Solihull Moors have completed the signing of Birmingham City defender Mitchell Roberts on loan for the remainder of the 2022/23 season. 

Roberts becomes the fifth addition for the Moors in recent weeks following the arrivals of Mark Beck, Oisin Smyth, Tom Whelan and Max Brogan with two of those four being permanent additions. 

The 22-year-old spent the first half of the campaign with fellow National League side Oldham Athletic, where he made nine appearances. 

The arrival of Mitchell Roberts will help to solve the gap left by the departure of loanee Fiacre Kelleher who has since signed for League Two side Colchester United on a permanent deal. 

  • Roberts Season So Far

The 22-year-old joined Oldham Athletic in the summer ahead of the club's first season in the National League, following their relegation last season. 

He made his debut for the Latics in their 2-1 victory against Aldershot Town, before moving to left-back in the clubs 1-1 draw against York City. 

Roberts started every single match during his time at Oldham, picking up three bookings in his first three league games, but none since. 

His only other match at centre-back was in the 2-0 defeat against promotion hopefuls Chesterfield, before spending the remaining six games playing as a left-back for the newly-relegated side. 

The only concern is that the player hasn’t featured in National League football since early October, which includes him missing out during Oldham’s defeat against Solihull Moors back in December. 

  • What do we know about the deal?

The defender has joined Solihull Moors on loan until the end of the 2022/23 season, as a replacement for the departed Fiacre Kelleher. 

Roberts is under contract at St. Andrews until June 2023, although the Championship outfit will have the option to extend his stay at the club by a further year. 

This could rule out any potential permanent switch to the National League side, who are hoping that this addition can bolster their hopes of getting their campaign back on track after a disappointing run of form, which did temporarily see them drop into the bottom half of the table. 

  • What Have Birmingham Said?

In a club statement regarding the transfer, the Blues wished him well. There wasn’t a statement from the club's manager or academy boss but they did comment on his spell with Oldham, his previous EFL loans and his career at the club so far. 

  • What Have Solihull Moors Said?

Solihull Moors released a statement which featured comments from both the player and manager. 

Manager Neal Ardley told the club website: “One position we really needed a bit of cover in was probably the full-back area - it’s hard for both (James) Clarkey and Ben Coker to play every game. 

“Mitch (Roberts) can play left-back, wing-back, even left-centre-half if you need him to. He’s had a little bit of time out, so he’s probably not quite where he needs to be just yet in terms of match fitness but that’s only going to come with games. 

“I think Mitch is certainly going to be a good addition for us.” 

Meanwhile, the player told the Moors' media team: “I’m really excited to get going, the standard’s been really good in training and I’m feeling ready. 

“As soon as I knew about the interest from Solihull Moors, I just wanted to come to be honest, it’s a great chance for me to play a lot of matches and help the team. 

“I’ve been to the ground a few times, especially when I was younger. I’ve come to a few Moors games in the past, so I pay interest to how the club is doing, and I’ve been following the league even before I came here.”