Three goals in the first 20 minutes effectively put the game to bed, with Ryan East scoring his first two goals of the campaign and Devante Rodney adding a third.
Sam Beckwith’s first of the season made it four shortly after the interval, and despite the visitors pulling one back, Dale were more than comfortable.
Jimmy McNulty made two changes from our previous league outing, the 1-0 win at Truro City ten days ago. Levi Amantchi came in for Mani Dieseruvwe, who was suspended after picking up his fifth booking in Cornwall, whilst Connor McBride replaced Aidan Barlow.
Amantchi was straight into the action and almost provided an assist for Rodney in the opening minute, but the latter saw a one-on-one effort well saved by Laurie Walker, low to his right.
Rodney then saw a curling shot blocked before Dale’s early pressure paid off with the opener in the eighth minute.
A nicely built move down the right led to McBride getting to the byline and pulling the ball back towards East. His first effort was blocked by a defender but came back to him, and he nodded home his first of the season.
The midfielder was finding joy high up the pitch and fired a shot wide, before doubling his tally 17 minutes in.
Ethan Ebanks-Landell sprayed a superb ball out to Tobi Adebay-Rowling, who exchanged passes with Kyron Gordon before crossing. East met the delivery with an outstretched foot to guide the ball into the far corner.
Play had barely restarted before Dale were on the scoresheet again. McBride again found a dangerous position behind the defence and squared, with Rodney timing his run perfectly to slam home from a central position.
Dale’s tails were up, and Amantchi’s high press created an opportunity for himself as he drove into the area, before eventually seeing a shot blocked.
Rodney was denied a second by Walker’s fine save to his left, who got up quickly to deny East a hat-trick goal on the follow-up.
The visitors sent efforts wide via Oscar Rutherford and Alex Whitemore, whilst great recovery defending from Ebanks-Landell denied Dan Creaney on the stroke of half-time.
Within five minutes of the restart, Dale extended their lead. Beckwith motored forward and exchanged a one-two with McBride, before curling a right-footed effort into the far bottom corner.
The visitors did reduce that lead eight minutes later when substitute Callum McFarlane swept home, and whilst Oliver Whatmuff had to get low to deny Cameron Green’s shot, Dale never really relinquished control of the game.
East was again denied a hat-trick by a low save from Walker, before Amantchi was inches away from getting on the resulting corner.
Jacob Wakeling stung the palms of Whatmuff and some brave Dale defending denied several Moors’ set pieces, as McNulty’s men made it five wins in a row.
Dale XI | Whatmuff, Gordon, East (80’ Pettit), Ebanks-Landell ©, Allarakhia (64’ Berkoe), Gilmour, Rodney (74’ Burger), Amantchi, Adebayo-Rowling (74’ Moss), McBride (64’ Barlow), Beckwith.
Unused subs | Humbles, Henderson.
Scorers | 8’ 17’ East, 19’ Rodney, 50’ Beckwith.
Solihull Moors XI | Walker, Clarke, Green, Osborne © (55’ Tipton), Whitmore, Nicholson, Creaney (55’ McFarlane), Lipsiuc, Wakeling (79’ Whyte-Hall), Rutherford (69’ Bowen), Stevenson (55’ French).
Unused subs | Brown, Jackson.
Scorers | 58’ McFarlane.
Attendance | 2,128 (39 away).
