Kieffer Moore – More than a target man

Having a big man upfront to hold up long balls, win flick-ons and cause chaos in the opposition box is a tactic as old as time, pre-dating even Mick McCarthy’s years in football. However, in Kieffer Moore, the former Republic of Ireland manager has inherited an intriguing variation on the tradition.

The Torquay-born Welsh international stands at 6 feet and 5 inches, is practically unbeatable in the air and a handful every time Cardiff put the ball into the penalty area, but to label him a target man in the typical sense would be to do a disservice.

Over the past year or so, Moore has proven to be just as adept with his feet as with his head. He has an elegant touch and a great awareness of the movement of his team-mates around him, as well as a deceptively useful turn of pace that allows him to drive at defenders with the ball or run in behind them without it.

His goals are what have helped move Cardiff up the Championship table in recent weeks, but it is his all-round game that makes him stand out.

“We could do with a replica of him,” joked Cardiff manager McCarthy following Saturday’s 3-1 win against Coventry City in which Moore scored twice. “He’s having to put a shift in every time (he plays), but he’s getting his goals.

“It’s nice to see when you get different ones (goals) as a centre-forward, tap-ins, headers, left foot, right foot, whatever it might be. He’s playing well, Kieffer.”

Despite the rich vein of form he is currently in, there were nearly four years between Moore’s fourth and fifth Championship goals. That period of time included spells in both Norway and the National League, but since starring in a plucky Wigan side that was ultimately doomed by inadequate ownership, he has looked one of the best forwards in the second tier.

After beginning his career in part-time football with Truro City and Dorchester Town, spending time as a personal trainer and lifeguard to earn a living, Moore’s big break came with a move to Yeovil Town in 2013 ahead of the Glovers’ first ever season in the Championship .

He scored four times in 20 second tier appearances that mostly came from the bench but couldn’t prevent Yeovil finishing rock-bottom of the league table. It would be three years until Moore made another Championship appearance.

Despite his rapid rise from non-league football clearly being down to more than simply his size and ability in the air, Moore was pigeon-holed as a battering-ram style centre-forward simply due to his frame.

Relegation to League Two saw the striker released by Yeovil, leading to a move to Viking in Norway for a season before spells at Forest Green, Torquay and a goal-less return to the Championship with Ipswich under current boss McCarthy.

“He was pretty raw when he came to us,” McCarthy remembered. “TC (McCarthy’s long-time assistant Terry Connor) put a fair bit of work into him and he went on loan to Rotherham where he scored loads of goals.”

Moore turned 25 in the Summer that he joined the Millers, and it was at the New York City Stadium that he truly launched his EFL career.

13 goals in 22 League One appearances earned him a permanent move to Yorkshire rivals Barnsley in the January transfer window, securing another crack at the Championship in the process. Although the Tykes were relegated the following summer, 17 goals in the third tier saw Wigan pay the best part of £3million for him in 2019.

Despite going 12 games without a goal at the start of his Latics career, an exceptional run of form in the second part of the season saw him become a regular in the Welsh national team and helped to ensure there would be no shortage of suitors for his signature once the reality of the financial issues at the DW Stadium came to light towards the end of the campaign.

Paul Cook’s Wigan side played attractive, passing football, and whilst Moore’s height allowed them to adapt their style at times, the striker clearly improved his link-up play and movement in his solitary season in Lancashire.

One of the most obvious signs he had developed into a more well-rounded player was a glorious back-heeled goal he scored in a 2-2 draw against his future employers at the Cardiff City Stadium in February 2020.

His move to Cardiff appeared a perfect fit – the man leading the line for Wales doing the same for the club of the country’s capital – and although it has hardly been a stellar campaign for the Bluebirds this season as of yet, Moore has remained effective almost every time he has taken to the field.

His non-penalty goals per 90 average of 0.5 is bettered only by Championship top-scorer Ivan Toney, and on Saturday against Coventry City he showed his full repertoire of attributes in guiding McCarthy’s side to victory.

His ability to kill balls to feet stone-dead with a single touch massively alleviated pressure on his team-mates in an opening half hour that was dominated by the pass and move of the Sky Blues’ midfield.

As Cardiff slowly clawed their way into the game, it was no surprise that it was Moore who capitalised on their first real chance of the afternoon.

After great work from Josh Murphy in dispossessing Gustavo Hamer, the winger played a ball up the line into the path of an intelligent run by Cardiff’s talisman.

There was no real panic in the Coventry backline as they outnumbered Moore four to one, but a determined drive into the box opened up the opportunity to shoot with his left. He turned it down though, deciding instead to chop inside onto his right – leaving Leo Ostigaard on his backside in the process – before slotting past Marko Marosi to open the scoring.

 

The goal emphasised that Moore’s play is about more than winning headers and flick-ons, or being an out-ball for a backline under the cosh. There are times when he effectively is the Cardiff attack on his own.

Whether it be pressing opposition defenders, opening up space for others with his movement or driving towards goal with the ball at his feet, Cardiff’s centre-forward is always influential in their attacking play.

The contrast with Maxime Biamou, the man leading the line for Coventry, was stark.

Moore won ten of his 12 aerial duels. Biamou won just three of his eight.

Moore’s every touch appeared effortless and velvety, Biamou often saw balls bounce off him, undoing the good work of midfielders Hamer and Callum O’Hare in the process.

All three of Coventry’s centre-backs were constantly on edge as they tried to work out where Moore’s next move would take them. Aden Flint, Sean Morrison and Curtis Nelson rarely lost track of Biamou.

Crucially, Moore took both chances that fell his way whereas Biamou missed the target when presented with his best opening midway through the second half.

There was little between the teams on the day, Coventry dominated possession and regularly found themselves in dangerous areas, but they didn’t have Moore.

He doubled his tally for the afternoon just before half-time with a back post tap-in after Marosi had flapped at a Will Vaulks long-throw – a finish more akin to that of the archetypal Championship striker.

Moore even won the free-kick that was taken quickly by Perry Ng to tee up Murphy for his first Cardiff goal since the penultimate day of last season, before unselfishly passing up an opportunity to score a first ever hat-trick in the second tier by trying to set up Harry Wilson when well positioned – perhaps an indication that even he is aware that his game is about more than scoring goals.

The goals will of course be what he is judged on come the end of the season though. His brace on Saturday were strikes number 12 and 13 of the campaign, helping McCarthy to a fifth game without defeat since he replaced Neil Harris in the middle of January.

Cardiff now sit seventh in the Championship thanks in no small part to Moore’s five goals in the unbeaten run, and with plenty of points still to play for the play-offs are not out of the question.

Even more excitingly for Moore, he is almost certain to be leading the line for Wales at the European Championships this summer, providing an opportunity to spread the word of the mobile target man to a worldwide audience.

He has provided a focal point in attack for the likes of David Brooks, Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey to thrive off in his short international career so far, playing a major role in the upturn in form that secured qualification for the tournament.

 

“He’s bought into everything that anyone’s tried to help him with,” said his current club manager following the match-winning display on Saturday. “To make himself an international footballer and going to the Euros this year is brilliant for him, and he deserves a big slice of the credit for that.”

For now he will continue to occupy Championship defences on the ground and in the air, running in behind or receiving the ball to feet, through finishing off mazy dribbles or tapping in at the back post, because Kieffer Moore is so much more than a target man.

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