Exclusive:'The glue a dressing room needs' - Ex-teammate lavishes praise on rarely seen Sunderland talent
A former teammate has praised Sunderland goalkeeper Simon Moore.
Former Northern Ireland striker Conor Washington has heaped praise on Sunderland goalkeeper Simon Moore, hailing him as the “glue a dressing room needs”.
The veteran stopper has been on the books at the Stadium of Light since July 2024, and despite only making a handful of first team appearances in the intervening period, recently put pen to paper on a contract extension that will keep him on Wearside for another year. And to Washington, who played alongside Moore during a shared stint at Sheffield United earlier in his career, it comes as no great surprise to see Sunderland tie down a player who has so much to offer behind the scenes.
Speaking to The Echo, courtesy of BestBettingBonuses, the pundit said: “Si is a fantastic character who is not only a top goalkeeper with high personal standards, but a really amazing person who can be the glue a dressing room needs when times are tough and when new players come into it - although his short game needs some work!
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“Characters like Si are so important, and when I think back to all the teams I had success with, they were full of these types of people. The importance of dressing room culture can't be overstated. Similarly, the clubs I experienced bad times with had fractured dressing rooms and poor culture within them.”
He continued: “Being a third-choice goalkeeper isn't an easy role, as you're trying to push the two in front of you whilst knowing that, realistically, unless there's a catastrophe, you aren't likely to get lots of minutes. Being able to keep your own standards high and be a positive influence on the goalkeeping department and the dressing room as a whole is a skill that should be admired.”
Washington’s comments echo those of Sunderland stalwart Luke O’Nien, who emphasised Moore’s important role in the dressing room in an interview at the end of last season. The defender said: “He's one of the most important cogs of this team, who steps up, delivers the culture, just connects the dots in the whole group.
“People don't see that, and you don't play, you're contributing. It's the reason why I've got Simon Moore's shirt in my locker this season, it's been there all season, and it's the reason why I try to improve and be more like him, because he's got us to where we are today.”
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