Solihull Moors were outplayed in a pre-season friendly against Birmingham City on 20 July 2026, ending the game 0-3 at The ARMCO Arena. The Blues retained the Arthur Cup with goals from August Priske, an own goal from Moors defender Matty Carson, and Demarai Gray’s late strike.
What happened in the first half?
Birmingham City started brightly and took the lead inside three minutes when Priske headed home a left-wing free-kick - only for the flag to go up for offside. Moments later, Briar Bateman broke the offside trap and was upended for a penalty, which Priske converted cleanly. The first half then turned scrappy, with Taylor Gardner-Hickman blazing a 20-yard effort over the bar and Alex Cochrane’s cross cannoning in off Carson to double the Blues’ lead shortly after the restart.
How did Solihull Moors fare?
Nat Ford made two sharp saves to deny Carlos Vicente and Kanya Fujimoto before the break, keeping the Moors in the game. The visitors lacked a specialist striker, so Demarai Gray played up front and looked comfortable, nearly scoring when Vicente fluffed a sitter. Gray wrapped up the scoring in stoppage time, dribbling past two men before firing into the far corner.
Player ratings: Birmingham City’s XI
Ryan Allsop (6/10) started nervously but avoided a costly error. Bright Osayi-Samuel (6/10) attacked relentlessly and should have been fed by Iwata. Phil Neumann (6/10) marshalled the backline well, while Christoph Klarer (6/10) captained tidily. Lee Buchanan (6/10) was composed in possession and pushed forward often.
In midfield, Taylor Gardner-Hickman (6/10) sprayed passes, while Tomoki Iwata (7/10) bossed the tempo and shielded danger. Briar Bateman (7/10) won the penalty and was lively, while Alezandro Da Silva (6/10) saw limited service.
Where does this leave Solihull Moors?
The Moors sit 14th in the England National League with 56 points from 46 games, five behind the leaders York. Their recent form reads WLDDW, and they’re on a two-game winning streak after beating Yeovil Town 4-1 on 25 April 2026. The pre-season outing exposed defensive frailties but offered a chance to blood young talent like Bateman and Vicente.
