The Bees find themselves in 13th place but only six points adrift of the play-offs after enduring their fourth consecutive game without a victory last weekend.
Despite winning their previous three away games, their recent run of form on the road was dampened by promotion-chasers Wrexham. Stuart Beavon scored the only goal of the game just before half-time as The Dragons claimed maximum points, winning 1-0.
Despite a dip in form, John Still’s men will be hoping to get back to winning ways this weekend when they welcome Solihull Moors to The Hive.
Last Meeting:
Tomorrow’s encounter also marks the first meeting between the two sides.
Manager: Tim Flowers
Tim Flowers took charge of Solihull in the summer, replacing Mark Yates who joined League Two outfit Macclesfield Town.
The 51-year-old began his managerial career at Stafford Rangers in 2011 but resigned after just nine games. He then took over at Northampton Town in a caretaker capacity 10 months later, sitting in the dug-out for only one game, a 4-1 defeat to Plymouth Argyle. He also took charge of Kidderminster Harriers in 2015 but left after a short spell at the helm.
Since hanging up his boots in 2002, he also went on to take over the role as goalkeeping coach at Leicester City, Manchester City, Northampton, Nottingham Forest and Fulham. On top of that, he was also named assistant manager at Coventry, QPR, Hull and Kidderminster.
As a player, Flowers began his career at Wolves where he went on to make over 60 appearances for the club in a two-year period.
He then went on to play for Southampton where he won his first England U21 cap in 1987. Flowers spent seven years with The Saints, making around 200 appearances for the club.
When he joined Blackburn in 1993 for £2.4million, Flowers became the most expensive goalkeeper in Britain. After finishing second in the Premier League during his debut season, he was then part of the historic title winning side of 1995. Whilst at Blackburn, he also made 11 caps for England and was part of the Euro 96 and 1998 World Cup squads.
After spending six years in Lancashire, he then signed for Leicester City where he picked up a League Cup winners’ medal in 2000. During a four-year spell at the club, he was sent out on loan three times before retiring in 2003.
One To Watch: Jamey Osbourne
Attacking midfielder Jamey Osbourne first signed for Solihull in May 2016 and went on to score five goals in 25 appearances before joining Grimsby Town. However, he was back at Damson Park in December 2017, signing on a 28-day loan before making the deal permanent the following month.
Osbourne will undoubtedly be out to cause a real threat when his side travel to The Hive tomorrow. The skilful 26-year-old is a real danger going forward and will be aiming to create as many chances as possible. He also has an eye for goal and when he does rustle the net, they are often special. Not afraid to get stuck in and put in a tackle, Osbourne can also help Solihull defensively.
The midfielder, who spent time in the EFL with Grimsby, will be looking to regain his Football League status whilst at Solihull. However, his focus at the moment will firmly be on tomorrow’s game as he aims to do his utmost to ensure his side return to Warwickshire with a fifth consecutive win.
Recent Form:
Sitting in fifth, two points adrift of league leaders Salford, it’s safe to say, Solihull are having a great season so far and enter tomorrow’s encounter in impressive form.
The Moors have won four of their last five matches, suffering defeat on one occasion. A narrow 1-0 loss to Hartlepool was quickly followed up by a 2-0 win away at Dover. A 5-0 thumping over Bromley came next before they beat Dagenham 2-0 at home. In their most recent game, Solihull were victorious again, winning 1-0 away to Havant & Waterlooville.
As for their away form, The Moors have won four out of their seven outings so far this season, losing the other three.
Solihull, who go into tomorrow’s game without conceding in their last four games, have let in 14 goals so far this season, three less than Barnet. At the other end of the field, The Moors have bagged 21 goals in comparison to the 13 scored by Still’s men.
Last 5 matches: LWWWW
Connections:
Joe Payne spent a short period on loan at Solihull last season, signing a one-month deal. He made three appearances for the club, including a debut draw against Dagenham whereby he was named man of the match.
Payne is the only player to have represented Barnet and Solihull Moors. The Midlands club were formed in 2007 from a merger between Solihull Borough and Moor Green.
