Elmdon Park (by road it’s 2.4 miles). Formerly a Harvester, it’s now part of the Craft Union Pub Company stable. A subsidiary of what has become over the last few years the biggest Pub Co. in the UK with around 5,000 outlets, Craft Union is one of its around 15 or so of its different pub brands. It’s up front about what the Craft Union wet-lead brand is pitching towards, the opening line of the spiel being that they are “sports pubs to pop on in to enjoy a cold refreshing pint of your favourite lager”. The Dingle has Sky Sports, pool, darts, parking. Lagers are mainstream international brands such as Staropramen, Grolsch, Budweiser, Heineken etc. There may be a hand pump or two in a corner serving cask beer. Opening hours are listed as from noon every day, to midnight Sunday to Thursday and 12.30 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
The Dingle, Tanhouse Farm Road, Solihull, West Midlands, B92 9EY. Tel: 0121 7420770. Map: Dingle.
Flute & Flagon: Taken over and renamed a few years ago by the Stonehouse chain, this outlet is in central Solihull virtually next door to the White Swan (below) and 2.3 miles from the ground. Something of a Spoons clone (one would almost think it was one at a quick glance). Breakfast served from 9.00 a.m. (until noon) everyday, with alcohol service beginning from 10.00 a.m. and the main menu kicking in from 12.00 noon until 9.00 p.m. Children’s menu allowed up to 7.30 p.m. There’s Sky Sports and occasional live music. Disabled access, outdoor seating and smoking area to the front of the pub. The regular real ale is Marston’s Pedigree, with five changing guests. Closes at 11.00 p.m. Monday to Thursday, midnight Friday and Saturday and 10.00 p.m. Sunday.
Flute & Flagon, 28-30 Station Parade, Solihull, West Midlands, B91 3SB. Tel: 0121 7113630. Map: Flute and Flagon.
Greville Arms: If approaching Damson Park from central Solihull this is the second nearest pub at 1.2 miles, so around 25 minutes walking. From one of the many chains run by Mitchells & Butlers, in this case its Sizzling Pubs brand. Does a couple of real ales. Rather than wasting time describing its features here click on the link. Opening is 9.00 a.m. every day, closing 10.00 p.m. Monday to Wednesday, 11.00 p.m. Thursday & Sunday, midnight Friday & Saturday.
Greville Arms, Cornyx Lane, Solihull, West Midlands, B91 2RB. Tel: 0121 7118031. Map: Greville Arms.
Pup & Duckling: For the micropub dedicatees, this is the one in the area, though it would be post-match only. It’s a 1.4 mile (c. 25 minutes) walk from the ground if you go through Elmdon Park. Driving, it’s 2.3 miles. Has around eight constantly changing real ales on, six on cask two on keg, sourced from smaller independent breweries; and does some cider. There’s two rooms and a garden/patio area. (It feels a bit like a Coffee House inside – which might be because that’s what it used to operate as.) Only snacks served, but customers can bring in takeaways from outside. As you might have seen us mention before, micropubs have a bit of a reputation for not necessarily sticking to their advertised opening hours. We recall this one causing some irritation on a couple of pub blogging sites by being a case in point. Anyway, should you chance it, hours have been further reduced and are now declared as being 4.00 p.m.- 10.00 p.m. Thursday to Saturday and 12.00 noon – 3.00 p.m. Sunday on its website. However the local CAMRA branch says now not opening until 5.00 p.m. instead of 4.00 p.m. – and it should know having made it Branch Pub of the Year 2023.
Pup & Duckling, 1 Hatchford Brook Road, Olton, Solihull, West Midlands, B92 9AG. Tel: 0121 2478358. Map: Pup and Duckling.
White Swan: The Wetherspoon, a little over five minutes walk from Solihull Railway Station, on the western side of Solihull town centre and 2.3 miles from the ground. Virtually next door to the Flute & Flagon (above). Serves Greene King IPA and Abbot and Marston’s Doom Bar from the Spoons house list; and five changing beers, with almost always something from Silhill Brewery amongst them. The real cider is generally Weston’s Old Rosie. Disabled access, children welcome (this varies from Spoons to Spoons but is usually until somewhen between 6.00 p.m. to 8.00 p.m.), outside partially covered seating and smoking area to the front. Opening is from 8.00 a.m. every day until midnight Sunday to Thursday and 1.00 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
White Swan, 32-34, Station Road, Solihull, West Midlands, B91 3SB. Tel: 0121 7115180. Map: White Swan.
General :
With Damson Park (currently Automated Technology Group Stadium) being over two miles from the centre of Solihull, rather in the middle of nowhere, and blocked off from the west, north and east by the Land Rover factory, Elmdon Nature Park, two golf courses, Birmingham Airport and the National Exhibition Centre complex, places to drink and eat close to the ground are basically non-existent. The ‘Beer Revolution’ seems to have pretty much passed Solihull by so far, with most of the pubs and bars that do exist being from the dull international and national chains and tied house sectors of the market. There is a micro-brewery on the edge of Solihull called Silhill Brewery (website here) http://silhillbrewery.co.uk/ but it doesn’t have a Taproom.
