Sol Solomon
{{Short description|Jèrriais footballer}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Sol Solomon
| image =
| caption =
| fullname = Sol William Leonard Solomon{{cite web |title=Club List Of Registered Players |url=https://www.efl.com/news/2024/september/06/efl-squad-list--season-2024-25/ |website=English Football League |access-date=1 January 2025}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2001|3|17|df=y}}
| birth_place =
| height =
| position = Forward
| currentclub = Tranmere Rovers
| clubnumber = 21
| youthyears1 =
| youthclubs1 = St. Peter
| years1 = 2018–2019
| clubs1 = St. Peter
| caps1 =
| goals1 =
| years2 = 2019–2022
| clubs2 = Jersey Bulls
| caps2 = 71
| goals2 = 60
| years3 = 2022–2024
| clubs3 = Marine
| caps3 = 62
| goals3 = 29
| years4 = 2024–
| clubs4 = Tranmere Rovers
| caps4 = 9
| goals4 = 2
| nationalyears1 =
| nationalteam1 = Jersey U18
| nationalcaps1 =
| nationalgoals1 =
| nationalyears2 =
| nationalteam2 = Jersey U21
| nationalcaps2 =
| nationalgoals2 =
| nationalyears3 = 2023–
| nationalteam3 = Jersey
| nationalcaps3 = 5
| nationalgoals3 = 3
| club-update = 14:52, 29 December 2024 (UTC)
| nationalteam-update =
}}
Sol William Leonard Solomon is a Jèrriais footballer who plays as a forward for {{English football updater|TranmerR}} club Tranmere Rovers.
A youth product of St. Peter, Solomon left for Jersey Bulls in 2019 and became their record goalscorer over the course of three years, having scored 60 goals in 71 games in the Combined Counties Football League. He subsequently joined National League North side Marine, and later for League Two club Tranmere Rovers F.C..
Career
Solomon began his football career playing for St. Peter on the Channel Island of Jersey, before joining Jersey Bulls after a season.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thenpl.co.uk/marine-complete-solomon-deal-72624|website=thenpl.co.uk|title=Marine Complete Solomon Deal|first=James|last=Gordon|date=September 29, 2022|accessdate=March 18, 2023}}
=Jersey Bulls=
Whilst still a teenager, Solomon scored fifteen goals in his first twenty games for the side telling BBC Sport in September 2020: "Playing for the Bulls is great for me personally because as a squad we demand so much from each other and you know you can't drop your performance around them."{{Cite web|title=Jersey Bulls striker Sol Solomon hopes to impress with goalscoring exploits|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54358793|website=Bbc Sport|date=September 30, 2020}}
Solomon kept playing for Jersey Bulls during the 2021–22 season, even after he enrolled at University in Liverpool, and would try and fly back to Jersey for games. He then switched his academic studies to Highlands College, Jersey, telling BBC Radio Jersey "I tried to play as many games as I could, like I was doing before when I was at university, but it was a bit hard flying back every weekend."{{Cite web|title=Sol Solomon: Jersey Bulls striker commits to club after returning to island|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/58868363|date=October 11, 2021|website=BBC Sport|accessdate=March 18, 2023}} Solomon achieved a degree of viral media attention for a goal he scored goal against Sutton Common Rovers in the FA Cup in 2021, which was described as a “mid-air back-heeled volley”.{{Cite web|url=https://jerseyeveningpost.com/sport/football/2022/09/27/sol-long-solomon|title=Sol-long Solomon|date=September 27, 2022|website=Jersey Evening Post|accessdate=March 17, 2023}} Solomon finished the 2021-22 season having scored 38 goals in the campaign.{{Cite web|url=https://jerseyeveningpost.com/sport/football/2022/05/19/contract-rules-solomon-out-of-muratti-final|website=Jersey Evening Post|title= Contract rules Solomon out of Muratti final|date=May 19, 2022|accessdate=March 17, 2023}}
