Kieffer will take Moore punishment
STRIKER TO SPILL BLOOD FOR WALES
KIEFFER MOORE insists he is ready to spill blood for his country despite suffering a life-threatening fractured skull earlier this year.
The 6ft 5in Wigan striker has shot to prominence for Wales in their push for Euro 2020, after making his competitive debut in Slovakia last month and scoring in the 1-1 draw.
Moore’s aerial threat and link-up play then helped Wales hold Croatia as Ryan Giggs’ side started to click.
Yet the former lifeguard’s surge to stardom after a £3million summer move to Wigan was nearly stopped in February.
Then at Barnsley, Moore was left unconscious on the pitch for eight minutes after coming off badly in an aerial duel with Gillingham defender Gabriel Zakuani.
He was diagnosed with concussion and a fractured skull but did not need surgery and recovered to return in April.
Moore said: “It was a horrendous injury. At the time I didn’t remember much. As the weeks went on I started remembering it all again.
“I went up for a header and the defender headed the side of my head. I fractured my temporal bone and had a really nasty concussion. I missed two whole months of football.
“My agent was there at the time and he was ringing my mum and girlfriend and they weren’t best pleased. I had blood streaming out of my ears. It’s quite graphic.
“But I believe from that moment it has put a lot of things into perspective for me and how I live my life and what I want from my career as a footballer.
“I want to do what I think is best for me. Thankfully I made a very good recovery and now
I’m here.”
Moore returned to help Barnsley in their successful push for promotion to the Championship last term, finishing with 19 goals and earning a call-up to Wales’ summer training camp.
It was still a shock when Giggs threw Moore straight in against Slovakia after just one friendly appearance against Belarus.
Yet despite finding the back of the net only once this term for the Latics, Moore has vindicated Giggs’ faith in his three appearances. He is set to lead the line in Wales’ crunch qualifier in Azerbaijan tomorrow and Moore, who was bloodied on debut in a bruising clash, has vowed to continue putting himself about.
He said: “Every time I step over that white line I give everything for the cause and I will do what I’ve done the whole of my career.
“If I believed I couldn’t do that any more, I would walk out of the game. So if the ball is there to be won then I’m going to try and win it.”