Chris Wood went from Barnsley loan flop to surpassing Marcus Rashford and Ollie Watkins in feel-good story of 2024

Let’s just call him Saint Christopher, the patron saint of football travelers.

A journeyman, a target man, everyone’s hero, who is living proof that good things can happen to those who have a loan spell at Barnsley ended after seven games and no goals.

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The Indian Summer of Chris Wood’s career has been the feel-good story of 2024.

Nottingham Forest is Wood’s FIFTEENTH club and, at 33, the great Kiwi unit is on track to lead them to the Champions League.

At a time when old-school centre-forwards are officially recognized as an endangered species by the World Wildlife Fund, Wood is leading the revival like an unusually excited panda.

And despite decent spells at Leeds and Burnley, no one saw this coming.

Newcastle’s Saudi owners were ridiculed for panic buying when they splashed out £25million for a 30-year-old Wood three years ago.

And the Toon Army smiled when Forest spent £15m on his signing 18 months ago – until Boxing Day last year when Wood turned up at St James’ Park and scored a hat-trick, which included two deliciously cool finishes.

On Sunday, Wood scored Forest’s opener in a 2-0 win at Everton with a rinky-dink chip that sent Nuno Espirito Santo’s side second in the table and belied his unfair caricature as a limited workhorse .

Toffees boss Sean Dyche, who oversaw Wood’s best spell at Burnley, told him the difference between the two teams.

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Wood has also played for West Brom, Brighton, Birmingham, Bristol City, Millwall, Leicester and Ipswich, as well as three clubs in his native New Zealand.

He was on the Baggies’ books for four years, but in that time he managed more loan spells – five – than goals for his parent club – two.

This loan to Oakwell with the Tykes, an agreement broken by mutual consent, was an initial setback from which Wood recovered rather well.

For most of his career he was regarded as a good Championship striker, winning promotion with Leicester and scoring 27 goals during a second-tier season with Leeds.

But that Wood has scored 21 times in the Premier League since Boxing Day 2023 – more than Kai Havertz or Ollie Watkins, more than twice as many as Marcus Rashford – is extraordinary and encouraging.

Wood narrowly missed out on the Premier League’s greatest miracle when he was sold by Leicester to Leeds in the summer before their 2015-16 title triumph.

At the time, the rise of Jamie Vardy, who played for the Stocksbridge Park Steels with a delinquent tag on his ankle, was Hollywood history.

But if Nuno’s Forest progress to the Champions League – as seems increasingly possible after a fifth successive victory – it would be the most improbable story in English football since the Foxes topped the table.

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Roaming forwards are a great breed of footballer.

Peter Withe, one of the best of this tribe, won the European Cup at Aston Villa while playing for a tenth of his 13 clubs.

Wood is far from being the most nomadic of all. Trevor Benjamin represented 29 clubs from the Premier League to Northern League Division Two during a 16-year career.

Meanwhile, legendary non-league bandit Jefferson Louis has changed clubs 51 TIMES and is still going strong for Southern League Thame United, aged 45.

But Wood is now the standard-bearer for these happy travelers – and that’s without even mentioning the air miles accumulated during an 80-cap international career for New Zealand.

He spends his international holidays on the other side of the world, scoring loads of goals in routine and wild romps against Pacific islanders Samoa, Tahiti and Vanuatu.

At a time when old-school centre-forwards are officially recognized as an endangered species by the World Wildlife Fund, Wood is leading the revival like an unusually excited panda.

Dave Kidd

It’s not the only heartwarming personal story at the City Ground – Nuno was considered a bust after a miserable spell at Tottenham, but Forest now sit 13 points above his former employers.

Ryan Yates completed Barrow’s loan spells at Scunthorpe before playing a leading role in his hometown club’s journey to the brink of history.

Callum Hudson-Odoi, Morgan Gibbs-White and Anthony Elanga were all struggling to fully emerge in the Premier League before putting down roots with the Tricky Trees.

And Serbian Nikola Milenkovic is Nemanja Vidic reincarnated.

Those who remember Brian Clough leading Forest to back-to-back European Cups will appreciate his former club’s revival.

Indeed, Nottingham has as many European Cups as London, Paris and Rome combined.

It’s a great club and, at the forefront, is a man whose mission is the most complete.

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True East End star

IT WAS heartwarming to see the warm welcome West Ham fans gave to Ludo Miklosko on Sunday, after their 63-year-old former goalkeeper announced he had withdrawn from cancer treatment.

There were very few foreign footballers in English football when Czech Miklosko signed for the Hammers in 1990 – and even fewer behind the old Iron Curtain.

But over eight years as a player, then another stint as the Hammers’ goalkeeping coach, the great Ludo became the very definition of a cult hero.

He also managed to inspire one of the most geographically contested patio chants of all time: “My name is Ludo Miklosko, I’m from near Moscow. »

Miklosko’s hometown of Prostejov is closer to East London than the Russian capital.

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Away sale

THE transfer window opens this week and the questions are endless.

Will Manchester City sign a replacement for Rodri? Will Arsenal have a real center forward?

Will anyone in their right mind join Southampton, heading for the worst season in Premier League history?

But whatever happens, don’t believe the old chestnut that there aren’t any good long-term signings to be made mid-season.

Liverpool bought Luis Suarez and Virgil van Dijk in the New Year sales, while Sir Alex Ferguson signed Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra in the same week in January.

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Madd Dart

FURY among Tottenham fans on social media that James Maddison went to darts at Ally Pally after the 2-2 home draw against Wolves.

How dare their Premier League top scorer go out and have fun?

Because, as we all know, the best way to get through a frustrating day at the office is to sit alone in a dark room and never, under any circumstances, go out somewhere and have fun.

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Go all out

THERE was a 20-man brawl in the tunnel at half-time during Newcastle’s 3-0 win over Aston Villa last week.

And I don’t know about you, but I was stunned to learn that Jason Tindall, Toon manager Eddie Howe’s number 2, had been shown a red card for being at the center of it all.

Good luck finding character witnesses if there is an FA hearing.

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A VERY Happy New Year to you all!

On to 2025, triumphs for Down Under in The Ashes and the Lions, Ryder Cup glory for Europe in the United States, England qualifying for the World Cup in style under Thomas Tuchel – and a stunning collapse for Liverpool in the title race. .