AFC Telford 2 Solihull 4 – match report

It's over. Phillip John's red card set the scene for AFC Telford United's first defeat of the season and one of the longest unbeaten records in English football is at an end.

At the start of the weekend only Manchester United and Queen's Park Rangers in the top six tiers of English football could, like Telford, say they were yet to taste defeat in league action.

That exclusive club is now down to two, with Andy Sinton's men falling to near neighbours Solihull Moors in what became a heated game in a charged atmosphere at the New Bucks Head.

The decision to send John off for a two-footed challenge on Adam Cunnington after 32 minutes was controversial enough, though on first viewing the tackle certainly didn't look pretty.

But it was the half-time ruckus that really raised the temperature to boiling point.

The usually placid Sinton instigated the drama by confronting first referee Simon Bennett and then Cunnington - who had infuriated Telford with a perceived dive and several fouls long before the red card incident.

Solihull No 2 Micky Moore then got involved with several players from both sides rushing in to have their say.

It was quickly diffused and might have been forgotten had Bennett not opted to instruct Sinton and Moore to watch from the stands at the start of the second half, a decision that was surely an over-reaction and put a dampener on what had, up to then, been a lively and entertaining encounter.

Telford played some great stuff in the opening exchanges and justifiably took the lead when Solihull defender Andy Gooding produced a weak back header and Adam Proudlock pounced to score his first of the afternoon.

Solihull were level when Junior English sliced through the Telford defence with all too much ease. Goalkeeper Ryan Young saved his rasping shot but was powerless to keep out Simon Johnson's follow up.

The equaliser had come against the run of play and the Bucks would still have been confident had it not been for the decision moments later to send off winger John - who justifiably had complaints that he had himself been fouled at least twice in the seconds before 'that challenge'.

Yet the 10 men held out to half-time and would still have believed they were in with a chance of getting something out of the game.

Credit though, to Solihull, who have surprised a few people this season and continue to look capable of a top half finish.

They were in front for the first time with a classic counter-attacking goal, breaking from a Telford corner with deadly speed for English to score.

Theo Streete added the third, lashing in after Will Salmon had failed to properly clear a corner.

At that stage it looked all over, yet Telford fought back well.

Proudlock set up a terrific final 15 minutes with a second goal and, just five minutes from time, the visitors were forced to clear off the line as a Salmon free-kick led to chaos on the box.

But, with the hosts committing more and more men forward, Solihull struck on the break and Ryan Beswick gleefully lashed in the fourth.

That really did spell the end, though there was still time for Proudlock to spurn the chance of a hat-trick, ex-Shrewsbury keeper Jasbir Singh saving his penalty after substitute Danny Carey-Bertram had been brought down.

Telford had only conceded four league goals all season going into Saturday's game but saw that tally doubled in one afternoon.

They will be working hard to ensure normal service is resumed at Droylsden tonight.

Match analysis by Chris Hudson