Former Leeds United forward Chris Wood has told the New Zealand media his relationship with the Elland Road faithful was very up and down.
Wood was Leeds United’s top scorer last season, but was sold to Burnley after pushing to get the Premier League move. Speaking to the New Zealand Herald, the striker was asked to pick out his best ten goals prior to the Burnley transfer.
As one of the selection, the 25 year old chose his effort for Leeds United against Sheffield Wednesday, and, when describing the goal, suggested the lack of a bond between himself and the Elland Road crowd.
“It was a nice easy tap-in made by [team-mate] Stuart Dallas. Stuey gave me the easy task of putting it in but I guess I had to work hard to be in the right place at the right time. It was nice to score in front of a massive crowd and fan base. It turned out to be a very up and down relationship with them.”
Wood joined Leeds United in 2015 from Leicester City, but struggled in his first season with the Championship side. The New Zealand international scored just 13 goals in nearly 40 games for the club during the 2015/16 campaign, and didn’t convince the entire Leeds fan base.
Under Garry Monk, Wood was a revelation, and his 30 league goals last season helped him win over the Leeds United supporters. It wasn’t quite enough to secure Leeds United promotion, and that’s something which obviously hurt.
“I stroked it home (penalty against Wigan Athletic), which capped off a great personal season but I was still extremely gutted we didn’t make the playoffs after all our hard work. But to end with 30 goals in a season and be top scorer in the Championship, a dream of mine, meant it was a season I can be proud of.”
His performances for Leeds United last season earned him a move to the Premier League with Burnley, and the forward has already scored 4 goals in 10 games for his new club.
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