Doncaster Rovers - Richard Wood interivew: Pt 1
Stuart Rayner interviews Doncaster Rovers' veteran defender Richard Wood, who looks ahead to the 2024-25 League Two season and discusses the team's automatic promotion chances ...
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00:00It just feels like a really positive place at the moment, you know, since, well really
00:12since February, wasn't it? Things have been on a really steep upward curve and it just
00:17feels like everybody around the club believes you can keep going and go one step further
00:23next season.
00:25That's the aim. I'm hoping so. There's definitely belief in dressing in them. Everybody seems
00:30to know the jobs, what's required, how we play. And we've had some good players in as
00:36well. The Gaffers brought some good players in the squad. So we feel like we're in a good
00:39position and, yeah, we can talk about it, but we just need to make sure we start off
00:45well in the first game of the season and get three points. And it's all about winning games
00:50and collecting points as quick as we can.
00:52Yeah, I mean, the fact that you obviously had such a difficult start last season, does
00:56that sort of focus the mind even more? And we really need to put that right this year?
01:01Yeah, it does. Because the main group from that pre-season and that start of that season
01:06is still with us now. So we've all got memories of that, but we've also got memories of how
01:12we finished the season and the belief is there. So we all know what's required and pre-season
01:17has gone really well, worked really hard. Stats are up massively on last pre-season.
01:24Running stats, high-speed running, intensity, accels, decels that we've got. It's all science
01:28related now. 20-odd years ago, definitely.
01:32Just how much you puked at the end of the run before, wasn't it?
01:35It was. It was. We used to be sick. It was. And that's when we'd stop. But now it's all
01:39data and the data's up massive from last pre-season. So everything's geared for a good season and
01:47we're definitely, mindset-wise, in a good place.
01:49I mean, when Grant came to see us after the crew game and spoke to the media, you could
01:56just see the determination in him. I wonder what it was like as a dressing room? I was
02:01asking Owen the other night and he said it took him and a few of the lads a bit of time
02:06to sort of get over the disappointment and then refocus. How was it from your perspective?
02:12Yeah, a few days. A few days just to reflect on it and how disappointed we were and was.
02:19But I knew that was managers' mindset straight away. He even told us, we're straight on to
02:26automatic promotion next season from that gate. And even at that point, that's what
02:31he said to us after the game. So he wouldn't unlock your lights and dwell on that. It was
02:35just focus shifted straight away to this season, which is what he's like.
02:41Why he's a good manager. But players-wise, I bet it took everybody a fair while. For
02:47me, it were a few days and just trying to focus on my family and summer off then. So
02:54it's like, enjoy time with my children and go and take my focus off football.
02:59Yeah. I mean, obviously you'd already signed your contract, I think, for next season by
03:03then. But if you'd have not been that bothered then, I guess that's the day to give it up,
03:09isn't it? The fact that you felt that hurt and you've obviously had to work through that
03:14before in the past. Is that sort of a sign to you that, yeah, this is still in me, I
03:18still need to keep doing this as a job?
03:21It does. And that's what I'm saying. My mindset's there. You want to play. I want to play every
03:26game. I want to win. I want to get promotion. And that's never going to go away, I don't
03:30think. It's just, can my body keep up to it? And as long as I can put performances in and
03:37keep playing and contribute to the team, that's why I keep going. And when that comes
03:43away, that's when I'll stop.
03:45And do you think it's a realistic ambition to go up automatically this year?
03:50Yep, of course it is.
03:51Well, I was going to say, I mean, the way you played the second half of last season
03:54would suggest that it is.
03:56Yeah, and that's my full intention. And as being when I signed last season, yeah, the
04:01start didn't help. But on reflection now and looking at this pre-season, it's completely
04:06different and the mindset's completely different and the belief's definitely there. So I'm
04:11looking forward to it and hopefully I can contribute a lot to it as well.
04:15Do you think people have learnt a lot, whether it be Grant or you as players, from last season
04:20and the things that went right and wrong?
04:23Yeah, the preparation, what we did in last pre-season to this one is night and day really.
04:29Even though last pre-season, we're probably saying we felt all right at the time, just
04:36looking back at that and what we've done this pre-season, it's been class, to be fair.
04:42It's been hard work, a lot of double sessions, a lot of fitness work, a lot of tactical work
04:48as well, because obviously it comes hand in hand. You need to be right tactically as well.
04:53But everybody knows the jobs, everybody feels comfortable with what we're doing and how
04:57we're playing and training everyday flows really well. So yeah, we're ready for it and we just
05:02need to keep a couple more games to go pre-season and then make sure we're ready and then looking
05:08forward to the start of the season.
05:09Yeah, because I was going to say to you, I mean, Tuesday was the first time I'd seen you since
05:12last season and you sort of came away from that game thinking,
05:16they look ready for it now. I mean, is that the way you feel?
05:20Yeah, yeah, we've been good. There's been no issues pre-season so far.
05:25We look good overnight. The lads played great, some really good stuff.
05:29And it's patterns of play that we've got and little movements we do.
05:33We look really good attacking-wise and it's got some good goals.