Speaking exclusively to GOAL in association with Best Betting Bonuses, Reds legend Collymore said when asked why Wood is so important to Vitor Pereira’s cause: “I think the most important thing is that when you're looking at a centre-forward, an old-school centre-forward, it's not just the goals they score, it's the focal point that you give to wide men to get into crossing positions, to put the ball in the box.
“If you're a wide man at Forest - I like Igor Jesus, I don't understand actually why he hasn't scored more goals because I think he's an intuitive striker, but it's been a difficult season for him, nonetheless.
“When wide men get into positions, I think they become less likely to put crosses into the box if they think there's somebody in there that's not going to end up finishing it. So with Woody, that's one problem solved. Wide men are going to go, if we get it into the box, we've got somebody that's proven in that position.
“The other one is bringing other players into play, holding it up, laying it off to the likes of [Morgan] Gibbs-White that make good attacking runs. So it's a conduit for wide men, holding the ball up and then obviously goal scoring.”
Collymore added on Wood’s targets for the immediate future: “He's going to want to get two, three, four goals by the end of the season because of New Zealand. It's a good opportunity for him to get his eye in ahead of the World Cup.
“So it's perfect timing and he gets his first full game, first time out against one of the clubs he's played for in terms of Burnley, which he'll be chomping at the bit to get out there. But yeah, absolutely crucial at this stage of the season. And the added bonus is that the World Cup's at the end of it. So he's looking to hone his skills ahead of a World Cup.”