Craig Bellamy believes Kieffer Moore has found the perfect platform at Wrexham and reckons the striker’s form could be crucial for Wales as they prepare for Thursday’s World Cup qualifier in Kazakhstan.
Moore has scored four goals in his first five matches since joining the newly promoted Championship club from Sheffield United, including one in Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Millwall.
For Bellamy, that hot streak is no coincidence, but the product of a system that plays to the 6ft 5in forward’s strengths.
“The way Wrexham play will definitely suit Kieffer,” the Wales manager said.
“I feel that when I’ve watched him play for Wrexham. There are not many similarities between how my teams play, with how Wrexham play.
"It’s different but there are no right or wrong ways to play football. But the way Wrexham play will definitely suit Kieffer.”
Should he feature in Astana, Moore would become the first Wrexham player to represent Wales since Steve Evans in 2008.
His potential landmark appearance comes at a pivotal moment for Bellamy’s side, who sit second in Group J, one point behind leaders North Macedonia at the halfway stage.
Bellamy says Moore’s rise at Wrexham reflects a wider transformation that has benefited the whole of Welsh football since Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney took over in 2021.
“I think we’re all captivated by the journey of Wrexham,” Bellamy said.
“It’s been amazing for Welsh football and hopefully now in a number of years we’ll see young players coming through.
“Surely, whether it’s Swansea, Newport, Cardiff, Wrexham, the better they do the better chance we have of being a stronger nation in football.”
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For Moore, the chance to be part of Wrexham’s remarkable story has been as thrilling as his goal-scoring run.
“I’ve been following it all the way, it’s been a monumental rise and now to be part of it is incredible,” he said.
“I’ve been loving every bit of it and it (the Welsh connection) can only be a positive thing. It’s about creating partnerships and me and Broady (fellow striker Nathan Broadhead) playing up front at Wrexham now can only help.”
That strike partnership with Broadhead is one Bellamy is eager to see blossom, though Broadhead is among those sidelined for Thursday’s trip east.
“It will be nice for Broady to get a consistent run of playing week in, week out,” Bellamy said.
“With the fee Wrexham paid it looks like he will get that, and that leaves me really excited because I believe there’s a really good footballer there. He has the benchmarks, the intensity, to really flourish there.”
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Goalkeeper Danny Ward, another of Wrexham’s high-profile Welsh recruits, is also out through injury.
But Bellamy insists the long-term impact of these signings will be felt regardless.
“Wardy had a tricky spell last year (at Leicester) and came through it mentally as well,” he said. “I’m delighted to see him playing for Wrexham as it’s his club.”
For now, Bellamy’s immediate focus is navigating a difficult away fixture against Kazakhstan.
The manager expects disciplined and physical opponents.
“They’re athletic and stubborn,” he said. “I quite enjoyed them when we played them here. I watched the game back and I loved their mentality, and I have a lot of respect for them.
“I see them defending deep, even at home. It’s going to be a different type of tempo, and I can’t see that changing too much.
“We know when the games are, and we know what we’re up against. Every nation is the same – there’s no excuses.
“This is a difficult trip, as it should be if you want to qualify for a major tournament.
“If we get the result we’re looking for then it gives us the opportunity to keep progressing, but at the same time, we knew this trip was coming and we’ve been preparing for it.”
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Wales’ margin for error is tight, with Belgium also poised as the group’s main challengers.
But Bellamy says the campaign is unfolding exactly as he anticipated.
“I thought that Kazakhstan and North Macedonia would be quite similar, and that one of them might get a couple of results to come between ourselves and Belgium,” he said.
“There’s a lot of football in this group left, there’s a lot of points that can be shared around, but we want to win every game from here on in.
“Whether that will be possible? I hope so. But the group is where I thought it was going to be.”
