FC Halifax Town secured their 3rd victory in a row this afternoon, defeating Solihull Moors 1-0 at The Shay.
A Martin Woods penalty early in the second half was the difference between the two sides, in what was a solid display from The Shaymen.
The first chance of the game fell to Solihull in the 12th minute. After some good play on the edge of the area, the ball fell to midfielder Mitch Hancox who got a good low shot away with his left foot which looked like it was going to nestle in the bottom corner, only to be denied by the post.
Just three minutes later, the visitors came close with another long-range effort, as a powerful shot from the left by Jamie Ward rattled the crossbar before eventually being cleared, a let off for Halifax.
Despite early pressure from Solihull, The Shaymen began to grow more into the game as it went on. In the 17th minute, Danny Williams advanced down the left and got a good shot away just inside the Solihull area, but had his effort saved by Ryan Boot in The Moors goal.
Another chance for The Shaymen came in the 25th minute with Danny Williams threatening again. Neill Byrne played a fantastic 35-yard ball to pick out the winger on the left, who picked out Jake Hyde with a good cross, however the striker’s shot was blocked and cleared by The Moors captain Kyle Storer.
Chances were limited for both sides for the remainder of the first half, with both teams struggling to create anything clear-cut. Solihull looked to threaten from distance again in the 30th minute, as a Jordan Cranston free kick from 30 yards was hit well but ultimately gathered by Sam Johnson.
Up the other end, the closest Halifax came was on the stroke of half-time as a dipping cross from Neill Byrne looked like it could have picked out Tahvon Campbell or found the net itself, if not for a good catch from goalkeeper Ryan Boot.
That was to be all the action in the first half, as the sides went in all square at the break.
After a first half with limited chances, The Shaymen quickly asserted their authority on the game at the start of the second half. In the 47th minute, Jeff King picked the ball up on the left side of the Solihull penalty area, and knocked the ball past Cameron Coxe before being fouled by The Moors right-back, with the referee signaling for what was a blatant penalty.
Martin Woods stepped up to take the spot-kick in the absence of Luke Summerfield, and he made no mistake, beating the keeper for power with a low drive towards the bottom right corner despite Ryan Boot getting a hand to it, making it 1-0 to The Shaymen.
The chances continued to come for Halifax in the second half as they looked to put the game out of Solihull’s reach. An excellent Martin Woods delivery from a free kick in the 63rd minute picked out Kieran Green in the area, with the midfielder getting a good header away at goal, only to be kept out by a good save from the goalkeeper.
The best chance of the second half came in the 80th minute, as Solihull came very close to the all-important equaliser. Jamie Ward found himself in on goal after a poor clearance, and his shot looked like it was destined for goal, but for a brilliant overhead kick clearance by Neill Byrne on the line. The rebound fell to striker Kyle Hudlin six yards out, but he skewed his volley wide of the post, with the chance coming to nothing.
That was to be all the action in what was a brilliant victory for The Shaymen, as it finished FC Halifax Town 1-0 Solihull Moors.
Match Stats
FC Halifax Town:
1 Sam Johnson, 2 Jeff King (7 Jamie Allen 61), 5 Neill Byrne, 6 Tom Bradbury, 8 Kieran Green, 9 Jake Hyde (33 Tahvon Campbell 37), 10 Jack Earing, 11 Danny Williams, 26 Martin Woods, 31 Niall Maher ©, 36 Billy Chadwick
Subs: 40 Chris Renshaw, 4 Nathan Clarke, 20 Dom Tear
Solihull Moors:
1 Ryan Boot, 3 Jordan Cranston, 4 Kyle Storer ©, 9 Adam Rooney, 11 Jamie Ward, 12 Cameron Coxe, 15 Callum Maycock (27 Kyle Hudlin 68) 16 Reiss McNally, 18 James Ball (21 Ben Usher-Shipway 80), 24 Mitch Hancox, 29 Nathan Cameron
Subs: 8 Stephen Gleeson, 17 Jordan Piggott, 25 Cameron Archer
Goals: Woods 46 pen
Yellow Cards: Ward 10, Hancox 55, Campbell 58, Kyle Storer 67
Red Cards:
FC Halifax Town 1 Solihull Moors 0
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