Kieffer Moore reserved special thanks for the supporters after his resounding reception when he returned to action against Shrewsbury Town on Good Friday.
The talismanic striker has been sidelined through injury since the 4-1 victory at Gillingham back in February, but was introduced just after the hour mark as Barnsley beat the Shrews 2-1 at Oakwell.
“When the specialist gave me the all clear, it was more of a delight than anything,” admitted Moore. “Obviously, I’d missed getting on the pitch and to get that feeling to step back on the pitch was special – especially with the reception that the fans gave me as well. It was amazing – I couldn’t picture it; I had goose bumps and chills. It was unbelievable.
“Standing on the sidelines, waiting to come on and hearing everyone chanting your name – I’d never heard the ground that loud, to be fair. Stepping on the field with everyone cheering was a special moment and I can’t thank the fans enough for giving me that reception.”
It has been a difficult couple of months for the 26-year-old who, along with strike partner Cauley Woodrow, leads the Reds’ scoring charts with 18 goals in all competitions.
The former Rotherham United forward had to watch from the stands as his teammates continued the push for promotion from Sky Bet League One, and he admits he lived every moment.
“When you’re watching on and you know you can’t do anything, it’s frustrating and you feel bad for yourself,” continued Moore. “But it’s not about that; it’s a team game and we’ve been doing amazing, and I’m just thankful to be able to step out on the pitch in these last few games and help out.
“When you’re a spectator you become a fan, you just take it in and go through everything – elated one minute and deflated the other.”
Attention now turns to Blackpool this weekend following the 3-0 win over Plymouth Argyle on Easter Monday, with the Reds knowing all three points would put them within touching distance of promotion from Sky Bet League One.
Barnsley then round off their campaign away at Bristol Rovers next Saturday and could potentially be challenging for the title, depending on results elsewhere over the next couple of weeks.
“You never know; this league is crazy – all it takes is a couple of bad runs and a couple of defeats, and we could get top spot,” said the Reds’ hitman. “We’d all love to win the title, but the main aim is promotion.
“Winning our last two games would give us a very good chance. We know they [Sunderland and Portsmouth] are playing each other so there’s an opportunity for them to drop points. For us, now, it’s all about winning these last two games; it’s everything we’re thinking about and training towards. That’s our main goal; we shouldn’t look behind us.”
You can watch Kieffer’s full press conference on iFollow Barnsley.
