SOLIHULL Moors have signed experienced left-back Ben Coker on a one-year deal ahead of Saturday’s season opener at Aldershot Town.
The 33-year-old has featured throughout Moors’ pre-season campaign, playing in each of the five friendly matches.
Coker began his footballing career with Cambridge United and Northampton Town, before being picked up by Colchester United in 2010 following an impressive spell at Bury Town.
The vast majority of Coker’s experience within the Football League came at Southend United during a six-year period where he made more than 200 appearances.
Coker said: “I’m absolutely buzzing. I spoke to the gaffer in the summer, and I knew a couple of the boys already, so it’s good to get it over the line.
“I’ve been really impressed with all the boys and how together they are – that’s massively important to me, I want to be involved with the boys all the time.
“There is a lot of competitiveness in this division, and everyone will be scrapping for the positions, so I just can’t wait to have a right go at it and hopefully we have a really good season.”
Moors boss Neal Ardley said: “Ben is someone I’ve admired since he was at Southend.
“Harry Boyes did great for us last season and we didn’t want to try and replace him with another young lad.
“Ben has the experience, know-how and personality we looked for and I’m confident he will do great for us.”
Coker was a mainstay in Phil Brown’s side that achieved back-to-back play-off finishes in League Two, successfully winning promotion in 2014/15.
A serious knee injury halted Coker’s progress in 2018, before the full-back signed for Lincoln City and then Cambridge for a second time.
He joined Stevenage on a permanent deal in October 2020 following an initial loan spell and went on to make 82 appearances, scoring three times.
