WOOD: IT WAS HONOUR AND PRIVILEGE TO LEAD
Dartford defender savours opportunity to captain his country
KEATON WOOD says being handed the captain’s armband was even more special because of the group of players he got to lead out.
The Dartford defender quickly came to the attention of boss Paul Fairclough for his leadership qualities and was asked to captain the side against Panjab FA.
He picked up a metatarsal injury, meaning he couldn’t play in the second game against Jersey.
But Wood, 22, says the overall experience with England C has been hugely positive.
“I was truly honoured to be brought along and considered – then to put on the armband,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to put on an England shirt and be captain.
“It’s a privilege and was a big surprise. I left it as a surprise for my family.
“It’s not only wearing the Three Lions on my shirt and captaining my country, but it’s this particular group of boys. We’ve gelled well and put on good displays.
Gelled
“To sum it up, a member of the Panjab staff said, ‘Have you boys been together a long time?’ We’d only been together since Friday. We spoke about the things we’d done well in the first game on Sunday and one of the things I put forward was team cohesion – some of the lads didn’t know what it meant! But, seriously, we’ve all become really good friends.
“We’ve done lots of team bonding. At first it’s a bit daunting but I can understand why we’ve done it. I believe in the saying, ‘The more we know, the more we grow’.
“I had Darren McQueen as my partner. Two days after we’d interviewed each other, we were still talking about it. Some of the stuff we talked about we probably wouldn’t discuss with family or friends.
“Football needs a bit more of that sometimes. You see these people day in, day out and you don’t really know who they are. So I’ve definitely learnt a few things.”
The former Millwall youngster joined Tony Burman’s Dartford last summer, folcaptain’s
lowing a loan spell the previous season, and helped them into the play-offs.
“I’ve loved it and I feel I really matured,” Wood said. “I think I outgrew U21 football. I spoke to the gaffer, Neil Harris, at Millwall, Scott Fitzgerald, Justin Skinner, Dave Livermore and Steve Sallis and they all agreed it was best to part ways.
Matured
“Without being big-headed, it had got too easy for me. I needed to learn something different and playing to win for the club and the fans.
“It’s not just playing to get better, there’s something behind it.”
By day, Wood is a coach at Southamp- ton’s Academy after taking on a degree in Coaching and Performance in Football and landing an internship at the Premier League club.
“It’s a great place to learn,” Wood said.
“They like the fact I’m playing so I can really connect with the players.
“They put a lot into coaching and personal development so it’s a great place to be.”
REUBEN HAZELL says playing landmark games like the one against England C can only be a positive for the Asian community.
Hazell’s Panjab FA gave Non-League’s Three Lions a huge scare last Sunday at Solihull Moors’ Damson Park, eventually going down 2-1.
The fixture, which was the first first to pit a South Asian ‘national’ team against an England side, was highly entertaining and a huge success in promoting inclusion and diversity.
Hazell’s side represent the Panjabi community worldwide but are made up of mostly players from Steps 3 and below of the Non-League Pyramid with Albion Sports defender Aaron Basi and Rushall Olympic forward Gurjit Singh particularly impressive.
Former Tranmere, Torquay, Chesterfield, Oldham and Shrewsbury defender Hazell, who also assists friend Darren Byfield at Redditch United, reckons high-profile games similar to last Sunday can help put an end to any stigma attached to Asian participation in football.
Barriers
He told The NLP: “My lads have had a lot of doubters and a lot of people underestimating them but they showed what quality they have.
“There were probably a few scouts there looking at the England lads but there’s no doubt they would have been impressed by some of the Panjab players. We’ve got some playing at Step 5 and 6 and they should be much higher than that.
“A few could go on and play in the National League. I’d love to see somebody do that, break down some barriers and create some role models for young Asian boys that want to play football.
“When I was growing up, black people broke down the barriers thanks to the likes of Brendon Batson, Bob Hazell and Cyrille Regis.
“That allowed young black players like myself to come through the system and hopefully we can do the same for Asian lads.”
Despite loving his time in charge of the Panjab side so far, Hazell harbours no desire to move into Non-League management.
“I enjoy coaching kids more than adults,” he added. “You never say never but I see how much Darren does and it’s put me off !”