The fixtures are coming thick and fast for Yeovil Town, as they head to the Midlands for Tuesday night game against Solihull Moors.
FORM…
Yeovil Town
It hasn’t been a good start to the season for the Glovers. With six games under their belts, Yeovil have struggled to find their groove and manager Mark Cooper has paid the price.
On Saturday at FC Halifax Town, it was more of the same from a team lacking in confidence. Interim manager Richard Dryden put out a strong side to face the Yorkshire-men, and it looked positive for most of the first-half. That was until Owen Bray popped up to score the opening goal of the game for the home team.
Yeovil equalised through a Junior Morias penalty, before Harvey Greenslade put the visitors into the lead. However, for a second consecutive game, the Glovers squandered their lead, as Bray got his second. With 10 minutes left of the game, and Dryden’s men looking to get back on the road with a point, substitute Will Harris gave FC Halifax the lead and all three points.
The manager may have changed, but the results have not.
Solihull Moors
Believe it or not, Solihull have made an even worse start than Yeovil, they currently sit rock bottom of the Enterprise National League Premier Division. The season started off with draws in their first three fixtures, which included a 2-2 draw against Forest Green Rovers on the opening day, when they were down to ten men. However, since a 1-1 draw with Carlisle it has been a bit of a horror show for Moors conceding nine and scoring only two in the proceeding three games.
In their last match, at home to Southend, they lost 2-1 thanks to a brace from old boy Andrew Dallas with Solihull’s only goal coming through Dan Creaney.
KEY PLAYERS…
Yeovil Town –Junior Morias
There is a reason why players who score earn the big money and Morias is definitely one of them. The well-travelled striker has shown throughout his career he knows where the goal is, and it hasn’t been any different here in Somerset. Before joining the Glovers in the summer, the 30-year-old was on loan at Dagenham & Redbridge from Notts County, where he contributed to a goal 14 times in 30 games, scoring 11 goals.
Having joined up with Yeovil part-way through pre-season, Morias needing to to get up to speed, playing just 29 minutes in the first two games. It has been in the previous two fixtures though that former Peterborough man quality has really shone through, with two goals and an assist.
So far this term, Morias is playing in an attacking midfielder role, a position he has rarely played throughout his career. Normally in the role as centre-forward the Kingston man has found himself playing behind Harvey Greenslade, but the change in position seems to have helped both him and Greenslade to date.
Solihull Moors – Dan Creaney
The striker has so far been the main man in a rather disappointing Solihull Moors side, with two goal and an assist to his name. Creaney joined The Moors from Tamworth in the summer after an impressive scoring season last term. The striker bagged 19 goals to help keep Tamworth in the league and even played a part in his sides unforgettable FA Cup run.
As mentioned with Morias a man who can find the back of the net consistently is a worth their weight in gold in any league, and especially in the National League and Creaney’s record shows how invaluable he will be to manager Matt Taylor.
THE GAFFER…
The man in the dug-out in the Solihull Moors is a familiar face in the shape of former Portsmouth player, Matt Taylor. As a player, he was known for scoring what can only be described as ‘belters’, he was a peak Barclaysman. Taylor, played predominantly as a left sided midfielder for Portsmouth, Bolton, West Ham and Burnley making over 300 appearances in the Premier League.
Now as manager, the 43-year-old hasn’t had the same longevity at clubs as did as player, with his longest stint at coming at Shrewsbury Town where lasted 35 games. Taylor, first step into management came at Walsall in 2021 where he managed for just under a year. After some time out of the game, he returned to management at Shrewsbury, lasting half a season. He then joined Wealdstone a couple of months later, where he again got the chop before becoming manager at Solihull in the summer.
During his career as a manager, Taylor has faced Yeovil twice, losing both games – most recently last March when the Glovers ran out 3-0 winners at Damson Park.
LAST TIME WE MET…
The sides last met in March when Yeovil ran out 3-0 winners at Damson Park. The Glovers took the lead that day through Josh Sims in the 28th minute. It was then in the second half where Yeovil went through the gears, doubling their lead when Sims found Ciaran McGuckin on 50 minutes. The win was sealed six minutes later when Alex Whittle popped up with a spectacular finish from outside the box to make it 0-3.
With the return fixture, seeing Solihull win 1-0 at Huish Park thanks to a goal from Connor Wilkinson.
DON’T I KNOW YOU…
Emmanuel Sonupe anyone? Remember him? No? The former Tottenham Hotspur academy midfielder who was going to be the next big thing when Darren Sarll brought him to Huish Park in November 2020. He played 15 matches, scored twice and left at the end of the season before going to play for Dartford and then had spells in the USA and UAE.
Well, he signed for Solihull last week and appeared as an 82nd minute substitute in their 2-1 defeat at home to Southend United on Saturday.
THE MAN IN THE MIDDLE…
Saturday’s fixture will see Harrison Blair take charge of his first Gllovers’ game. For more information on the match officials, read Ben’s article here.
This is s massive chance to get 3 points on the board and show that this team can play. If we don’t win here, then things are really going to get difficult.