(Part 1) 1984/85-1985/86.
|
It was as a result of a cash crisis at Middlesbrough that John Neal was
able to sign the Teeside club's best young asset, Darren Wood, for a
paltry £50, 000 in September 1984. Aged just 20, but with more than 100
appearances for the Ayresome Park club under his belt, the likeable
Yorkshireman, who's father was chairman of Scarborough FC, was recruited
to fill the right-back spot which was currently occupied by converted
centre-forward Colin Lee. Darren made a hugely impressive debut at the
end of October in a 2-0 victory over Ipswich at Stamford Bridge but was
cup-tied for the club's Milk Cup clash at Walsall three days later and
Lee returned to great effect, scoring a late equaliser to spare
Chelsea's blushes. In fact, Lee's fine form throughout the campaign
restricted Wood's opportunities but when called upon, such as for a 3-1
win against European champions Liverpool in December, he never looked
out of place. He was perhaps at his best when he stepped out of defence
with the ball at his feet, moving forward purposefully on the right
flank and delivering quality crosses. He was also a fine passer of the
ball, as he showed with a stunning 50-yard pass into the path of David
Speedie to create a clear opening for the little striker in a game
against Arsenal in January 1985. Darren moved into midfield to replace
the injured Micky Thomas for the visit of Newcastle a few weeks later
and scored the game's only goal with a volley from the edge of the
penalty area after just two minutes. It was to be a brief sojourn into
midfield as he returned to right-back for the following game and
retained his place in that position until early April when an injury
sustained during a defeat at Nottingham Forest caused him to miss the
remainder of the season. He was not selected at the beginning of the
following campaign but when Colin Lee suffered a hamstring injury in
September, Wood returned with a run of consistent performances as
Chelsea launched a strong bid for the title which only wilted after
Easter. However, he often looked vulnerable when faced by a tricky
winger and although he was in the team that beat Manchester City 5-4 at
Wembley to win the inaugural Full Members Cup, he was tormented
throughout the game by City's skilful wide-man Paul Simpson. (Kelvin
Barker).
|
Picture of Chelsea's Darren Wood taken on 15th. November 1986. Photo George Herringshaw. ©
(Part 2) 1986/87-1988/89.
| Darren was very much first choice right-back when the 1986/87 season
kicked off and was unquestionably a favourite of manager John Hollins.
As a disappointing season unravelled, Hollins began to make frequent
alterations to his mis-firing team. With Chelsea losing games with
increasing regularity, and shipping a high number of goals into the
bargain, he opted for a more pragmatic approach. Wood was pushed into
midfield alongside another natural defender, Colin Pates, but the goals
against column continued to rise. Eventually after a 3-1 home defeat by
Newcastle, Wood was dropped. He returned at right-back in place of the
suspended Doug Rougvie just before Christmas and held onto his spot as
The Blues enjoyed a mini-revival, but the acquisition of St Mirren's
Steve Clarke saw Darren back on the substitutes bench. A string of
gritty performances helped Chelsea reach a position of relative safety
before Wood returned in midfield against Arsenal in March. Thrown into a
side who were missing the injured Dixon, Speedie, Durie, Hazard and
Wicks, Wood performed a stellar role in a match which descended into
all-out war almost immediately. The Blues won 1-0 and Darren's heroics
earned him a place in Chelsea's central midfield for the remainder of
the season, where he continued to impress with his all-action
performances. Revelling in his new hard-tackling role at the start of
the following season, he became an aggressive figure in the heart of the
battle. At times his bravery appeared almost suicidal, and his 50-yard
dash to throw a punch at Coventry's muscular centre-forward, Cyrille
Regis, had the supporters questioning his sanity. He successfully took
on the role of penalty-taker in a 2-2 draw at Charlton in December but
by now he had become a target of the terrace boo-boys and few tears were
shed when he was forced to have a cartilage operation at the start of
April. However, without a suitable replacement in the middle of the
pitch, Chelsea slipped into the play-offs and were relegated. Darren was
fit for the start of the club's Division Two campaign but an error
which allowed Oxford to plunder a late equaliser at Stamford Bridge in
September, saw the vitriol thrown at him from some supporters reach new
heights. He was briefly dropped after that game but returned three weeks
later and retained his place throughout the first half of the season,
scoring in a 4-1 win at Oldham. He had played a prominent role in
Chelsea's surge to the top of the table and it was therefore something
of a surprise when it was announced in January 1989 that The Blues had
accepted Ron Atkinson's offer of £350, 000 to take Darren Wood to
Sheffield Wednesday. (Kelvin Barker) |