A patched-up Hednesford side could not prevent Solihull Moors from exacting revenge for the Pitmen's smash-and-grab win at Damson Park in January this afternoon, as Moors completed a late win of their own to earn their first win in ten games. With results elsewhere going against Rob Smith's team, the Pitmen drop to third in the Skrill North table, falling behind local rivals AFC Telford United in the process

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Smith was once again shorn of any real options in midfield, with the Hednesford supremo struggling to muster four players to cover all positions in the centre of the park as he was again missing the injured Jamey Osborne and the ill Kris Taylor. Robbie Thompson-Brown earned a recall alongside Tom Thorley and Dave MacPherson, with Nathan Blissett also returning to the side after agreeing to return to Keys Park for a second loan spell from Kidderminster Harriers. Alex Melbourne returned to the squad as a substitute after his loan spell at struggling local rivals Stafford Rangers had ended

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Moors arrived at Keys Park off the back of a shocking run of form since Christmas, without a win in nine games and only a draw with Colwyn Bay to show from the last five games. They once again included former Hednesford favourite Jay Denny in their side, with former Chasetown and Walsall marksman Gary Birch coming up against the side he scored against three weeks previously

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Blissett and new boy Paul Sullivan combined to create the first opening of the game for the hosts on five minutes, with Blissett testing the reflexes of Jas Singh in the Moors goal with a low shot. Singh's parry fell to Sullivan, but his rising follow-up shot narrowly cleared the crossbar

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A minute later, the ground rose in unison to applaud the stricken Taylor, whom the previous week had an operation to remove a cancerous tumour and was back at Keys Park to support his team-mates for the first time since his diagnosis

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Solihull seemed content to allow the Pitmen to play in front of them, with giant centre back Exodus Geoghan towering over the considerable frames of Robinson and Blissett to head three successive long balls into the Moor penalty area away from danger

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A deep corner kick from Tom Thorley caused confusion in the Solihull ranks on eighteen minutes, with former Walsall skipper Richard Taundry hacking the ball away from goal under pressure from Robinson at the far post

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Darren Campion was rightly booked just before the half-hour mark after the Hednesford skipper was yellow-carded for a crude high challenge on the halfway line

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Dan Crane - playing against the club he left to join the Pitmen back in 2010 - was on hand to deny Jordan Gough a chance on thirty-two minutes, racing out of his goal to make a save at Gough's feet after a neat through ball from Junior English

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English himself had arguably the best chance of the half for the visitors three minutes later, somehow heading weakly over the bar as he got on the end of a Ryan Beswick corner kick

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Thompson-Brown had had a quiet game to date, playing some neat passes but allowing himself to be bundled off the ball far too easily on more than one occasion by a forceful Moors midfield. It was the former Solihull man who did have the Pitmen's final chance of the half, as his cross-cum-shot was turned over by Singh

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The Pitmen made an early attacking substitution just a few minutes into the second half, with Sullivan surprisingly replaced by Wayne Riley. It was the introduction of Riley in the reverse fixture three weeks previously that ultimately swung the game the Pitmen's way

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A minute later, Moors were awarded a controversial free-kick to the left of the Hednesford penalty area, as Ben Bailey was adjudged to have handled the ball when it quite clearly struck his midriff. Dior Angus took the kick and somehow managed to find a way past Crane with a swerving effort that drifted into the bottom corner of the net. A soft goal to concede and one Crane will feel he should have done better with

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Solihull's celebrations became muted almost immediately, as they were reduced to ten men two minutes later; Paul McCone and Birch had a coming together on the edge of the Hednesford penalty area, with the centre back nicking the ball away from the burly striker. Clearly riled by this, Birch aimed a kick at McCone right in front of the referee, who had little choice but to send the forward off for violent conduct

With the numerical advantage, Hednesford made two further attacking changes as they chased the game in the final half-hour. Youngster Charlie Anagho-Ntamark came on in place of the disappointing Thompson-Brown, whilst Melbourne made a welcome return to action in a Hednesford shirt as he replaced a tiring MacPherson

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The Pitmen started to turn the screw in the next ten minutes, as Solihull found themselves playing further and further within their own penalty area. A succession of throw-ins and corner kicks forced Singh and his defenders into some last-ditch clearances, as the Pitmen probed and pushed. However, without the creative influences of the likes of Taylor and Osborne, their sources of inspiration were somewhat limited

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Singh received lengthy treatment on the pitch on seventy minutes after hurting himself punching a ball away under pressure, although there also appeared to be some overly dramatic acting from the keeper as he tried to run the clock down

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A low cross from Melbourne on seventy-three minutes was almost turned into his own net at the near post by Alex Dean via a deflection off Ntamark, with Singh again making a save low down

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Ntamark had looked bright and alert since coming on, showing some neat touches out on the right and making a clutch of forceful runs inside. He was rewarded for his bright cameo with his first-ever senior goal for the club on seventy-seven minutes, dragging the Pitmen level with a great strike. Finding a pocket of room on the edge of the penalty area, Ntamark seized upon a loose ball and fired a crisp, low drive beyond the reach of Singh and into the far corner of the net

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The Pitmen suddenly looked as though they could repeat their feat of coming from behind in the reverse fixture, with Robinson firing straight at Singh from close range two minutes later

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And yet, the Pitmen somehow allowed ten men of Solihull to snatch the lead once more nine minutes from time through English. Rob Elvins laid the ball back into the path of English, whose low drive agonisingly squeezed past the despairing dive of Crane at his left-hand post and into the net

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In an attempt to deliberately waste time, Beswick then blatantly ignored his number going up on the replacements board at the restart, prompting the referee to book the striker for not leaving the pitch when substituted

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This was all too much for Hednesford skipper Campion, who once again saw red in a Hednesford shirt on eighty-two minutes after another silly foul saw him yellow-carded for a second time in the afternoon

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This seemed to knock the impetus out of the Hednesford effort, as they failed to test Singh and his defenders in a disappointing final few minutes. Solihull celebrated a revenge act well done at the final whistle, whilst the Pitmen could only reflect on another poor reverse to back up last week's fragile showing at Harrogate. Histon visit Keys Park next weekend as the Pitmen look to get their play-off push back on track with what would be a morale-boosting win

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Hednesford Town: Crane, Disney, Campion © ▆ ▆ (82), McCone, Bailey, Macpherson (Melbourne 66), Thompson-Brown (Anagho-Ntamark 64), Blissett, Robinson, Sullivan (Riley 55), Thorley       Subs Unused: Francis, Woolfe

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Solihull Moors: Singh, Dean, Gough, Denny, Elvins, Geohaghon, English, Taundry © (Fleet 90), Birch ▆ (59), Beswick ▆ (Blackwood 83), Angus (Taylor 62)       Subs Unused: Nottingham, Knights

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