KIEFFER Moore revealed how his forgettable spell in Norway served as a reminder to how badly he wanted to play in the Premier League.

It has been an unconventional path to the top for Moore, starting his senior career with 12th-tier Paignton Saints in his native Devon after being released by Torquay United.

A six-league jump up to the National South followed, with Moore joining Truro City as an 18-year-old, before making his first move to Dorset in the form of Dorchester Town.

Nearby Yeovil noticed his exploits for the Magpies, picking him up ahead of their maiden season in the Championship.

Two years in Somerset ended in back-to-back relegations and inconsistent game time for the towering striker.

After a first taste of professional football, Moore opted to again pick an unorthodox option – to play for Viking, in Norway.

Signing a one-year contract after being released by Yeovil, Moore played just nine times and had returned to England – and non-league – after just six months in Scandinavia.

Reflecting on the spell in Norway, Moore told the Daily Echo: “I’ll be honest. I always had a deep lying (feeling), something was burning inside me, saying that I was always going to make it.

“I’ve had doubts along the way – when I went to Norway.

“Doing that relit that fire in me, coming back.

“Out there, I didn’t have the best of times.

“Ever since that moment I come back, I knew how much I wanted it, and how much I was willing to do the hard yards and work when nobody was working.

“I do stupid amounts of hours.

“I go home after training, and I do more and more work.

“I’m constantly trying to be the best version of myself.

“I think this (promotion) is ultimately a culmination of all of that over the years.

“It hasn’t sunk in yet, and I’m not sure it will for a while.”

After seeing his rise rebuffed by the Viking experience, Welshman Moore joined Forest Green Rovers, then in the fifth tier.

It wasn’t plain sailing in Gloucestershire, with Moore having to wait for a brief loan spell back at hometown club Torquay to kickstart his career again.

From there, Moore has gone from strength to strength, moving up the leagues to eventually join Cherries, racking up nearly £10 million in transfer fees on the way.

A classic target man up front, Moore’s height had been used by Gary Johnson at Yeovil in a different way.

Johnson deployed Moore as a centre-back at times, an experience Moore viewed as a positive.

“It was a valuable experience, having to play a different position,” added Moore.

“Ultimately, a position I play against.

“So, when you learn the role of defending, you look at situations you wouldn’t like to be in.

“I try to exploit those areas where I wouldn’t find myself comfortable when I was defending.

“Everything has been a lesson for me, and like I said, it’s been a culmination of hard work and graft over the years.”