Why Wigan Athletic's man of the moment won't be taking Solihull lightly

Curtis Tilt will be the last Wigan Athletic player in danger of taking FA Cup first-round opponents Solihull Moors lightly this weekend.
Curtis Tilt is mobbed after scoring against Burton last weekendCurtis Tilt is mobbed after scoring against Burton last weekend
Curtis Tilt is mobbed after scoring against Burton last weekend

The centre-back, who hails from nearby Walsall, was in the Blackpool side who needed a replay and then extra-time to beat Moors in the same competition back in 2018.

And he’s determined Latics won’t suffer the same fate as 12 months ago, when local rivals Chorley sent them packing at the first stage.

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“Having played non-league myself, I know Solihull will be approaching the game like a cup final,” he said.

“When the draw comes on, all the lads are together, hoping you’ll get a tie against a big team.

"They’ll be bang at it, no doubt about that, they’ll definitely come here all guns blazing.

“I know a few of their lads, Solihull isn’t too far away from where I’m from.

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"And I’ve played against them before – for Wrexham and for Blackpool – so I know what a tough game they’ll give us.

“They’re a decent side, very physical, and we have to be ready for that.”

Boss Leam Richardson is expected to ring the changes for the tie but, despite starting the last two league matches, Tilt is desperate to stay in the starting XI.

He’s also hoping to extend his unlikely goal run, which saw him score a late winner against Fleetwood in midweek after an absolute ‘worldie’ against Burton last weekend.

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“It’s been amazing, I might have to backheel one in on Saturday to keep it going!” he laughed.

“It’s funny, against Burton I had a sighter in the first half, but Bayls (Tom Bayliss) got in the way, and I spoke to him at half-time about it.

“The one in the second half he made sure he got out of the way, and thankfully it flew in.

“To be fair, I’ve scored a few decent goals in my career, there was one in non-league for Halesowen from halfway, and an overhead kick for Blackpool in the last minute.

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“The one on Tuesday against Fleetwood wasn’t quite so stand-out, the cross just found me in the middle, but to win the game like that made it really special.”

Latics had extra incentive to win at Fleetwood, with an 18-day gap until their next league game due to the FA Cup and international commitments.

“We mentioned before the game that it was vital we won, because of the break in the league fixtures,” Tilt added.

“To be on top of the league during the international break, while we’re recharging our batteries, is a good position to be in.

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“At the same time, we haven’t even hit Christmas yet, so it’s still too early to be looking at the table too much.

“We’ll just keep ticking the games off week by week, and see where we are in May.

"Whatever competition it is, whoever’s in the team, we’re going out to win every single game.”

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