My £20,000 battle of wounded knee
MOORE’S INVESTMENT ON FITNESS PAYING OFF
BY
LIAM MOORE has revealed how he spent more than £20,000 on fitness equipment during his twoyear battle to beat a serious knee injury.
The investment has paid off – centre-back Moore, now at League One Northampton, is set to face second-placed Derby at Sixfields today in just his fourth start since returning to action.
Before joining the Cobblers last month, Moore last played a full match on March 1, 2022, while on loan at Stoke from Reading.
His long, lonely campaign to play again finally succeeded a fortnight ago when he played 90-plus minutes at Cambridge.
He said: “There have been so many ups and downs in those two years – would I play professionally again, would I manage three games a week, would I be able to train every day?”
Moore’s troubles started when he had both knees scanned after that match for Stoke. He had injured his right knee, but there was potentially career-ending damage to the left one, which had been operated on while he was a 15-year-old at Leicester City.
That meant another op on the left knee, and Moore said: “The surgeon said it was 50-50 whether I would be able to play again.
“The surgery went fantastically well but then summer 2023 came round and I had that label that’s hard to shake off, that I was injury-prone.
“I tapped into every resource I could. I still have a very good relationship with Leicester, so I was able to go in and train with their Under-21s, which was great.
“At home, I wanted to create an environment that was as close as possible to a training ground. I converted my basement into a mini state-of-the-art gym. I’ve got everything I need in there.
“It was a physical, emotional and financial investment. As for the cost, I didn’t cut corners. I always had that drive to play again.
“If you include the other bits and pieces like hiring pitches I could train on and treatments that I needed, it all cost in excess of £20,000.”
Moore had reached fitness, but then came the hard part – finding a club.
He said: “I felt like I was written off by pretty much everybody, and my doubts about getting back were at their worst.
“Then my best friend Oliver Norburn, who’s at Blackpool, spoke to his agent, who got in touch with Northampton.”
Moore, who signed a short-term deal with the Cobblers, said: “The manager, Jon Brady, was fantastic – really open and honest. I can’t speak highly enough of him.
“He has shown loads of faith and belief in me.”
Today’s clash has an extra edge for Leicestershire-born Moore as he faces old East Midlands rivals Derby.
And his comeback is due for an extra twist on Good Friday when the Cobblers visit his old club Reading.