Richard Wood on the cuppa that was the catalyst for a Rotherham United love affair

All it took was a cup of coffee and a fresh mindset to build a bond which endured his difficult departure and move to local rivals Doncaster Rovers, Rotherham’s opponents today.

There were few signs of it when then-manager Paul Warne was mulling whether to keep the centre-back in the summer of 2017.

A former Sheffield Wednesday player signed on a free transfer after an unhappy year at Charlton Athletic, his underwhelming first three seasons included loans at Crawley, Fleetwood Town and Chesterfield.

“I met Warney, Richie Barker and Hammy [Matt Hamshaw, his assistants] at the start of the 2017-18 season for a coffee about me staying on,” Wood recalls. “They weren’t sure because my career was sort of on the decline. I knew it was as well.

“From that moment I had no fear. I knew I had to enjoy my time and not worry too much about where my career’s going. It might last another season and that might be it. I’ve been saying that every season since.”

If 2016-17 was a low point for Wood, the season that followed was a highlight he refers back to regularly in our conversation.

“The only disappointing season we had relegation-wise was 16-17, it wasn’t nice,” says Wood of a campaign which saw the Millers finish 28 points adrift of Championship safety. “The fans didn’t like how bad the team was.”

But mental resilience was drummed into Wood as a teenager.

“Martin Hodge was the reserve-team manager at Sheffield Wednesday,” he recalls. “When I started playing in the Premier Reserve League he used to batter me every week. Now I realise why. He was toughening me up and making it hard for me. That made me.”

So it should be no surprise a relegation in 2016-17 was his catalyst.

“I knew from January onwards that [2017-18] season we were going to do it [win promotion],” insists Wood. “I was playing well and we dragged it through, culminating in that final.”

“That final” was the League One play-off final against Shrewsbury Town where Wood etched his name into Millers history.

With Dean Henderson saving a penalty he won, it took two Wood headers – the second in extra-time – to secure a 2-1 win at Wembley.

“That’s the highlight of my career,” he says with a smile. “I wish I could replay it and do it all again.

“But the full season was a joy to be involved in. That’s when it started to go right for me and everything clicked – management, the club, the fans. I suppose it happened again in the season we got promoted and won the Papa Johns [2021-22].

“There was the disappointment of the two relegations between that but we did give it everything. That Cardiff away game during the Covid season [of 2019-20] is something I still look back on and think, ‘What if?’

“But we’ve had great times and looking back I’ve loved every minute. I might not have thought it at the time! You’ve got to have bad times to go through the good times. It’s not all perfect, is it?”

The ending at the New York Stadium was far from perfect, caretaker-manager when Warne left for Derby County in September 2022, to being eased out by successor Matt Taylor.

“I’m really disappointed how it all ended but I can’t complain because these things happen in football all the time, people have opinions – what can you do about it?” he says.

“I’ve been out of favour loads of times, it’s how you come back. It’s just this one’s been highlighted because it was my last season and how well I’d done up to that point.”

The lack of bitterness explains why fans were so keen and chairman Tony Stewart so amenable to a testimonial.

“I know what I’m good at, I know my weaknesses as well but I always give 100 per cent and I think the fans take to that,” says Wood. “I still have Wednesday fans talking about the past – it was a long time ago now – and how much they liked me.

“I’ve tried to leave on good terms if I needed to. I want to keep playing as long as possible and if that's at a rival club, sorry but so be it.”

Doncaster has been a slow burner too, his debut season disrupted by injury. His return coincided with a run from 22nd in League Two in February to fifth in April.

Wood proved a point to himself about his fitness at 39, and about being more than the “head it, kick it” defender he portrays himself as.

“Doncaster play out from the back – I’d never done that,” he says. “I’m just a head it, kick it, strong, aggressive leader but if I don't play out, I don’t get in the team."

As for the future, he has studied for his coaching badges but put that on the backburner.

“While I’m performing at a good level, I want to keep doing it,” he says. “I’ve got my children as motivation to keep going, they love coming to games. If my focus shifts to coaching now, what am I doing?”

One thing he does know is he and Rotherham are not finished.

“I can’t wait to come back as a fan when I have hung up my boots,” he says. “For now it’s just this match.

“It should be a tough game for both teams. I want everyone to get stuck in. I’ll play as I normally do.”