Richard Wood on falling on his feet at Doncaster Rovers after emotional Rotherham United exit

Wood left Rotherham United after nine seasons, the last of which saw the club captain take charge of a game as caretaker manager.

A key figure under Paul Warne, the centre-back was phased out by his successor Matt Taylor, albeit he played every minute of the final three matches of the season as Rotherham retained their Championship status.

He was not out of work long at all.

"It's strange how football and life works, it's all about timing," says the Wakefield-born player, 38 on Wednesday. "It's weird how it all just fits together and that's why I signed so quickly. Everything made sense – the location, the manager, the ambition of the club, all the pieces of the jigsaw fit together."

Wood has got on well with Grant McCann since the latter's playing days, so when the Northern Irishman was named Doncaster’s new manager at the start of the summer, he quickly picked up the phone.

"I knew there was a bit of interest but nothing concrete," said Wood. "Until the end of the season I hadn't heard too much but once the season finished and Grant got the job it was done quite quickly.

"I went on holiday so I couldn't meet him straight away but when I did, I signed the next day. He told me what his plans were and it was, 'Let's get it sorted.'

"It's the first time for me in League Two but that doesn't bother me whatsoever. I'd have dropped down even further, I just wanted to keep playing, enjoy my football and make some more memories for myself and my family before I do eventually retire, whenever that will be.

"I'd have gone to the Conference or even lower because I still wanted that buzz and that feeling when you walk out the tunnel and win games.

"The ultimate aim is promotion. If I can get another promotion on my CV, that's what I want."

Wood admits it took a while to come to terms with leaving Rotherham after more than 250 appearances in all competitions but by the time the end came, he had.

His last game at the New York Stadium was on the day the Millers beat Middlesbrough 1-0 to end a run of three consecutive relegations from the Championship.

Although no announcement had yet been made, it was clear to fans from Wood's lack of game-time under Taylor and the fact his contract was up that this was his farewell.

"It was nice to be involved at the end of the season and it just topped it off for me to end my career at Rotherham in a nice way," he reflects. "As sad as it was, it was a nice last few weeks and I got a lot of credit and adulation from the fans.

"I knew around December/January it was looking like I wouldn't get a new contract and I got my head around it. It took a while, don't get me wrong. Nine years at Rotherham was a long time but I sorted my head out and got focused.

"I didn't want to retire so it was just a case of looking for a fresh challenge and a new club."

Wood was the second of eight summer signings to date as McCann quickly made his mark on his return to the club he managed in 2018-19.

That backing from a club which had been sleepwalking down the pyramid has raised expectations, even as clubs with Wrexham and Notts County’s profile join a division which already had the likes of Bradford City, Stockport County, Salford City and Gillingham.

"You want expectation," says Wood. "That shows we have got good players. We've got to deliver and it will take hard work.

"He (McCann) hasn't hung about and it's just enhanced the feel-good factor around the club. If it were dragging on with no signings, the feelings from last season might have dragged on too but now we're raring to go and everything's positive.”

Doncaster reported back for pre-season training on Wednesday, six days after the release of a fixture list which starts their League Two campaign with a Yorkshire derby at home to Harrogate Town on August 5. Wood, who insists he will have no problem playing a 46-game campaign despite his age, is already counting the days.

"It's never a nice thing, pre-season,” he says. “You'd think the more I do, the more experience I've got you'd be all right with it but when it comes to it, I'm still asking 'How much more have we got to do?'

"You've just got to grind through it. It's not a nice feeling, especially as you get older because the young lads can run all day. I try my best to keep up with them, which I am doing.

"I'm not so much looking forward to the friendlies and the pre-season, I just want the (competitive) games to come. The friendlies are for fitness and to get gelled as a team but it's the league that matters to me and the three points for a win."

The date for Doncaster's first away game, which takes McCann back to former club Hull City in the League Cup, has been confirmed as August 8, kicking off at 7.45pm.