'Nowhere near' - Richard Wood delivers brutally honest Doncaster Rovers verdict

The signing of the 38-year-old last summer was heralded as a canny piece of business by Rovers fans and neutrals alike. With four promotions in the EFL under his belt and more than 500 appearances, there aren't many more experienced operators than Wood.

But after a handful of games he was suddenly struck down by injury. He made his return last week against Bradford City before registering his first league start in more than two months down at Sutton United last weekend.

The centre-half says that the calf complaints that he was previously struggling with heavily affected his ability at trying to bed into new surroundings.

"I found it hard to start with," said the former Sheffield Wednesday and Rotherham United man. "I'm not used to being injured. I found myself a bit of a spare part. Obviously it's a new club but I wasn't sure how much to get involved. Do I go into meetings or do I keep out of the way and do my rehab? It was a weird situation to be in.

"Maybe it's the fact it's new surroundings, new staff etc. How far can my opinion go when I'm not involved? That's how it felt, anyway.

"I found it hard but I got more used to it. I had my input when I needed to and everything's fine.

"It's been very frustrating. I had high expectations of what I wanted to do at this club and what I could bring. I don't feel I've done that - nowhere near.

"I don't feel I've brought enough to the table or done what I'm capable of doing. That's not because of me wanting to do it, it's just down to circumstances. I've got a lot of making up to do these next few months.

"The staff on the side can't do it all the time. It takes some experienced lads on the pitch to sort out what's happening in game situations. It's about dealing with things when they happen.

"I'm not looking down. I'm looking up. It's about not letting fear come into our mindset."

Wood only penned a one-year deal after arriving from Rotherham and he says no discussion have yet taken place over potentially extending terms.

"We'll look at that in the summer," he added. "I just want to make an impression and give my all to this club. I want to bring all my experience and capabilities to the team so we can finish as high as possible this season."