WEARING A PINNY IS PART OF THE WRECKER’S SOFT CENTRE
HE HAS BEEN dubbed ‘the wrecking ball’ by his manager, so you may not expect to see Rotherham captain Richard Wood wearing a pinny in a soft play centre.
But the no-nonsense centre-half is keen to point out he is a very different character off the field and loves the change of pace at the kids’ facility he runs with his partner Jade.
‘I’m aggressive and a leader on the pitch and I have a strong Yorkshire accent which goes well with the “wrecking ball” name,’ says the 35year-old. ‘But I am a proper family man, love my kids to bits and do all sorts with them.’
Woe betide anyone who gets in his way when there is a ball to be won on the pitch, though.
‘I am an old-school defender and have no fear,’ he laughs. ‘I am getting that ball even if I clatter my own teammate. I just go through players. It is irrelevant about who is in the way.’
It has always been that way, ever since former England midfielder Steve Stone caught him with a stray elbow while he was a 16-year-old playing for Sheffield Wednesday reserves against Stone’s Aston Villa.
‘It were men’s football – and that’s what he said to me,’ says Wood. ‘It toughened me up, that’s how it’s got to be. I’ve got to look after myself.’
That style has made him a fans’ favourite – never more so than when he got both goals in the 2018 play-off final as Rotherham’s 2-1 Wembley win over Shrewsbury secured promotion to the Championship.
The first one was a typically gutsy header, which led to boss Paul Warne giving him that nickname.
‘That was the pinnacle – to score both goals as a defender and win it for the team and see my kids’ faces in the crowd,’ says Wood. ‘That’s what I play football for. You can’t really top that.’
Wood is now in his seventh season at Rotherham and he insists the south Yorkshiremen are more than a yo-yo team despite two relegations and two promotions during that spell.
Although the Millers host Derby tomorrow in 20th spot, only clear of the drop zone on goal difference, he thinks they are getting stronger year on year. ‘Our budget is never going to be big compared to the other Championship teams, we have found it difficult before,’ he says. ‘The first time we got relegated we had a shocking season, the lowest points total. The second time, more recently I thought we were unlucky.
‘This time around we are already faring a lot better and competing, using the experience from previous years. We can stay up and kick on.’
At least Rotherham have made up for relegation by enjoying some memorable moments. ‘You have to savour the promotions, some players never experience it,’ adds Wood, who hopes to carry on at Rotherham even though he is in the final year of his contract.
‘The club and style of play suits me,’ he says. ‘I’m 35 but I feel fitter than when I was in my late twenties. I’ve got a new lease of life.’
He will not be short of options when he does quit. Wood has done his coaching badges now and also completed an online sports journalism degree at Staffordshire University in 2018.
‘I got a first-class honours. I set up a website and did a blog,’ he says. He wrote about his son’s diabetes, family life and his football career.
‘I did quite well at school and saw journalism as a way of staying in football after my playing career. I threw myself into it and it turned out I was all right at doing it.’
He also fancies teaching. ‘I want as many options as possible and that’s what I advise the other lads.’ And there is also the soft play centre. He says: ‘It was going well up until the covid situation. We were one of the last businesses to reopen in the pandemic and we are not sure why. Children need to play – it’s like gyms for adults.
‘For their mental health and development kids need places like us.’
Wood loves the contrast to matchdays, even if it means donning an apron for a local press shoot.
‘I had the pinny on once for a bit of a laugh but I have washed pots, served coffees,’ he says. ‘I enjoy having a business. Not many players venture into that side – especially soft play.’