Chris Wood: Nottingham Forest striker rivalling Mo...

After taking part in on the high stage of New Zealand soccer on the age of simply 15, Chris Wooden moved to England when he was 16 and, inside two years, made his Premier League debut for West Brom underneath Tony Mowbray in 2009.

Though he performed commonly the next season as West Brom have been relegated to the Championship, as soon as they have been promoted once more Wooden discovered he needed to go elsewhere to play constant minutes.

That led the Kiwi to an unimaginable three-year interval the place he performed on mortgage for six totally different golf equipment – starting from Barnsley to the south coast at Brighton, a return to the Midlands at Birmingham, a spell within the west at Bristol Metropolis, a worthwhile spell within the capital at Millwall earlier than discovering himself again within the Midlands at Leicester – the membership he would then be a part of completely.

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“I simply needed to see the nation!” Wooden joked. “It made me the participant I’m as we speak as a result of I discovered various things from totally different golf equipment and the expertise that got here with it.

“I went the place the soccer was, Barnsley was a tricky time, then went to Brighton and we gained League One – had a good time.

“Performed with Birmingham then went to Bristol Metropolis to try to get extra sport time – however it was all totally different conditions and situations – they have been all nice of their particular person means.”

A turning level at Leeds

After just a few years at Leicester, Wooden joined Leeds in 2015 and extremely, regardless of such an extended journey that took him round England, the striker was nonetheless simply 23 years outdated.

Wooden mentioned: “I wanted to go to Leeds to play extra constant soccer. Once I was within the Premier League with Leicester, I solely performed seven video games – I wanted to go and get extra sport time.”

Wooden had two managers in his first season with Uwe Rosler and Steve Evans however it was when former supervisor Garry Monk and ex-England striker James Beattie joined the membership that Wooden loved his greatest season so far – scoring a formidable 27 objectives in 44 appearances within the Championship.

“When Garry Monk and James Beattie got here in, it was a little bit of a change within the guard from the earlier supervisor.

“Beattie had a giant affect on my profession. There have been instances when the followers have been most likely on my again in the beginning of the season however James actually helped me on and off the pitch, to work on my psychological energy and to know you may get by way of something.

“That is what helped and put me on to my greatest season. It was all the way down to him serving to me and giving me the instruments to have the ability to thrive on the pitch.”

“He was really taking part in the function of a single striker, a focus for the group,” Beattie defined.

“He was getting pissed off as a result of he wasn’t seeing the ball as a lot as he needed to and he thought he wasn’t contributing – however he was quite a bit.

“For those who drop into midfield and clog all the things up then the patterns will not come and you will not be capable of end off the probabilities – it took just a little little bit of time however he was there ultimately and his willingness to hear and belief me.”

Burnley and Consistency

You possibly can be forgiven for considering Wooden is simply simply displaying how constant he will be on the high stage of English soccer.

When he joined Burnley for round £15m in 2017, he was the Clarets’ document signing on the time however in time, he greater than confirmed his worth for the facet.

Returning to the Premier League seven years after he made his debut, Wooden was massively important in conserving Burnley within the high flight for the next 5 seasons.

“I had 5 nice years there and scored a lot of objectives and achieved heaps – moving into the Europa League with Burnley and issues like that – we did extraordinarily nicely with 18 different lads that caught collectively for 5 years,” Wooden mentioned.

He notched greater than 10 objectives in every of his first 4 seasons on the membership and created an efficient duo with strike accomplice Ashley Barnes.

Wooden described his time with Barnes as ‘telepathic’ however does the latter, who has not too long ago re-joined the Clarets, really feel the identical?

“We simply had that connection,” Barnes mirrored on his time with Wooden.

“We have been simply doing the other actions on a regular basis and it was simply killing these defenders – we may each maintain the ball up and each run in behind.

“It was only a combine and match of actions and that’s the reason we succeeded a lot.

“He can discover the web wherever – he’s phenomenal. We had a implausible relationship on and off the pitch and I nonetheless communicate to him now.”

Nottingham, Nuno and a contact of legacy

After a 12 months at Newcastle and first-team alternatives considerably restricted, Wooden joined Forest in January 2023.

He solely featured seven instances within the second half of that season after he picked up a thigh damage which dominated him out for the remainder of the season.

Though he featured underneath former Forest head coach Steve Cooper, his purpose output considerably elevated when present boss Nuno Espirito Santo was appointed in December 2023.

“Nuno gave me the arrogance to be his quantity 9 and begin, after which we began to play a bit extra positively with extra attacking creativity,” mentioned Wooden.

“Whereas in the beginning of the season, we have been perhaps a bit extra defensive – I believe the sport Nuno introduced in actually fits the way in which I play.”

As his former highschool coach, New Zealand worldwide Mike Groom mentioned about Wooden’s influence on his homeland: “After they discuss Mo Salah and Erling Haaland – they point out Chris Wooden in the identical breath – you may’t compete with that.

“It is theatrical, it is magical, it is the stuff of desires and children’ desires are fuelled by these photos and that publicity.

“We’re nonetheless a rugby-playing nation, however Chris is single-handedly starting to vary that.”

Wooden has not simply develop into a prolific Premier League striker but in addition New Zealand’s document purpose scorer, captain and is extraordinarily near breaking the document for appearances made for his nation.

For those who had advised a 16-year-old Wooden when he first arrived in England about his profession would he have believed what he has been in a position to obtain to this point?

“It is undoubtedly exceeded what I dreamed of after I was a child and hopefully, I’ve obtained much more I can obtain to make it a fair higher dream,” Wooden mentioned.

“I wish to hold the trail open for New Zealanders to hopefully make it into the Premier League in the future – I wish to develop that era of latest youngsters desirous to play soccer and desirous to dream of doing the perfect they’ll and ending up within the largest league.”

Watch Newcastle vs Nottingham Forest on Sunday stay on Sky Sports activities, kick-off 2pm