Wood ready to pick up where he left off

Oct 25 2012 By Tim Street

Sam Wood

SAM Wood wants to put the frustration of the last two months behind him and show Wycombe fans what he is really capable of.

The Blues midfielder made an instant impact following his summer move from Brentford with a spectacular goal on his league debut against York City.

But a nasty knee injury in his very next game against Gillingham led to eight weeks on the sidelines, before Wood made his comeback in Tuesday’s draw with Barnet.

The 26-year-old, who came on as a first-half sub, is determined to show the Adams Park faithful what they have been missing

He said: “It’s been very frustrating. It wasn’t even a bad challenge. I remember I went to kick the ball, I slipped and my knee went underneath me.

“I had got fit in pre-season, then got a goal and three points in our first game, but I will have to do another pre-season now, and will probably have to play some reserve games too.

“I feel fit again, but match fitness is a completely different matter, and I want to show the fans there is more to come from me.

“I came back a lot sooner than I thought. I’m naturally a good healer and look after myself, but I got good treatment too and just took it day by day.”

Wood showed a glimpse of what is to come by getting around the pitch in the hour or so he was on it and testing Barnet keeper Graham Stack with a good effort late on.

He said: “We weren’t quite firing on all cylinders, but we defended well and it was another clean sheet and it could prove to be a vital point at the end of the season.”

Wood also added his voice to the clamour for caretaker-boss Gareth Ainsworth to get the job permanently, adding: “He has stamped his authority on the side in training and the boys have responded to it.”

Ainsworth, meanwhile, revealed injuries elsewhere meant he had to bring Wood back into the fold sooner than expected, but was pleased with his efforts.

The Blues boss added: “Sam has had to come back in and play 60 minutes for the first team when not match fit, but he still covered more miles than most.”