MATCH PREVIEW | THE MOORS
Dorking Wanderers vs Solihull Moors Vanarama National League
January 28th 2023 - 3pm KO
Back To League Action This Weekend...
Dorking return to National League action for the first time in three weeks on Saturday afternoon as Solihull Moors are the visitors to Meadowbank in a 3pm kick off.
A fortnight ago Marc White's men overcame Kidderminster Harriers 3-2 in the FA Trophy 4th Round, but the subsequent league games scheduled away to Gateshead last weekend and Boreham Wood this past Tuesday night were both postponed due to a frozen pitch and re-arranged cup tie respectively.
Looking to retain match sharpness and provide minutes across the first team squad, Isthmian South East Division side Chichester City visited Meadowbank this past Tuesday night for a friendly, Bobby-Joe Taylor's brace around the hour mark giving Wanderers the win on a night where Luke Moore returned from his recent leg injury to play the first half of the contest, the likes of Joe Cook, Archie Proctor and Isaac Philpot also getting valuable game time.
It has been confirmed in recent days the postponed Boreham Wood away fixture will now take place on Tuesday February 28th, whilst the game against Southend United, now re-scheduled due to both club's involvement in the FA Trophy, will happen on Tuesday March 28th at Meadowbank. Both games are scheduled for a 19:45 kick off.
Team News
Ahead of Saturday's game Marc White has confirmed that Josh Taylor will remain sidelined for another fortnight as he continues recovery from injury, with Sami El-Abd also ruled out for the coming weeks as well. Matt Briggs is set to return to full training next week with a view to then returning to action in mid-February.
Opposition Focus: The Moors
Solihull arrive at Meadowbank this weekend seeking a first point in 2023 as a poor recent run of form continues for the club with seven defeats suffered in their last eight league matches. With weather related postponements disrupting the recent schedule as well, The Moors last league win came in early December, goals from Joe Sbarra and Andew Dallas securing a 2-1 home win against Oldham Athletic. Since then Neal Ardley's side suffered back-to-back defeats to current league leaders Wrexham over the festive period, with further losses in the month of January following away to Southend United and last time out at home to Aldershot Town on January 17th. Despite the difficult sequence of results good form in the early part of the campaign has kept The Moors around mid-table, currently sat in 13th place. Manager Ardley will be hoping his side can get back on track and again push for a play-off place in the second half of the campaign. He led the club to the final last term, defeating Chesterfield at home in the semi-final stage 3-1, setting up a clash with Grimsby Town at the London Stadium in early June. Kyle Hudlin had given The Moors the lead in the contest, but the Lincolnshire outfit would come from behind to ultimately run out 2-1 winners after extra-time. It was a second play-off finish in the space of four seasons for Solihull after finishing runners up in the National League back in 2018/19 under manager Tim Flowers. AFC Fylde were the visitors to Damson Park in the semi-final stage and came away with a 0-1 victory courtesy of Danny Philliskirk's very early goal. The two Covid-impacted seasons between play-off appearances would see The Moors only just miss out on top 7 finishes, by extremely fine points-per-game margins in 2019/20, and by 5 points in 2020/21. Andrew Dallas was the club's top scorer in the league last season with 20 goals, and the Scottish forward leads the way again this term with 9 netted so far. Key midfielder Joe Sbarra bagged 18 goals last campaign and is on 6 already this term, although he is currently sidelined after sustaining an ankle injury in mid-December against Telford United in the FA Trophy. Named in the National League 'Team Of The Year' last season, Sbarra has no doubt been a big loss, and manager Neal Ardley has looked to strengthen his side in recent weeks with additional personnel. Midfielder's Tom Whelan and Oisin Smyth have both joined on loan from Chesterfield and Oxford United respectively, with box-to-box player Max Brogan coming in on a permanent deal from Nuneaton Borough. Young striker Bartosz Cybulski has just had his loan spell from Derby County extended as well, adding another option up top with Dallas and Josh Kelly, and fresh off the presses, the club have just announced the permanent signing of Mark Beck from Darlington in recent days, the striker signing off from his time in the National League North as the top scorer in the division so far this term with 15 goals.
Earlier This Season...
In the reverse fixture at Damson Park back in August, the home side ran out 3-0 winners on an afternoon where Isaac Philpot was dismissed for a straight red card midway through the first half after bringing down Andrew Dallas as he raced through on goal. The card was rescinded within a matter of days and downgraded to a yellow as the ball had run through to keeper Slav Huk, but having already gone behind earlier in the contest to Joe Sbarra's goal, Wanderers faced an uphill task, and a headed goal from Callum Howe not long after the sending off and a stoppage time free kick scored by Josh Kelly ultimately secured the three points for Neal Ardley's side.
Key Matchday Info
TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE: https://dorkingwanderersfc.ktckts.com/event/dor2223h15/solihull-moors PRICES: Adults £16 / Concessions £13 / U18s £8 / U8s £4 FAMILY OFFER! A family of 4 (2 adults, 2 U12s) can watch the Wanderers against Solihull for only £35! MATCHDAY PROGRAMME: £3 (physical copies only, available at ground) Why not join us for a drink in the FanZone? Located behind the Stonegate Home Stand, we're open to supporters from 1pm!
Not attending Saturday's match? Stay in the loop... LIVE COMMENTARY: Tom Rogers will be providing live matchday commentary via Mixlr, keep an eye on our social media channels for more information! UPDATES: We will be providing action and score updates throughout the afternoon via Twitter (@DorkingWDRS)
VISITING FANS INFORMATION: Getting to Meadowbank, where to grab a pre-match drink beforehand and more... https://www.dorkingwanderers.com/visiting-supporters Around The Club... The Wanderers B team are not in action this weekend but the DWFC Ladies will return to the competitive action for the first time since the Christmas break on Sunday, hosting Welling United in the Capital Cup 2nd Round in a 15:30 kick off at Meadowbank. With the original fixture due to take place at Welling, the game has been unfortunately postponed for the last two weeks due to the weather, and will now go ahead at Meadowbank as the Ladies continue the defence of the trophy they won last season. Don't forget the latest episode of Talking Wanderers is available to stream and download now! Hosts James Lampard and Gary Pascoe talk to James McShane in Episode 4, available via Spotify, Apple, Google and the DWFC App!
Alternatively the episode can be viewed over on the DWFC YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kd0vDhBS9Ig