Wembley Stadium Sunday, May 5th, 2024 k/o 15:00   National League Attendance: 23,500       Solihull Moors 2-2 Bromley   Penalties: 3-4
2023 /24

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National League Play-Off Final at Wembley. After the 46 game league season Solihull finished 5th, Bromley were 3rd. Their league meetings produced a draw at Solihull and a home win for Bromley. However Moors beat Bromley Away in the semi-final of the FA Trophy. Thus Moors were set to play two finals at Wembley Stadium in a week, with their FA Trophy Final against Gateshead to come just 6 days after this Promotion Final. Today was to be Moors first ever appearance at Wembley in their 122-year history (including 106 years as Moor Green FC). Moors beat Halifax 4-2 in the Play0ff Eliminator to go to 2nd-placed Barnet for a tough semi-final three days later. Moors went there and won 4-0, with the best performance I had ever seen from them. The score line truly reflected Moors' superiority on the day, with Osborne imperious. Solihull lined up as follows: N. Hayes: J. Clarke: K. Morrison: A. Whitmore: J. Newton J. Sbarra: J. Osborne: C. Maycock T. Shade: T. Campbell: J. Stevens subs used J. Benton 69' J. Labadie 95', M. Taylor 101', N. Boateng 111', not used M. Beck 1st half was cagey and headed for a HT 0-0 until Bromley's Cheek tripped Whitmore in the Moors box and scored low in the corner. Ref and linesman were apparently blind to the foul, which was soon shown clearly to be a foul from 3 different angles on the big screens. Embarrassing for the officials, the ref being the son of firmer ref Paul Durkin. Moors equalised through Sbarra early in the 2nd half, then an underhit backpass from Morrison was intercepted by Cheek a split second before the Moors keeper arrived. Penalty awarded and scored by Cheek. In the 65th minute skipper Jamey Osborne took a cute through ball from Maycock and advanced towards five Bromley defenders with a 6th at his shoulder. Osborne dribbled it to 22 yards out then placed a superbly directed low shot into the bottom corner - 2-2 !! Extra time brought no further goals so a penalty shoot-out commenced. Moors had their first two penalties saved. Shade and Labadie failing to score. Gateshead had one saved but shoot-out finished 4-3 to Bromley, the final pen scored by Bromley captain, their gigantic stopper Byron Webster. Odutayo was Bromley's best player but Osborne was again the best player on the field. Bromley fielded the tallest XI I have ever seen on a football pitch. Their football lacked finesse compared to Moors', but it was enough to win a very close match, due to one error by the ref and one by a Moors defender. 6 days later Moors returned to Wembley to face Gateshead for the FA Trophy on May 11th. Gateshead hadn't had a game to play for 3 weeks since the end of the regular season whilst Moors had played three very competitive knockout matches in the promotion playoffs on Apr 24th, 27th and May 5th including extra-time in the final. Thus Gateshead were fresh while Moors were somewhat in danger of flagging in this 2nd final. So it proved. Injuries to Morrison and Stevens last week meant they were both unfit to play, with Campbell also unavailable as he was cup-tied. Moors' three top goalscorers over the season were Stevens, Campbell and Kelly, but Kelly had been sold in February!! Mmmm, problem. An even 1st half ended with a goal for Gateshead. Beck scored on 69mins with a low diving header for 1-1. Then came Extra-Time. With Moors visibly tiring Beck scored from the spot for 2-1 on 101mins. On 110 mins however on-loan Derby winger Brown netted from close in for Gateshead. Thus another penalty shoot-out came next. The two players who had failed to score in last week's penalty shoot-out were entrusted again and failed again. Moors keeper saved three penalties but Moors failed with four of their own, the final one coming back off the cross-bar. So Moors had drawn in two Wembley cup finals in a week but, losing two penalty shoot-outs, had come away with nothing. 'Gutted' does not cover it. The coach trip home was long... Attendance was 19,700, more of them Solihull than Gateshead.