Richard Wood on his 23-year playing journey and magic memories with Sheffield Wednesday, Rotherham United and Doncaster Rovers

It derived from a fair bit of pleasure and was entirely self-inflicted in truth.

After returning home from a short vacation on the party island of Ibiza with his Doncaster Rovers’ team-mates to toast the club’s recent League Two championship triumph in the sun – his last act as a player – he issued an apology regarding his hoarse voice when speaking to The Yorkshire Post.

‘Dodgy throat’, he opined.

For Wood, it was not really about the alcohol, but drinking in the journey following yeoman service for several clubs, including two Yorkshire ones in Sheffield Wednesday and Rotherham United and a shorter spell at another in Rovers which finished things off nicely with a first for the redoubtable centre-half; a maiden title success.

At the end of a frustrating season from a personal perspective – he decided with his family to call it a day earlier in the spring due to a persistent ankle issue – it softened the blow of not playing past his fortieth birthday in July.

Wood, whose 667 career appearances encompassed eight different clubs, said: “I was desperate to do that. But circumstances dictate sometimes and there’s not a lot you can do, is there?

“I’d have loved to have carried on, but my ankle said otherwise which I am gutted about because the rest of my body is good.

“I tried my best, but I look back at my whole career, not just the ankle trouble.

“The title is the silver lining of it all and why it was time to announce my retirement. We’d just won promotion as champions.

“I feel I could have given a lot more but for my ankle. But I did contribute and was part of a squad who were champions, so I am buzzing with it.”

It represented his fifth promotion – three were previously achieved with the Millers in the glorious autumn of his career and there was a memorable play-off final day in Cardiff as a young lad with Wednesday in 2005. The twentieth anniversary is on May 29.

For Wakefield-born Wood, who started as a junior at Ossett Trinitarians, it has been about the highs, but primarily the journey.

In some respects, the lows – and he’s had a few – make the successes more meaningful.

Wood reflects on early part of his career

As Wednesday’s young captain, Wood was talked up regarding England Under-21 honours, as were his prospects of a Premier League move, only for a serious groin injury to keep him out for over a year.

He acknowledged: “Everything is about timing. If I hadn’t got injured (at Wednesday), it might have been a lot different. But you have to live with that, it’s one of those things. I was out for 13 months with my groin after starting the season off really well in the Championship. But it’s maybe made me what I am in terms of what you have to deal with.

“Being injured at Doncaster, it wasn’t a nice place because I spent a lot of time on my own as well. I couldn’t travel in and was in a boot after the (ankle) operation. Even though I have played a long time, it is never nice being injured and players do struggle because it is never a nice place.

“But overall, I don’t regret anything that has happened in my career. Tough times... but you enjoy the good times as well.

“I definitely chose the right club in Doncaster when I left Rotherham. I cannot thank Grant (McCann) enough. As soon as he got the job, he rang me up.

“I’d known him quite a long time and knew what he was about. But it wasn’t until I was working with him every day that I saw how good he is and how he implements things and drives the team constantly and standards.”

Living away from his family, then based in the Midlands, when he moved from Coventry to Charlton was a hard time. As it was initially when he got his move back up north to Rotherham in 2014.

Given what he achieved with the Millers, it’s easy to forget that his first two seasons there were tough. He went on loan to three different clubs and admits that he harboured self-doubt as to whether his career would extend beyond his early 30s.

The two men who revived his career

The arrival of Neil Warnock and more especially Paul Warne put an end to such thoughts.

Wood continued: “You think ‘where am I going from here, what’s happening?’ How low am I going to play? It’s not a nice place to be in.

“The start of it (getting better) was with Warnock and then under Paul Warne. I got my career back on track when I was thinking that was sort of it. Warnock and Warney believed in me when everybody else didn’t seem to.

“I signed about six contracts with Warney…

“You get to a certain age and you are happy signing one-year deals. The manager knows exactly who and what you are. You never sign old players on long contracts now. You are just happy with the situation and enjoying being there.”

His relationship with Warne was a special one. At times, they argued like an old married couple. But it was all good.

Wood, afforded a testimonial at Rotherham last August when they played Doncaster – a rare time when the South Yorkshire rivals came together as one – said: “We got on great, but like ‘families’ do, you have arguments and disagreements. But that’s normal and you make up and you are fine.

“We had little ones all the time, tongue-in-cheek ones.

“There were ones where I’d come in wanting to play. Then we’d have a discussion about it. Not an argument, but a ‘controlled conversation’. And then it’d be forgotten about.

“The team came first, if he was picking a team to win and we did win, I’d have absolutely no complaints. If we lost, I’d be back knocking on his door again. Put me in and we’ll win!

“When he did that and we lost and he took me back out, then I have no argument. But it was all good and my relationship with him, Richie (Barker) and Hammy (Matt Hamshaw) was brilliant. I absolutely loved it.

“I think it was Warney’s fitness standards as well. I had to step up and I did and enjoyed it. Even at my age, I thrived off that. He loved that I was that motivated to prove people wrong and show everybody. Even the young lads. I was at the front of the running; or used to be…”

As for Wood’s most prized day, well that’s easy. It came at Wembley on May 27, 2018. In front of his family, including his two lads Jenson and Graye and partner Jade, he donned the equivalent of a ‘Superman’ cape – and magic hat – to score not once, but twice to secure play-off glory for the Millers against Shrewsbury.

“It was ridiculous. One that me and my family will never forget,” he added.

“It was the pinnacle of my career. What more could I do?

“We’d won 2-1 at Wembley and I scored both goals and we got promoted. I have got all the pictures, everything, but they are not up yet (at home).

“I am starting to creep a few more things in, like signed shirts. Now I have finished, I am going to get everything in frames and I have got to have a ‘group discussion’ with my missus on where I am allowed to put them. She is in charge of the decorating, but I will work on her.”

Wood looks to the future

As for the future, well in football terms, the next chapter will begin shortly when he attends St George’s Park as part of his A Licence coaching diploma.

Away from football, helping out at a soft-play centre which his family run can occupy some time. But football needs rock-solid people like Wood involved in it and is so much the better for it.

His time at Wednesday saw him learn from many team-mates who remain involved in management and coaching. Hamshaw, Lee Bullen, Graham Coughlan, Paul Heckingbottom and Glenn Whelan to name just a few.

And latterly as an ‘elder statesman’, Wood learned from the likes of Warne and McCann. He certainly wouldn’t be short of positive references for sure.

He added: “I have lots of things I can do and I do want to stay in the game if I can.

“If all else fails, I can go and be a pot-washer in there (soft-play centre) and get my hands dirty…

“Football can be hard, but people look at it as a dream job and it is.

“I don’t think retiring has hit me properly yet. But in pre-season, it definitely will when I am not reporting back… that’s when it will hit home. But my mind is in a good place and I’m all right.”

He most certainly is.