The Bees will be hoping to return to winning ways in the league on Saturday when they travel to Damson Park to face table toppers Solihull Moors.
Darren Currie’s side will be hoping to bounce back from last weekend’s 1-0 defeat to Sutton United but go into the game off the back of a victory. Tuesday night saw the Bees progress to the quarter finals of the FA Trophy after beating Carshalton Athletic 2-1 at the Hive London. Shaq Coulthirst netted either side of a Jacob Mendy goal to take his Trophy goal tally to five.
Last Meeting:
The Bees will be hoping for a bit of deja vu tomorrow after beating Solihull 2-0 in their last meeting earlier on in the season.
The pair went head to head at The Hive London in October 2017 and a brace from Wes Fonguck ensured all three points for the home side.
Manager: Tim Flowers
Tim Flowers took charge of Solihull last summer and what a debut campaign he is having, sitting at the helm of a side with the National League title firmly in their sights.
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 would then go 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: Nathan Blissett
Forward Nathan Blissett will be going into tomorrow’s game high on confidence after netting a hat-trick against Aldershot on Tuesday night.
The 28-year-old joined Solihull in December 2018 and has gone on to bag six goals in nine appearances as he proves to be a brilliant signing for the promotion chasers.
Blissett has spent years in the National League with various clubs but has also graced the EFL stage too, playing for Bristol Rovers and Plymouth before starting this season at League Two side Macclesfield.
His focus will undoubtedly be on a return to England’s fourth division with Solihull but for now, his aim will be to add to his impressive goal tally tomorrow afternoon.
Recent League Form:
Sitting top, two points clear, Solihull are enjoying a phenomenal first season under Tim Flowers.
The Moors have won four out of their last five league matches, suffering defeat on one occasion. A 2-1 victory away to Gateshead at the beginning of January was followed up by another win on the road, this time at Maidenhead. However, Fylde were the victors in their next fixture, winning 2-1 but Solihull quickly returned to winning ways, beating Ebbsfleet 1-0. In their most recent fixture on Tuesday night, the Moors clinched a comfortable 3-0 away win over Aldershot Town.
As for their home form, Solihull have won half of their 16 matches at Damson Park this season.
The Moors have also bagged 52 goals this campaign, conceding 29.
Last 5 league games: WWLWW
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.
