Moors the merrier: three wins on the trot for Justin Donawa’s revived Solihull
Justin Donawa is delighted to see his Solihull Moors headed in the “right direction” after chalking up a third consecutive win in the Vanarama National League away to Barnet yesterday.
Goals either side of the interval from Tyrone Williams and Kyle Hudlin earned the visitors a comfortable 2-0 win over the basement club at Hive Stadium.
“It’s a good feeling to get back to winning ways,” Donawa told The Royal Gazette.
“I feel like we still have a long way to go. But three wins on the bounce is positive and sends us in the right direction.”
Solihull went into the match with their confidence soaring, having put an end to a nine-game winless run with back-to-back victories against Aldershot Town and Wealdstone.
“We’re all pleased to have put some results together,” Donawa added.
“Performances haven’t been great, necessarily, but we’re finding a way to win and we feel that’s the most important thing.
“Confidence is growing within the group and you can see that on the pitch.”
Defender Williams opened the scoring right on the stroke of half-time with his first tally of the season, a looping header from substitute Jamie Ward’s cross.
Forward Hudlin then made the points safe after the break when he latched on to midfielder Joe Sbarra’s pass and rounded Barnet goalkeeper Ayman Azaze before slotting into the empty net.
The home side’s afternoon then went from bad to worse when they were reduced to ten men after defender Themis Kefalas was sent off for a second booking in the 86th minute.
Donawa, on as a 61st-minute substitute, nearly capitalised on his team’s numerical advantage when he arrowed an effort inches wide shortly after.
“I was able to find a good pocket to receive the ball and get a shot off,” he said.
“I should’ve made the keeper work by hitting the target. Nonetheless, I’m grateful to contribute to another three points.”
Solihull are fifteenth in the National League on goal difference over Aldershot Town, nine points off the promotion play-off places.
Elsewhere in the National League, Jonté Smith’s Woking were beaten 1-0 away to Torquay United — striker Danny Wright secured the points for the home side with seven minutes left.
Smith came off the substitutes’ bench in the 62nd minute and was limited to a sole attempt at goal from just outside of the box that sailed over.
Woking stay eighteenth, seven points adrift of Donawa’s Solihull.
Also in action were Nahki Wells’s Bristol City, who went down 2-0 at home to Stoke City in the Sky Bet Championship.
Nick Powell opened the scoring at Ashton Gate in the 25th minute before Steven Fletcher pounced in the 62nd as Stoke denied the home team the chance to do a first league double over them since the 1906-07 season.
Wells had a quiet afternoon and was replaced in the 82nd minute by Famara Diédhiou. City slipped one place to fourteenth in the Championship.
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