Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson owes a part of the blame for Kieffer Moore’s recent hamstring injury after the manager risked him in the FA Cup tie against Chelsea.
Wrexham’s injury woes keep mounting as they progress towards the most decisive final stretch of the Championship season. Already grappling with injuries to star players in Ben Sheaf, Matty James, and Libby Cacace, the Hull defeat added another mainstay to this list.
The player in question is Wrexham’s top scorer of the season, Kieffer Moore. While his absence from the starting XI against Hull was initially attributed to rotation with Sam Smith, a club statement shortly after confirmed his injury.
The official update on Moore’s fitness read: “Phil Parkinson has confirmed Kieffer Moore sustained a small tendon split in his hamstring against Chelsea.”
Though the report confirmed a small tendon tear, Moore’s availability remains doubtful until the end of March. This could see the forward miss 3-4 Championship games, in addition to Wales’ World Cup qualifiers.
While the injury is unlucky for Moore and Wrexham, boss Phil Parkinson’s recent comments raise questions about whether it could have been avoided. The manager confirmed that Moore’s game time against Chelsea aggravated the issue.
As quoted by the BBC, Parky said: “It was kind of after the [Chelsea] game really, there was a bit of tightness there.”
Phil Parkinson added, saying, “We thought he was OK, he trained on Monday, and then we sent him for a scan and there’s a split in the tendon which has shown up.”
Phil Parkinson risked Moore Vs Chelsea in FA Cup
Notably, Phil Parkinson brought on Kieffer Moore for Sam Smith when the score stood at 1-1 against Chelsea. While that decision seemed part of Parky’s aggressive plan to find a winner, it has backfired immensely.
Though introduced in the 66th minute, Moore’s shift stretched to around an hour after the game went to extra time. Given that this game came days after he played the full 90 minutes at Charlton, Moore’s workload aggravated a recurring hamstring problem.
Neither did Kieffer Moore score against Chelsea, nor did his assist count on the disallowed 3-3 equaliser. But the fact that he was involved in multiple brawls against Chelsea players likely contributed to his injury.
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Here, it must be noted that Phil Parkinson owes a fair share of the blame for Moore’s concern.
That’s because Moore’s hamstring woes have been an unresolved issue throughout the season. A frantic schedule has seen him pick up hamstring injuries in November as well as late December. Still, Parky put Moore up against a physical Chelsea side in the hope of a Cupset, despite knowing about Wrexham’s mounting injury crisis.
Lo and behold, that Moore substitute trick failed as Wrexham lost to Chelsea, and now the forward is a doubt until late-March.
Undeniably, Phil Parkinson deserves praise for the way Wrexham gave their all against Chelsea in the FA Cup. But the manager’s call to risk Moore ahead of a more important playoff race was certainly not his wisest decision.
Wrexham needs to be cautious with Sam Smith ahead
The latest injury to Kieffer Moore comes as a massive blow for Wrexham right before the decisive stage of the season. This raises expectations for Sam Smith and Bailey Cadamarteri, along with the rarely used Jay Rodriguez.
In this regard, Cadamarteri’s impressive debut against Hull City should bolster hope among fans. Despite playing only a 10-minute cameo, he created a brilliant chance for Rodriguez to score a late equaliser.
But even though Sam Smith and Cadamarteri remain the main options in Moore’s absence, it goes without saying that Smith has bigger responsibilities to shoulder. This calls for cautious use of the in-form Smith by Parky in a hectic schedule ahead.
Ideally, Phil Parkinson should rotate starts between Sam Smith and Cadamarteri until Moore returns. Not only would this distribute the workload effectively, but it would also give much-needed minutes to Cadamarteri, who has been waiting on the sidelines.
However, the main reason for such caution is to protect Sam Smith from injury. With 7 goals in the second half of the season, Smith has been Wrexham’s most in-form forward lately.
The Reds can’t afford any injury or overload to Smith in this decisive phase. One slip, and Wrexham’s top-six chase could collapse at the final hurdle.
Overall, Kieffer Moore’s injury should serve as a warning for Phil Parkinson and Wrexham to proceed with caution. A gruelling schedule awaits the Reds, where managing fitness concerns will be as important as on-field results.
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