A GOALLESS draw was played out at the Sportnation.bet Stadium between the Brewers and Solihull Moors as we put more minutes on the board ahead of the 2019/20 season.
The Brewers played the first of back-to-back away friendlies at Solihull Moors on a night where the fierce heat sapped the energy out of the game.
Albion left out Jake Buxton, Kieran O’Hara, Richard Nartey and Colin Daniel all of whom were rested with niggling injuries.
John-Joe O'Toole and Jevan Anderson were the central defensive partnership with Reece Hutchinson at left back and Ben Hart at right back. Lucas Akins skippered the side.
Liam Boyce had Albion's first shot on goal - a low drive from 20 yards that was saved by Ryan Boot on nine minutes.
The Brewers continued to play the ball neatly through midfield with Scott Fraser playing just behind Akins and Boyce.
A crisp shot from Sbarra on 19 minutes was turned round the post by Boot.
The Brewers could have done better with two quality crosses from Fraser, with Boyce's diving header meeting Fraser's delivery but not connecting well enough to convert.
Solihull had a chance from a cross of their own in the 43rd minute when Paul McCallum rose at the back post to head into the side-netting.
HALF-TIME: 0-0
The second half started well for the Brewers with Akins, taking a ball down in the box, fouled by a Solihull defender. Scott Fraser stepped up to take the resulting penalty kick, but sent his effort straight down the middle and Boot made a comfortable save.
Solihull will feel they should have taken the lead just past the hour when a long free kick into the box fell to McCallum, but his header with Bywater stranded hit the post and went behind for a goal kick.
Stephen Quinn forced a smart stop from Boot with a second shot from a blocked free kick on 68 minutes, before Solihull broke and another cross found its way to McCallum, only for the striker to head over the bar.
Boyce glanced a header wide of the far post from Hart's cross on 75 minutes before substitute Ethan Vale curled an effort just wide of the near post from a free kick.
Bywater had to be alert to a deflected effort that nearly looped over him, tipping the ball over the bar, and that was the final clearcut chance of the game as both sides got more minutes into the legs ahead of the 2019/20 campaign.
FULL-TIME: 0-0
BREWERS: Bywater, Anderson, Wallace, Quinn, Fraser, Akins, Sbarra, Hutchinson, O’Toole, Hart, Boyce; Subs: Brayford, Hawkins, Morley, Vale, Beardsley, Triallist