I’VE ONLY BEEN THE SECOND BEST STRIKER IN OUR HOUSE UNTIL THIS SEASON
SAYS CHRIS WOOD
CHRIS WOOD is delighted his girlfriend can no longer tease him that she is the only top-flight striker at home.
Wood’s partner Kirsty Linnett plays in the Women’s Super League with Reading and ribbed him about her higher status when he was in the Championship with Leeds.
They are equals since Wood’s record £15million move to Burnley and the Kiwi (with Kirsty, right) says the England Under-23 forward is a big help to his career.
“Technically, before I moved to Burnley, she was at a higher level and she never let me forget that,” said Wood.
“We like to see each other succeed and she was over the moon when I got the chance to come to Burnley.
“We help each other out. She watches games and sees things I don’t see.
“We train together sometimes and it’s nice that we can evaluate our games and become better players. She understands everything about football and knows the ins and outs. “She understands that when you’ve had a bad game and you come home, the last thing you want to do is talk to people. She knows that because it’s the same for her.” Having drawn level with Linnett, Wood says they are now competing to see who can take the next big step in their careers first. “It’s a race to see who can achieve the next big thing,” he said. “Hopefully, it will be a trophy here at Burnley for me or she’ll be lucky enough to win a trophy at her place.” Wood, 25, is well on the way to proving he can succeed in the Premier League and has scored in each of his two appearances for Burnley, ahead of today’s trip to Liverpool. He has fought hard to get here and finally made his Premier League debut against Crystal Palace last Sunday – eight-and-a-half years after his first top-flight appearance for West Brom, aged 17.
“I’ve always wanted to be in the Premier League,” added New Zealand international Wood, who was the Championship’s top scorer last season with 27 goals.
“I’ve got ambitions and dreams to become a Premier League striker, as in a well-known, prolific striker.
“That’s going to take a lot of hard work, but I’m looking forward to the fight.”