The Old Colonial was the closest pub to the ground – that closed before our last visit. If you went into Acres on that trip, which had then become the closest, that changed its name to Damson (2017) – but didn’t last long under new management and has been closed since 2018. This means there is currently nothing closer to the ground than the Greville Arms (below), 1.3 miles away.
Club Bar :
Solihull has a clubhouse just outside the ground which welcomes away supporters. The bars are divided into four areas – three downstairs and one upstairs – and they vary what is open from match-to-match depending on what sort of a crowd they’ve got coming and what other events they’ve got on. If the game is not segregated, they often open the gates at half time to allow people to grab a half-time pint by leaving the ground. It has the usual type of beers one expects in a football ground, in this case the likes of Carling, Worthington Creamflow and Guinness. However, it does stock several different bottled beers from the local Silhill Brewery and, we think, may occasionally have something by them on draught too.
Local Pubs :
Flute & Flagon: Taken over and renamed a few years ago by the Stonehouse chain, this outlet is next door to the White Swan (below). In central Solihull, 2.3 miles from the ground. Food is served 10.00 a.m. – 9.00 p.m. Monday to Saturday, 11.00 a.m. – 9.00 p.m. Sunday (children allowed up to 7.30 p.m.). There’s Sky Sports and occasional live music. Outdoor seating and smoking area to the front of the pub. The regular real ale is Marston’s Pedigree, with five changing guests. Opening: 10.00 a.m. – 11.00 p.m. Monday to Wednesday; 10.00 a.m. – 12.00 midnight Thursday; 10.00 a.m. – 1.00 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 11.00 a.m. – 11.00 p.m. Sunday.
Flute & Flagon, 28-30 Station Parade, Solihull, B91 3SB. Tel: 0121 7113630.
https://www.greatukpubs.co.uk/flute-and-flagon-solihull
Greville Arms: From one of the many chains run by Mitchells & Butlers, in this case one at the more down-market end: Sizzling Pubs. Does a couple of real ales: Marston’s Old Empire and Pedigree. Alcohol service begins at 11.00 a.m. Rather than wasting time describing its execrable features here, click on the link provided. If that’s your sort of pub, enjoy. Opening is 9.00 a.m. – 12.00 midnight Monday to Saturday, 10.00 a.m. – 12.00 midnight Sunday. Food is breakfasts from 9.00 a.m. (10.00 a.m. Sunday) and the main menu served 12.00 noon to 9.00 p.m. everyday.
Greville Arms, Cornyx Lane, Elmdon Heath, Solihull, West Midlands, B91 2RB. Tel: 0121 711 8031.
https://www.sizzlingpubs.co.uk/findapub/wales/thegrevillearmssolihull
Pup & Duckling: For the micropub dedicatees, this is the one in the area, though it would be post-match only. It’s a 1.4 mile walk from the ground if you go through Elmdon Park. Driving, it’s 2.2 miles. Has six constantly changing real ales sourced from smaller independent breweries and six real ciders and perries. The current beer range is usually updated on the Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/pup.and.duckling/ . There’s two rooms and a garden/patio area. (It feels a bit like a Coffee House inside – which might be because that’s what it is from 8 till 4 Wednesday to Friday, having a dual role.) Snacks only served, but customers can bring in takeaways from outside. As you might have seen us mention before, micropubs have a bit of a reputation for not necessarily sticking to their declared opening hours. We recall this one causing some irritation on a couple of pub blogging sites by being a case in point. Anyway, should you chance it, hours are officially 5.00 p.m.- 10.00 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday and 12.00 noon – 3.00 p.m. Sunday.
Pup & Duckling, 1 Hatchford Brook Road, Olton, B92 9AG. Tel: 0121 247 8358.
White Swan: Wetherspoon a little over five minutes walk from Solihull Railway Station, on the western side of Solihull town centre and 2.3 miles from the ground. Next door to the Flute & Flagon (above). Serves Greene King IPA and Abbot and Sharp’s Doom Bar from the Spoons house list, and five changing beers, with usually Silhill Brewery’s Gold Star amongst them. The real cider is generally Weston’s Old Rosie. Disabled access, children welcome (this varies from Spoons to Spoons but is usually until somewhen between 6.00 p.m. to 8.00 p.m.), outside partially covered seating and smoking area to the front. Opening: 7.00 a.m. – midnight Sunday to Thursday; 7.00 a.m. – 1.30 a.m. Friday and Saturday; with food served 7.00 a.m. – 11.00 p.m. every day.
White Swan, 32-34, Station Road, Solihull, West Midlands, B91 3SB. Tel: 0121 711 5180.
https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/pubs/all-pubs/england/west-midlands/the-white-swan-solihull
Likelihood the Natives Will Understand You: The Brummie accent has been regularly voted the least attractive in the British Isles, thus any conversation with them may be a struggle for our ears.
Top-Tip: Solihull folk will deny unto death they have any connection to Brum. Make such assertions at your own risk.
Local Amenities: Solihull likes to think it’s not just a very slightly more middle-class suburb of Birmingham but a “high quality shopping, leisure and business destination which enjoys a bustling, cosmopolitan café culture”. It really isn’t. (However see Top-Tip.)
Other Points Of Interest: There’s probably more parks and trees than in some other parts of Birmingham. That’s about it.
[No responsibility is taken for any inaccuracies. This page is entirely the product of bias and prejudice.]