Following a hard-fought home win over Grimsby Town on Saturday, Hartlepool United travel to Solihull Moors in the first round of the FA Cup on November 5th (3pm). After last season’s rollercoaster run culminating at Selhurst Park, Pools will want a similar journey this season.
The Opposition
Led by Neal Ardley, Solihull are currently fourth in the National League. They overcame Basford United in the fourth qualifying round ahead of the fixture and will want to go at least one better than last year. After a 0-0 draw with Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium, Moors were defeated 2-1 in the first round replay.
Current Pools midfielder Wes McDonald was once on Solihull’s books, featuring against Craig Harrison’s side in October 2017.
The History
The game in 2017 was the first encounter between the sides, with eight matches taking place in total. Both sides have won four games apiece, with Pools winning the most recent fixture after goals from Luke Armstrong and David Ferguson in February 2021.
Team News
Niggles persist in the Pools camp, though Keith Curle will hope that the likes of Joe Grey, Mark Shelton, and Mohamed Niang will be back with the squad soon.
How to Follow
If you’re not travelling to the West Midlands, all the action is available on iFollow. Purchase your audio pass here as BBC Tees provide full match commentary.