HAT-TRICK hero Nathan Blissett paid tribute to his teammates, as Solihull Moors hit Chorley for six in Tuesday night’s National League encounter.
The travelling Moors romped to a stunning 6-1 victory thanks to sharp shooting from Blissett, a brace from summer signing Paul McCallum – who takes his tally for the season to four – and a goal from Danny Wright to round off the scoring.
Tim Flowers’ men now sit top of the league after four games, maintaining their unbeaten record in the process, with Blissett commending the first-class performance.
“The boys were excellent – we were cut throat and ruthless,” he said.
“It’s taken us a couple of games but we got there and we showed it tonight.
“They [Chorley] were really up for it and very physical, we just had to overcome that and show our qualities.
“Usually it takes me about three games to get going, but I feel like I’ve hit the ground running.”
It took 14 minutes for Moors to open the scoring, with the goal being created from Jamey Osborne’s incisive through ball into McCallum, who hammered the ball into the roof of the net past the stranded Joe Anyon.
The hosts responded by applying some pressure from set pieces, but Flowers’ men stood firm, before doubling the lead just before the half-time whistle.
A corner kick by Terry Hawkridge was whipped towards Liam Daly, who nodded the ball down for Blissett to nudge the ball home from close range.
It was three for Solihull six minutes after the interval when Daly sent a header goalwards only to find the post, but Blissett was on hand to tap in on the rebound.
Alex Newby pulled a goal back for the hosts for close range, with Moors shot stopper Ryan Boot unlucky to concede after making a stunning save, but a third from Blissett, again laid on by Osborne, helped restore the three-goal cushion.
A foul on Solihull’s creative spark Osborne inside the area handed McCallum an opportunity to net his first brace for the club, which he took with aplomb.
Wright was alive in the box to head home his first of the season from the bench in the closing minutes to wrap up another promising victory.
Such was the nature of the performance, that club and stadium sponsor SportNation.bet have made the Moors the favourites to win the National League cutting their previous odds of 16/1 to 4/1, whilst promotion for Solihull is valued at 2/1.
McCallum has also tipped to win back-to-back golden boot’s, with his previous price of 39/10 slashed to 8/1 after beginning the campaign where he left off, currently sitting joint top of the scoring charts alongside teammate Blissett and Boreham Wood’s Kabongo Tshimanga with four goals.*
The win added to Saturday’s lower-scoring affair against Aldershot Town, which Solihull won 2-1 after Matty Stenson added to McCallum’s first-half penalty.
Meanwhile, Moors fans have the prospect of a 13-hour round trip on the first weekend of September, after Solihull were dealt an away tie in the third round of the Scottish Challenge Cup against Kelty Hearts.
The Hearts, managed by former Birmingham City and Scotland midfielder Barry Ferguson, play at step five of Scottish football in the Lowland League, with the tie to be played at the club’s two-and-a-half thousand capacity home New Central Park – on September 7 or 8.
Before then, Solihull are next in action on Saturday (3pm) when hosting bottom side Ebbsfleet United.
*All odds provided by SportNation.bet
