The ‘goal of the season’ title from a 6-2 victory over Derby County serves as a constant reminder for him.
However, he has managed National League promotion-hopeful Solihull Moors for 19 years, and as the 2023–24 season draws to a close, he will have two excellent opportunities to add more medals and trophies to his collection.
Both require lengthy journeys to Hayes Lane, Bromley, totaling 290 miles each way.
Moors aim to make their first trip to Wembley on Saturday when they go to Bromley in the FA Trophy semi-final (Gateshead host Macclesfield in the other match). Seven days later, they return to Kent to play Bromley again in a crucial matchup of third against fifth in the National League.
Three of this year’s semi-finalists have a rather ‘deja vu’ vibe to them.
In 2022, Bromley emerged victorious, triumphing against Moors in the quarterfinals and Hollywood heavyweights Wrexham in the championship match.
Only a year prior, Gateshead had finished as runners-up, losing to Halifax at Wembley.
And Northern Premier League contenders for promotion to the Football League, Macclesfield, who were reorganized in 2020 following a legal battle in the High Court, were the first to win the Trophy in the club’s original form in 1970. They repeated as winners in 1996, the year before they eventually secured a long-awaited promotion to the Football League.
However, Moors are the only one of the four who has never visited Wembley. After being founded in 2007 and only reaching the fifth tier under Marcus Bignot in 2016, the club is without a doubt currently the best non-league team in the Midlands. However, in 2022, they lost the fifth-division play-off final at West Ham’s London Stadium.
