Rotherham United captain Richard Wood is a man who has experienced almost every emotion during his time at AESSEAL New York Stadium.
In almost seven years with the Millers, he’s experienced two promotions, scoring a brace to get his side over the finishing line at Wembley in 2018. ‘The Wrecking Ball’ is the kind of character any manager would want in his dressing room, especially with Sky Bet Championship survival on the line.
Having recently extended his stay at the club for a further year, the skipper has reaffirmed his desire to make yet more positive memories in South Yorkshire, starting by helping Paul Warne’s men over the line in their quest to beat the drop.
“I enjoy this stage of the season when there is something to play for and there is pressure in every game," Wood explained.
“It has been a strange season with covid and no fans. Defying the odds is something we thrive on. Personally for me, I want to make more memories for me and my family.
“Staying up this season would be up there with the Wembley goals and the two promotions I’ve had. I want to add another memory this year by helping the team stay up.”
The Millers take on a rejuvenated Birmingham City at AESSEAL New York Stadium on Sunday, who have collected 10 points from a possible 15 since Lee Bowyer’s arrival as Head Coach.
While he knows his team are in for another tough assignment against Blues on home turf, the skipper insists that survival is still very much in his side’s hands, despite a disappointing defeat to Coventry City in midweek.
“To lose to Coventry was a setback, we went into the game with belief but I just don’t think we ever got going in the game. We didn’t do what we were good at and unfortunately Coventry played well and deserved the victory," he addmitted.
“The preparation time wasn’t ideal, but I don’t want to use that as an excuse. We just weren’t at it and from our point of view it wasn’t good enough. Everyone knows that in the dressing room and we’ve all spoken about it. The main thing is that we’ve still got enough games to turn it around.
“We just have to regroup, we know that we have another big game on Sunday to put it right. We will all be firing and ready to go because it is a massive game.
“Birmingham have done well in recent weeks and have really improved their form. We know how they play and we’re ready for a physical game. It is going to be tough, but I like playing in those type of games and I’m sure the other lads will be fired up for it.
“We showed against QPR that we are capable of getting results, we’ve played really well against some good teams in this league so we can’t dwell on the Coventry game and think that we’ve blown it, because we are still well in the fight. We’ve just got to be positive.”