Following Sheffield United’s defeat to Wrexham, manager Chris Wilder made a forthright statement about Kieffer Moore and provided an update on Patrick Bamford.
In an eight-goal thriller at the SToK Cae Ras, Wrexham defeated the Blades 5-3.
Moore, a seasoned frontman who Sheffield United sold to the Red Dragons this summer, scored two of Wrexham’s goals.
His departure was approved between the end of Wilder’s second reign and the beginning of his third.
Wilder explained: “It had nothing to do with me, but I know what he’d be doing now, and he wouldn’t be wearing a Wrexham shirt.
“I believe it affected some people’s perceptions of him, as well as his importance last season and today for the home team.
“The timing of goals was extremely terrible. We needed to get both portions of the game perfect, and we didn’t, but Kieffer did what he does.”
Wilder had complained the lack of a typical ‘number nine’ before Patrick Bamford was signed on a free transfer.
He was a free agent after being released by Leeds United and has thrived in South Yorkshire. The 32-year-old scored two more goals in the defeat to Wrexham, but his contract is set to end on New Year’s Day.
Wilder said, “I can’t do anything about it. It’s between the owners and Pat. From our perspective, he has completed the necessary tasks. He has performed admirably both on and off the pitch. He’s given absolutely outstanding performances.”
Bamford also received plaudits from Wilder’s opposite number, Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson.
He stated, “I believe we played well in the first half, but we could have done better in those three moments, despite the fact that Bamford is a fantastic player.”
“We told the lads at halftime that we needed to defend our box better because we were up against a high-caliber team. But we believed that if we continued to play the way we had, opportunities would present themselves, and we took them.”
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