"Massive blow" - Claim made amid Kieffer Moore concern at Ipswich Town | OneFootball

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Ipswich Town will be sweating over the fitness of on-loan striker Kieffer Moore as they head into the Championship run-in.

The Welsh international was forced off nine minutes before the interval in their dramatic 3-2 win over Southampton at Portman Road, appearing to injure his back and, despite trying to continue, was replaced and headed straight down the tunnel.

Kieffer Moore injury update

Shortly after the victory over the Saints, Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna was able to provide an update surrounding the injury sustained by the striker.

Due to the immediacy of the injury, the Tractor Boys manager was unable to give a clear indication on the timescale in which the on-loan Bournemouth striker may be unavailable for.

“I haven’t had the medical report, to be honest,” McKenna told TWTD. “He got a firm hit on his back.

“I think it all locked up, so that isn’t great, so we’ll have to see how he is over the next few days. But I haven’t had a report yet.”

Following their Easter weekend fixtures, Ipswich return to action in the early kick-off against rivals, Norwich City, who will be keen to maintain their own play-off aspirations while also providing a blow to their East Anglian rivals' automatic promotion hopes.

With just six games of their season remaining, the Tractor Boys sit top of the Championship table, with Moore having played a significant role in the side since his arrival from Bournemouth in the January window.

The striker has netted six goals in 12 games in the second division, providing a more physical aerial threat to McKenna's attacking armory, which is most certainly paying off.

But a potential period on the sidelines could be crucial to Ipswich's automatic promotion hopes, with the experienced striker not only providing goals for the side, but having played over 150 games in the Championship and helping Bournemouth win promotion during the 2021/22 season.

Here at FLW, we asked our Ipswich fan pundit, Henry, about the potential impact Moore's absence could have on their promotion hopes, admitting that it would be difficult for the Tractor Boys to maintain a top two finish without Moore within their ranks.

"Kieffer Moore going off injured against Southampton would be a massive blow if he is unavailable for the next few games, especially against Norwich," he said.

"Al Hamadi is good, but he doesn't quite offer the same physical impact that Moore does and the way that the team can move up the pitch with Moore up there is very different to how Al Hamadi plays.

"Saying that, the Norwich centre-backs may not be used to the pace in behind, so it could be a good option.

"Fingers crossed it wasn't too bad, and maybe one game out wouldn't be the worst, but a couple more might be very difficult for us to maintain these last six games.

"Fingers crossed it was only a small injury, and he's recovered by the weekend."

Ali Al Hamadi has a huge chance to impress

If Moore's injury is worse than first feared, Ipswich still boast a number of attacking options, one of which was signed during the January transfer window.

Ali Al Hamadi arrived from AFC Wimbledon having scored 13 goals and provided six assists in League Two, and has continued his form since his switch from Portman Road.

Despite featuring largely as a substitute, the Iraq international has managed to score four times and grab an assist in his 11 games in the Championship, and was the man brought on to replace Moore in the win over Southampton.

The 22-year-old has shown in flashes the brilliance he can bring to the side, no more so than in his 18-minute cameo against Sheffield Wednesday where he bagged a brace, and a consistent run in the side could be the secret to unlocking the form seen at Plough Lane.

Albeit inexperienced, Al Hamadi has players around him that will help him in the forward areas should Moore be unavailable for some time, and it could be the opportunity to make himself a hero so early in his Ipswich Town career.