"Unsung hero" reminds Sheffield United exactly what they need ahead of potential Sunderland European adventure
Former Sheffield United goalkeeper Simon Moore has been hailed as Sunderland’s “unsung hero” after earning a new contract on Wearside - and his story offers a timely reminder of the sort of characters Chris Wilder wants to rebuild around this summer.
Sheffield United promotion hero Simon Moore could experience a remarkable European adventure next season with Sunderland after the Black Cats triggered their option to extend his contract by another 12 months. Sunderland go into the final day of the Premier League season with Europe qualification still a possibility.
And if they get there, with a string of results needing to go in their favour, then former United man Moore will join them on the journey after the decision to keep him on Wearside for another year.
Moore, now 35, was a big part of United’s League One promotion almost a decade ago and was a hugely popular figure at Bramall Lane before he eventually moved on. In his time at United he competed with two England goalkeepers for a place, in Dean Henderson and Aaron Ramsdale.
Football is a notoriously harsh industry but you will struggle to find anyone with a bad word to say about one of the game’s genuine good guys, who keeps a keen eye on United’s fortunes after his spell at Bramall Lane which also saw the Blades win promotion to the Premier League.
And Blades chief Chris Wilder, who signed Moore in the first place for United, will no doubt lean back on that sort of template as he looks to reprofile United’s squad this summer. Good players, good characters and good people - exactly the blueprint the Blades boss has in mind.
Moore has made just six appearances in two years at Sunderland but remains a big figure in the dressing room, with defender Luke O’Nien describing him as an “unsung hero” of Sunderland’s recent rise - sparked, of course, by a play-off final victory over United 12 months ago.
“If I go down now to my locker here at the training ground, I've got a Simon Moore shirt in there,” O’Nien admitted. “He was the most important cog in our machine that won promotion last season.
"I have his shirt in my locker because if I'm not playing, it reminds me to be like him. He is a wonderful human and he puts that first, and then it's the footballer. He just has this way of connecting the group, demanding from everyone and just making sure everyone holds the standard of what this club and this city is.
"For me, he'll be the unsung hero of what we've done here. He won't get the mural on the side of a wall but his shirt is there in my locker. And if anyone who has ever played with him hears this, they'll know straight away exactly what I'm talking about. I wouldn't even need to explain it to them."