Ryan Woods interview: Brentford helped me through the hardest period of my life | OneFootball

When Ryan Woods arrived at Brentford in September 2015, he was hot property.

The midfielder was 21 and fresh from starring for Shrewsbury Town as they achieved automatic promotion to League One. His efforts were rewarded with a place in the Team of the Season, and he had already played more than 100 games.

But in the early weeks under Bees head coach Marinus Dijkhuizen, he found playing time hard to come by.

Woods came on after 74 minutes against Leeds United, after 90 minutes against Middlesbrough, did not make it off the bench against Preston North End and was then an 87th-minute substitute against Sheffield Wednesday.

“Moving down to London was a huge step, not just in my career, but in my life as well, so to go to Brentford and then not play was difficult,” Woods begins.

“I made my debut at Elland Road, and I actually made a mistake and Leeds scored. I called my agent and said I would happily rip my contract up and move back to Shrewsbury because I wanted to play, that was all I wanted to do. It was out of the ordinary for me.

“That was hypothetical and would never happen, but I was in a different situation to what I'd experienced before.”

Dijkhuizen was sacked on 28 September 2015 and development squad manager Lee Carsley was placed in charge until the end of the season.

That change allowed Woods to get his Brentford career up and running.

“I'd hardly played any games in League One before that, so to jump two leagues was a big step.

“But it was just about me actually getting minutes in the league and having the confidence to know that, if I made a mistake, I would probably play again the week after. That's huge for any football player.

“Lee gave me the confidence to go and play at that level and actually have confidence in my ability to not just compete but actually excel.

“He played me at right midfield at the start and that was new to me, but he always said good players can play anywhere, so that's what I started to do.

“I got comfortable with my new surroundings and the step up in quality of the league as well, and then I managed to flourish again after that.”

Woods worked with ball-striking coach Bartek Sylwestrzak and performance psychologist Tom Bates in an effort to try and score more goals during that first season.

And three days after Christmas 2015, that extra work proved instrumental in Brentford’s 2-1 win at Reading.

He scored his first goal for the club after driving from just beyond halfway and finding the net with a cracking strike from 25 yards.

The elation was clear to see as he jumped into the arms of Maxime Colin, almost taken aback by what he had just done.

Later, he found Sergi Canós with a masterful ball forward, which allowed the Spaniard to go on and score one of the most memorable goals in the club’s recent history.

“To be honest, it was never in my mind to actually shoot because I'm not that type of player!” Woods recalls.

“I just noticed they kept dropping off and dropping off and the options became less and less, so I just had a go - and it found the top corner. It was unbelievable.

“To this day, it's definitely still the best goal I've scored. I was certain I was going to win Goal of the Season, but Sergi nicked it on the same day!”

Woods thrived once Dean Smith came in, not least because he played him in his natural position as a holding midfielder.

A new four-year deal came one day before the first anniversary of his move to west London. In 2016/17, he was named Players’ Player of the Year. He was the heartbeat of the team and barely missed a game.

However, after playing 90 minutes in the 2017/18 season opener at Sheffield United, he was absent for three games. Brentford said it was for personal reasons, which Woods clarified in a statement on the club’s official website.

"Last week, my partner and I suffered the tragic loss of our baby,” he wrote.

"As you can understand, this came as a devastating blow and has left us, our family and friends struggling to come to terms with the implications.

"I would like to thank those closest to us for their love and compassion and also the understanding of everybody associated with Brentford Football Club.

"Of course, I can understand the speculation as to why I have not been involved in the last few games, but I would ask if everybody could respect our privacy at this incredibly difficult time."

Speaking more than eight years on, Woods says football “gave me a new focus” during that time.

“That gave me more drive than ever before. It actually gave me a little bit of a break. Obviously, at home it was very difficult and it still is to this day, but football gave me a bit of relief.

“When I played football, it was just football. It gave me a new focus and that was amazing for me. It gave me a new drive and a willingness.

“I scored that goal against Leeds [on 4 November 2017]. I remember celebrating and pointing up at the sky towards our baby. My family were there to see it as well. That was a night I'll never forget. It was probably the best night I've ever had in football, to be honest.”

And the response?

“It was amazing and I think that sums Brentford up. I remember coming home one day and we had flowers on our doorstep from everyone at the club.

“Dean was amazing with me. He obviously wanted me back, but at the same time, he fully understood everything that was going on and gave me as much time as I needed. I'll be forever grateful for that.

“I'll never forget the way people treated me during that period. I was fortunate enough to win Supporters’ Player of the Year and I remember thanking the staff, the team, the fans, the whole club really for helping us get through that really difficult period in our lives. They couldn't do enough for me.”

Woods had played 122 of a possible 138 Championship games for Brentford in the three seasons after he signed. He was a key player - one of Smith’s most trusted.

But he was absent from the first two matchdays of 2018/19, then played 90 minutes in a 4-2 Carabao Cup win at Southend, before appearing on the bench for the home game against Sheffield Wednesday and the trip to Aston Villa.

Three days after the latter, on 25 August 2018, he was gone. It was a loan deal that took him to Stoke initially, with an option to buy in January. When announcing the deal, the fact Brentford made a point of stating a fee had been agreed all but confirmed the midfielder was not coming back.

Woods played in every one of the Potters’ next 22 league games and, as expected, the deal did become permanent at the start of 2019. His first game after that confirmation was against Brentford.

“In an interview after that game, I said I always knew away teams hated playing at Griffin Park, but I didn't realise just how much until I actually played there as an away player! It hurt me a little bit to be on the other team, too.”

A few days before that game, Nathan Jones had replaced Gary Rowett as Stoke manager, which effectively spelled the end of Woods’ time at the club. He played only five more games after the trip to west London and spent half of 2019/20 and all of 2020/21 on loan at Millwall.

Woods is honest when he talks about taking the decision to leave Brentford.

“I wanted to play in the Premier League and, at the time, you had to go to somewhere like Stoke or Swansea to see that you were ready for a Premier League club to take you. We were just missing out on the play-offs, so we never had that opportunity to probably do it ourselves.

“I left not just because it was a huge club that had just come down from the Premier League, it was also 20 minutes from home, which meant spending time with my family which is hugely important for me. We had a baby on the way, which was huge for us after what had happened.

“It fell into place with the location and the size of the club and what I wanted to do next, but unfortunately the football didn't follow that.

“My times at Brentford and Shrewsbury were the best times I've had in my career, and I'll always say, to this day, it's the worst decision I ever made. But that's football and you obviously live and die by your decisions.

“I loved every single moment of my time there. I loved the fans, the staff, the whole club. Even the tough times, as they helped make me the person I am today.”