REPORT: Wealdstone 2-3 Solihull Moors

The Stones’ winning run came to an end after Solihull Moors beat them 3-2 at The Vale, despite a late comeback effort.

Gary Waddock kept the same starting 11 that won at Aldershot on Saturday afternoon, with Sam Long keeping his spot in goal after clean sheets in each of his first two games. Olufela Olomola also kept his place after scoring the winning goal against the Shots.

It was a nightmare start for Wealdstone, as after just three minutes the visitors opened the scoring. They won a free-kick the edge of the box which was taken by Marvin Johnson, whose shot deflected off the wall and bounced past Long, who was wrong-footed by the deflection.

Just four minutes later, the Moors had a chance to double the lead. A loose pass from Milton Oni fell to Jacob Wakeling, who played Ben Wodskou through on goal down the left-hand side. He drove into the box before taking a low shot, but it was straight at Long who comfortably gathered.

The Stones went down the other end and had their first chance of the game, when a shot from a cut back was blocked vitally on the line by Tyler French. In the 15^thminute, Wealdstone had another shot blocked off the line, this time by Alex Whitmore, who got in the way of an effort from the edge of the box.

Two minutes later, the Stones thought they had an equaliser, but it was ruled out for off-side. Aidan Francis-Clarke drove through the midfield and slipped it through to Luke Norris, who took it on the half-turn and fired it into the near top corner. However, the celebrations were cut short by the linesman who had his flag up for an off-side against the striker.

Just when Wealdstone started gaining momentum, the Moors doubled their lead from a set-piece in the 20^th minute. A corner from the right-hand side found Jamie Andrews in the middle of the box, who guided his header into the bottom-left corner.

The Stones had a couple of chances to get back into the game before half-time but were unable to finish their chances. In the 31^st minute, Jack Wells-Morrison picked up the ball on the edge of the box and tried to curl it into the far corner, but his shot flew wide. Eight minutes later, Francis-Clarke played another dangerous forward pass which this time found Olomola through on goal down the right. He tried to fire it into the near corner, but the Moors keeper did well to tip it round the post.

HALF TIME: WEALDSTONE 0-2 SOLIHULL MOORS

The Stones started the second half strong, dominating the possession as they looked to get back into the game. They pressed well and created a couple of chances after they won the ball up high. In the 51^st minute, Dan Chesters won the ball back on the edge of the box and went for goal but fired his shot wide. Just a minute later, Norris won it back by the left corner flag, drove into the penalty area and tried to beat the keeper at his near post, but his effort was saved.

For large periods of the second half, Wealdstone had all the possession but couldn’t convert their dominance into any clear-cut chances. Olomola was played through down the left after a quick free-kick, but his shot was blocked well by a Moors defender. In the 63^rd minute, a nice flick from Wells-Morrison fell to the feet of Norris who fired a shot way over.

The visitors had their first chance of the second half in the 69^th minute, after again posing a threat from set pieces. A free-kick from the left-hand side was whipped into the box and was met by the goalscorer Andrews, only this time his header was wide of the target.

From the 78^th minute, the Stones started to ramp up the pressure, Wells-Morrison played a nice through ball to substitute Fejiri Okenabirhie, but Sam Johnson got down well to save his effort. Two minutes later, Chesters played a quick one-two with Jack Cook before firing a shot at Johnson, whose save started a goalmouth scramble. The Moors defence eventually cleared it as far as Aaron Henry on the edge of the box, who curled the ball out of Johnson’s reach and inside the far post to give the Stones a way back into the game.

The visitors then swiftly responded with a goal of their own which reinstated their two-goal advantage. After the Stones pushed for an equaliser and left players up the pitch, the Moors found themselves in a dangerous position down the left wing. The ball was squared to Scott High, who tapped it into an empty net and celebrated with the 49 away fans.

Five minutes later, the Stones replied with a quick response of their own through Okenabirhie. The ball bounced to Joe Newton on the left side of the box, where he tried to find the far corner with a volley. His effort was off-target but found Okenabirhie, who redirected the ball into the back of the net from close range.

Wealdstone continued to push for an equaliser for the rest of the game. They dominated the possession and tried to create chances through set pieces, but the Moors defence stayed solid to see the game out and pick up their second league away win of the season.

FULL TIME: WEALDSTONE 2-3 SOLIHULL MOORS

Wealdstone: Long, Francis-Clarke, Conroy (Cook 61), Kanu (McAvoy 45), Henry, Wells-Morrison, Oni (Kadji 61), Chesters, Maher (Newton 34), Norris, Olomola (Okenabirhie 61).
Subs not used: Baptiste (GK), Kaunda.

Attendance: 1,435 (49 away).