FOOTBALL-Shade brace catapults Moors into the playoffs.

LONDON, CMC – A brace from St Kitts & Nevis winger Tyrese Shade enabled Solihull Moors to confirm their place in the National League play-offs with a comfortable 3-0 win against Ebbsfleet on Tuesday.

The 23-year-old midfielder – on loan to the English fifth-tier club from League 2 side Swindon Town – opened his account for the Moors with goals in each half of the contest at Armco Arena.

In between, team captain Jamey Osborne struck in the second half to ensure the Moors moved to fourth place on 73 points in the 24-team table.

The match began with neither team keeping possession, but the Moors broke on the counterattack in the seventh minute. Shade threaded a pass on the right-hand side of the penalty box, and forward Tahvon Campbell steered the ball wide of the goal.

Shade opened the scoring in the 19th minute after James Clarke received the ball inside the Moors half-half, dribbled into the opposition half, and chipped a pass into the Birmingham-born winger on the right-hand side for a shot into the far corner.

It was the only goal of the first half, but there was plenty of action around the mouths of both goals on either side of the break, with the visitors trying hard to find an equalizer.

Ebbsfleet kept most of the ball, but they failed to test Nick Hayes in the Moors goal. Osbourne deflated them when he doubled the home team’s lead 71 minutes after the ball rolled into his path from 25 yards out. His deflected shot sent goalkeeper Mark Cousins the wrong way.

Shade had another shot on goal stopped three minutes later after the hosts won the ball back deep inside the Ebbsfleet half. He cut inside from out wide and shot towards the near post, but Cousins got down well to avert the danger.

Cousins had no answer in the 88th minute when Shade picked the ball up on the left-hand side and ran at the Ebbsfleet defenders. He beat two players before striking towards goal, and his powerful shot hit the roof of the net.

The defeat left Ebbsfleet in 18th on 52 points, still five points clear of the relegation places.