Solihull Moors 1-4 Worcester City
Vanarama Conference North
Jonny Bonell reports from the Autotech Stadium
Attendance: 491
IT WAS a story of two keepers at the Autotech Stadium today (Saturday) as Ryan Boot had a game to remember and Tony Breeden one to forget as Worcester City ran out emphatic 4-1 winners at Solihull Moors.
Trailing 1-0 at the break thanks to a Ryan Beswick effort, Worcester drew level when Breeden deflected a Sean Geddes free-kick into his own net, he then flapped another Geddes set piece over the line to give the hosts the lead before a ‘fresh-air’ shot allowed Micah Evans to tap into an empty net.
Daniel Nti put the cherry on the cake when he slotted home on the counter deep into stoppage time.
In contrast to Breeden, Boot had another fine 90 minutes as a string of fine saves at the start of the second period kept his side in the game before Geddes and co inflicted a fourth consecutive defeat on the hosts.
There was no shortage of chances in the opening 15 minutes as Nti twice blazed over the top before Solihull frontman Omar Bogle looped a half-volley just over the top of Boot’s goal.
After the resounding 4-1 success over Worcester just three weeks ago, the Moors were looking to pile more of that pain this time around and Nti was once more in the thick of the action as he managed to clear Liam Daly’s header off the line.
Bogle bagged two goals in that success and was proving a handful again as he flashed a drive across the six yard box which just needed a finishing touch. The powerful forward then zipped a cross in for Stefan Moore whose header drifted wide.
Normally so resolute at the back, the Blue and Whites rearguard folded after 39 minutes when they failed to clear their lines and Beswick was on hand to apply the finishing touch.
The hosts started the second half as they ended the first and Boot kept Worcester in it when he tipped away Bogle’s curled effort before the on-loan Port Vale stopper made himself big to deny Darryl Knights’ follow up.
It was an entertaining affair and Geddes came close to equalising when he crashed an effort off the bar before Boot again applied the necessary heroics when he tipped away Beswick’s close range header.
A nasty-looking injury to Danny Jackman had temporarily dampened the Worcester spirits but Geddes raised those once more after 64 minutes when his superb 30-yard free-kick cannoned off the post but hit the back of Breeden and, subsequently, the back of the net.
And then with just nine minutes left on the clock Breeden had a moment he will want to forget when Geddes bent another long-range set piece that the Solihull keeper palmed into the back of his own net.
However, worse was to come from Breeden in added time as he completely missed his clearance and allowed substitute Evans to pass home into an empty net before Nti rounded off a perfect away performance by slotting home a fourth on the counter.