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Michael Avery

In Memory: Alf Wood


"In all, Alf Wood played in 115 games for Millwall in all competitions and scored 45 goals..."

 

Accruing well over 200 games for both Manchester City and Walsall prior to his arrival in South London, the young attacker signed for The Lions in 1972 and was a vital part of the Millwall squad, which included some historic names such as Eamon Dunphy, Gordon Hill, Barry Kitchener, Harry Cripps and Derek Possee.

It took just two games for Wood to get on the score sheet, finding the back of the net in the Division Two fixture with Bristol City which ended in a 2-2 draw. The young forward would later be back in the goal scoring charts at the beginning of September in the League Cup, when his first half goal contributed towards a 2-0 away victory and he continued this run with key goals against the likes of Fulham, Chesterfield, Leyton Orient, Nottingham Forest and Brighton & Hove Albion. Wood's goal scoring was consistent throughout the season and he included an FA Cup Fourth Round finish against Everton in this run and the final two games of the League campaign saw Wood score in consecutive games in the 1-0 away win against Carlisle United and the 1-1 home draw with Cardiff City. Although Alf Wood and Gordon Bolland shared the top goalscorer honour with an impressive 19 goals in all competitions each, the season saw Millwall finish in 11th place with 42 points, with Wood featuring in 48 games.

Wood's second season at Millwall proved that his goal scoring was not a fluke and he again showed some superb finishing in the 1973/74 Division Two campaign. For a second successive season, Wood scored in the second game of this league, this time netting in the 1-1 home draw against Aston Villa at the beginning of September. Further contributions against the opposition such as Hull City, Sheffield Wednesday, a hat-trick against Preston North End and Cardiff City saw Wood becoming a fan favourite at The Den. The striker dazzled fans when he found the back of the net in five consecutive fixtures against Sunderland, Norwich City, Carlisle United, Portsmouth and Blackpool. Wood continued a similar run towards the end of the season when he scored in four successive games against Leyton Orient, West Bromwich Albion, Crystal Palace and West Bromwich Albion a second time. The season saw Millwall finish in 12th place and Wood's 23 goals in 51 games helped towards their 42 points tally.

Alf Wood began the following season in South London and although he featured in 16 games for The Lions in the 1974/75 season, he scored in two consecutive draws against West Bromwich Albion and Oldham Athletic respectively. Wood left Millwall in November 1974 and moved on to Hull City before then featuring for Middlesbrough, Walsall and Stafford Rangers. In all, Alf Wood played in 115 games for Millwall in all competitions and scored 45 goals. Wood was a popular member of the squad amongst the fan base.

Alf Wood was unfortunately diagnosed with dementia 12 years ago, and his family have campaigned to raise more awareness and funds since Wood's diagnosis. If there are any fans who would like to contribute towards The National Brain Appeal, you can visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/alf-wood.


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