Kelly strikes back but Solihull Moors do the double over Magpies

Solihull Moors 3, Maidenhead United 1

Maidenhead United will look to take the positives from a competitive display at Solihull Moors on Saturday, but first half goals from Andrew Dallas, and Harry Boyes’ strike on the stroke of full-time, condemned them to their sixth defeat in eight matches.

If there were some positives to take from Saturday's trip to Damson Park, it was the Magpies spirited second half fightback which saw Josh Kelly find the back of the net for the first time in eight games.

The Magpies met a Moors team in fine form, and it told in the first half, with Dallas scoring twice to keep the home side's play-off push on course.

Kelly narrowed the deficit with a fine strike past Ryan Boot in the 52nd minute, but they couldn’t build on it and find an equaliser, with Ryan Upward suffering a nasty-looking injury late on which saw him removed from play on a stretcher.

Boyes then rubber-stamped Solihull's fourth successive victory with a deflected effort that looped over Nathan Ashmore in the 90th minute.

The result lifted Moors above Chesterfield to fourth, while the Magpies are fifth from bottom but still a healthy 13 points above third from bottom King's Lynn Town.

They'll now look to pick up points from tomorrow night's trip to Wealdstone.

Manager Alan Devonshire was able to name a fairly strong team for the trip to the midlands, with Ashmore back between the sticks in the place of Harry Palmer and Kelly starting his first game since catching COVID a few weeks ago. There was also the welcome sight of seeing Sam Barratt take his place on the bench after another season plagued by injury. Having missed so much of the season he'll be looking to galvanise the Magpies in their final eight fixtures.

It took just three minutes for Maidenhead to register their first attempt, with Shaun Donnellan drilling the ball just wide of the post from the edge of the area. United's bright start continued with Upward just failing to pick out Remy Clerima who was well positioned. However, Moors quickly warmed to their task with Dallas heading home Hudlin's cross in the 12th minute. Boyes tested the reflexes of Ashmore with a fine free kick, but there was little the on-loan stopper could do about Dallas' second strike, which took a big deflection to find the net with the keeper wrong-footed.

Kelly gave the Magpies the perfect start to the second half when he fired beyond Boot in the 52nd minute, but Hudlin should have restored the hosts advantage minutes later when he rattled the crossbar with the goal gaping before him and Ashmore well beaten.

Devonshire turned to his bench for inspiration, with Barratt and Shawn McCoulsky replacing Dan Sparkes and Kelly but United created little of note and a final change was forced on the Magpies boss when Upward suffered a bad knock to his knee in the 80th minute and was stretchered off to be replaced by Charlee Adams. Upward tweeted after the game that he hoped the injury wasn’t as bad as first feared.

Skipper Alan Massey was in the right place at the right time to hook Joe Sbarra’s shot off the line in the 84th minute but the Moors second half pressure eventually told when Boyes fortunate deflected finish deceived Ashmore to make it 3-1.

Reflecting on his return to action, Barratt tweeted: “Nice to get the boots back on this afternoon. It's been way too long. Now we end the season strong.”

United kick off at Grosvenor Vale tomorrow evening at 7.45pm.