Doncaster Rovers v Carlisle United: Richard Wood never thought about quitting during injury nightmare

Rovers host bottom-of-League Two Carlisle United on Saturday a point outside the play-offs with an extra, ninth, game to play on their rivals for an automatic promotion spot. Third-placed Wimbledon are a point ahead.

Captain Wood will be part of it again having made his return after seven months out with a broken ankle earlier in March.

He required three operations after complications with an injury he picked up in pre-season and played through for five games before realising the extent.

Wood felt discomfort on his return from his first operation and had a second to remove scar tissue. But it got infected, and Wood says had his third surgery been delayed even by a further week, his ankle would have had to be fused together.

The ex-Rotherham United and Sheffield Wednesday defender says retirement never crossed his mind.

"That's probably why I've had such a long career, I'll never give up," he said. "That's why I played on a broken ankle for five weeks.

"I want to try and play on next season depending how my ankle is, how I am fitness-wise and the club. I don't want to finish yet and it's going to take a lot to stop me."

As far as his manager, Grant McCann, is concerned: "Woody's knows his body more than anybody. That's not for me to decide."

As for Rovers' form, Wood says: "I don't think we've been unbelievable watching from afar. We just need to get together quickly for a massive push and all stick together. Hopefully I can use all my experience to help us get promoted.

"There's going to be hard times and points where we'll struggle, it's just how quickly we get out of them and how focussed we can be not to let one thing after another happen."

Doncaster had hoped to use the international break to get a number of players back to full fitness, but McCann would only say: "We've tried to push to get one or two back and we have with one or two but one or two probably won't make it. The medical team's worked very hard. "