Solomon had trials with Luton Town early in 2022,{{Cite web|title=Sol Solomon: Jersey Bulls striker awaits Luton Town trial news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/60286081|website=BBC Sport|date=February 7, 2022|accessdate=March 17, 2023}} however, it was not until September 2022 that he left Jersey Bulls for Marine who play two divisions higher in the English football pyramid. He played the final game of his spell at Jersey Bulls on 24 September 2022.{{Cite web|title=Jersey Bulls striker Sol Solomon to leave club|url=https://www.itv.com/news/channel/2022-09-25/jersey-bulls-striker-sol-solomon-to-leave-club|website=itv.com|date=September 2022|accessdate=March 17, 2023}} He left the club having become Jersey Bull’s highest ever goal scorer, with a record 60 goals in 71 games in the Combined Counties Football League.{{Cite web|title=Sol Solomon: Jersey Bulls record scorer leaves club after FA Vase victory|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/63023458|website=BBC Sport|date=September 24, 2022|accessdate=March 17, 2023}}
=Marine=
Solomon scored his first goals for Marine when he netted a brace away at Whitby Town on 20 October 2022 in a Northern Premier League fixture.{{Cite web|url=https://jerseyeveningpost.com/sport/football/2022/10/20/sol-settles-in-at-marine|website=Jersey Evening Post|title=Sol settles in at Marine|date=October 20, 2022|first=Steven|last=Anderson|accessdate=March 17, 2023}} He played in the 2023 Liverpool Senior Cup final, which Marine won on penalties against Runcorn Linnets.{{Cite web|url=https://marinefc.com/marine-0-0-runcorn-linnets-4-3-pens-match-report/|title=MARINE 0-0 RUNCORN LINNETS (4-3 PENS) - MATCH REPORT|date=19 April 2023|access-date=20 April 2023}} In the 2023–24 season, he played and scored in the Liverpool Senior Cup final against City of Liverpool, which Marine won 2–0,{{Cite web|url=https://marinefc.com/marine-2-0-city-of-liverpool/|website=marinefc.com|title=Marine 2-0 City of Liverpool|date=24 April 2024|accessdate=7 May 2024}} and played a part in Marine's promotion to the National League North via the playoffs.{{Cite web|url=https://marinefc.com/macclesfield-1-2-marine/|title=Macclesfield 1-2 Marine|date=7 May 2024|accessdate=8 May 2024}} He turned down a new contract at Marine in 2024.{{Cite web|url=https://marinefc.com/retained-list-2023-24/|title=Retained List 2023/24|date=24 May 2024|access-date=5 June 2024}}
=Tranmere Rovers=
On 1 July 2024, Tranmere Rovers announced the signing of Solomon on an initial one-year contract.{{Cite web |date=2024-07-01 |title=Sol Solomon: Tranmere Rovers sign former Marine forward |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/ckdgl4y1j1po |access-date=2024-07-01 |website=BBC Sport |language=en-GB}} He picked up his first league goal for the club in a 3-1 away defeat to Doncaster Rovers on 21 December 2024.{{Cite web |title=Doncaster Rovers 3-1 Tranmere Rovers |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/live/c878e031ey8t |access-date=2024-12-23 |website=BBC Sport |language=en-GB}}
International career
In May 2018, Solomon represented Jersey's under-18 in the Junior Muratti against their counterparts from Guernsey, having played for Jersey's under-21's a month prior.{{Cite web |title=Jersey retain Junior Muratti honours|url=https://jerseyeveningpost.com/sport/2018/05/08/jersey-retain-junior-muratti-honours/ |date=8 May 2018|access-date=7 December 2024|website=Jersey Evening Post}}{{Cite web |title=Fantastic first half sets Greens on road to victory|url=https://guernseypress.com/sport/2018/04/16/fantastic-first-half-sets-greens-on-road-to-victory/#RwukE0dVlCmRwmhX.99 |date=16 April 2018|access-date=7 December 2024|website=Guernsey Press}}
In the summer of 2023, Solomon represented Jersey at the 2023 Island Games, scoring three goals as Jersey won the competition.{{Cite web |title=Sol Solomon|url=https://results.guernsey2023.gg/competitor.aspx?RegID=52490 |access-date=7 December 2024|website=Island Games}}
Personal life
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Tranmere Rovers F.C. squad}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Solomon, Sol}}
Category:Jersey men's footballers
Category:Men's association football forwards
Category:Jersey Bulls F.C. players
Category:Marine A.F.C. players
Category:Tranmere Rovers F.C. players
Category:Combined Counties Football League players
Category:Northern Premier League players
Category:English Football League players