Wrexham ace doesn't hide how he feels after silencing former club in thrilling comeback
Kieffer Moore has confessed he relished proving a point against his former employers after netting a brace as Wrexham mounted a stunning comeback to beat Sheffield United. The Wales international striker was in superb form as the Red Dragons overturned a 3-1 deficit to clinch a 5-3 victory at the Racecourse Ground on Boxing Day.
Moore struggled to establish himself during his spell with the Blades last season, managing only six goals across 30 league outings. He faced a backlash from the club's supporters following a costly mistake in May's Championship play-off final that resulted in Sunderland's decisive goal.
The 33-year-old has found greater success since his £2million summer move to Wrexham, already bagging ten league goals this campaign. Moore was subjected to sarcastic chants from the away fans on at least one occasion during Friday evening's match as Phil Parkinson's team found themselves behind in the opening period.
However, his crucial role in the remarkable turnaround that ensued pushed Wrexham to 13th position in the Championship standings.
Reflecting after the final whistle, Moore said: "You get criticism, you get praise. You need to keep on an even keel. You can't take it too harshly and you can't take the praise too big. But I'm delighted for myself. (They can) keep saying what they can say and I can just keep producing on the pitch."
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When asked if the criticism from United fans had motivated him, he responded: "Yes, absolutely." A stunning volley from ex-Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford put the Blades in the lead just seven minutes into the game, but Wrexham quickly equalised after an own goal by Tyler Bindon.
Another goal from Bamford and a header from Callum O'Hare gave United a 3-1 advantage in the first half. However, a header from Moore brought Wrexham back into contention.
A second-half header from Ryan Longman then leveled the match, before Moore fire the Welsh team into the lead for the first time. A confidently executed penalty by Josh Windass clinched victory for Wrexham, ending their five-game winless streak.
Following his side's defeat, Blades manager Chris Wilder expressed his disappointment that Moore was allowed to leave the club during the summer. Wilder parted ways with United by mutual agreement in June after they failed to secure promotion to the Premier League.
Moore's transfer was agreed when Ruben Selles was in charge, prior to Wilder returning for a third stint at the helm in September following a disastrous start to the season under his successor.
Wilder said: "It had nothing to do with me [Moore's departure] but I know what he'd be doing now and he wouldn't be wearing a Wrexham shirt. I think it might have changed a few people's views on him, the importance of him last season and the importance of him for the home team today.
"The timings of goals were really poor. We have to get both parts of the game right and we certainly didn't, but Kieffer has done what Kieffer does."
Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson said: "It was a bit of a surreal kind of feel to the game and obviously I'm delighted. I think we played well in the first half but those three moments we could do better with, albeit Bamford is a really good player.
"We said to the lads at half-time we had to defend our box better, we were up against a high-calibre team and we did that second half. We looked dangerous in the first half and we felt that if we carried on playing in the way we had done, that chances would come to us and we've taken them."