TT PREVIEW
Steve Harris – @steveharris84
Match details: Torquay United versus Solihull Moors
Venue: Plainmoor, Torquay
Date: Tuesday 25th January 2022
Kick-off: 7.45pm
Current Form (last six):
Torquay: L, W, L, W, D, W
Solihull Moors: D, W, L, L, W, W
Top scorer:
Torquay: Armani Little (10)
Solihull Moors: Joe Sbarra (11)
Head-to-Head:
Torquay: 4
Draw: 1
Solihull Moors: 3
Solihull Moors fact file:
Year founded: 2007
Nickname: The Moors
Last season’s league finish: 11th National League
Notable honours:
National League North:
Champions: 2015-16
Manager: Neal Ardley
Neal Ardley spent most of his playing career with the ‘original’ Wimbledon for whom he made over 300 career appearances in all competitions between 1991 and 2002. He was also capped ten times by England at Under-21 level. He also had spells with Watford, Cardiff City and Millwall before he announced his retirement from playing in 2007.
Ardley’s coaching career began when he was appointed as Cardiff City’s academy manager, a role that he would hold for five years until he took on his first senior managerial role with AFC Wimbledon in October 2012, when he was appointed as successor to Terry Brown.
In his first season in charge, Ardley helped to the Dons to avoid relegation from the Football League, with a 2-1 win over Fleetwood Town on the final day of the 2012-13 campaign. Three years later, he guided the Dons to their first ever promotion as a Football League club when they beat Plymouth Argyle 2-0 in the 2016 League Two play-off final.
Ardley then went on to establish the Dons in League One and was the third longest serving manager in the Football League at the time of his departure on November 12, 2018. Eleven days later, he was appointed as Notts County manager, but failed to prevent the Magpies from being relegated from the Football League for the first time ever. After missing out on an immediate return in the 2019-20 season, when they were beaten in the National League play-off final by Harrogate Town, Ardley was sacked as County manager in March 2021 and was installed as Moors boss in June 2021.
Player to watch: Andrew Dallas
Scotsman Andrew Dallas joined Solihull Moors on the eve of the 2021-22 season following his release by Cambridge United. A product of Glasgow Rangers youth system – Dallas left Ibrox without making a first team appearance for the Gers. While at Ibrox he was loaned out to Stenhousemuir, who he made his professional debut for, and Greenock Morton.
After leaving Rangers he signed for Cambridge in the summer of 2019 and he received his first taste of National League football in January 2021 when he joined Weymouth on loan. He went on to finish the 2020-21 campaign as the Terras top scorer with 12 goals.
He netted all five goals in the Moors recent 5-0 win over Dover Athletic.
DALLAS STATS:
Position: Centre-Forward
Date of Birth: 22nd July 1999 – 22 Years Old
Birthplace: Glasgow
Former Clubs: Rangers, Stenhousemuir, Morton, Cambridge United, Weymouth
National League Stats 21-22: Played 22, 8 Goals, Yellow/Red Cards 1,0
Old boys:
Torquay: Danny Wright
Solihull Moors: None
Last meeting: Solihull Moors 2-1 Torquay United, Tuesday September 14th, 2021
Andrew Dallas hit his third goal of the season to help Solihull Moors to a second successive National League victory as they secured a win over Torquay at Damson Park.
Moors went ahead after 32 minutes when Callum Maycock drove forward and slipped in Dallas, who fired past Mark Halstead from a tight angle.
It took the hosts just three minutes of the second half to double their advantage. Danny Newton slid in Dallas, who returned the ball and Newton’s lay-off was slotted home by Joe Sbarra.
The Gulls pulled a goal back when Klaidi Lolos finished from close range 10 minutes from time, but they could not find an equaliser.
GOALS:
SMFC: Dallas (32′), Sbarra (48′)
TUFC: Lolos (80′)
TEAMS:
Solihull Moors (3-5-2): Boot; Howe, Gudger, Preston; Maycock, Sbarra (Ball 77), Storer, Donowa (Williams 90+1), Cranston; Newton, Dallas
Torquay United (4-4-2): Halstead (Brzozowski 46); Wynter, Lewis, Omar, Moxey; Johnson (Addai 62), Lemonheigh-Evans, Hall, Rogers; Holman (Lolos 62), Wright
Probable line-ups:
Torquay United (4-2-3-1):
Shaun MacDonald
Chiori Johnson – Ben Wynter – Ali Omar – Dan Martin
Asa Hall – Armani Little
Stephen Duke-McKenna – Connor Lemonheigh-Evans – Stephen Wearne
Danny Wright
Solihull Moors (3-4-1-2):
Ryan Boot
Alex Gudger – James Ball – Lois Maynard
Harry Boyes – Jamey Osborne – Callum Maycock – James Clarke
Joe Sbarra
Adam Rooney – Andrew Dallas
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