Football: All Whites need Wood to fire

New Zealand's Chris Wood. Photo / Ross Setford.

If the All Whites are to have any chance tomorrow against Korea, Chris Wood will need to continue an impressive international goal scoring sequence.

In the absence of Winston Reid, Wood will captain his country for the third time - but it is his leadership in the front third of the field that will be most critical.

In his first few years as an All White, Wood struggled to find the net. He was often coming off the bench - always a tough task - and couldn't convert the rare chances that fell his way, with just two goals in his first 21 internationals.

But something's clicked in recent years and Wood has now scored 11 goals in his last 16 appearances. He's found his international groove and if his current strike rate continues, he could overtake legendary marksmen like Vaughan Coveny (29 goals), Shane Smeltz (23) and Brian Turner (21).

"Nothing has really changed," said Wood. "I always back myself to score and as a striker you always want to. It's been good to get a few but if not I will work hard for the team to create chances for others."

Among Anthony Hudson's youthful squad, only two other players (Michael McGlinchey and Marco Rojas) have scored for their country. Someone else could pop up tomorrow - defenders Michael Boxall and Themistoklis Tzimopoulos will be threats from set pieces - but the 23-year-old Wood looks the most likely supplier.

His aerial prowess is second to none and he has a powerful shot off either foot. A goal - and a result - would be a timely boost for Wood, who has endured a difficult season in England.

"It has been frustrating, said Wood. "I haven't had the chances [at Leicester] that I thought I might. I trained as hard as I could to be ready when the gaffer needed me but after a certain time I had to get some game time somewhere else."

He's now at Championship side Ipswich, hoping to play a role in their push for promotion. But first the small matter of Korea, the latest test for Hudson's new playing style.

"I'm liking what Anthony is doing here and it is a different way to what we have ever played before," said Wood. "It's what we have to do against these big teams. We are going to press when we can, win the ball back and I'm confident we can have our fair share of possession."

The All Whites will have their final training run today - at the match venue - and there's a quiet confidence in this New Zealand camp. However, there are big expectations on the home side. After their patchy performance in a 1-1 draw with Uzbekistan on Friday, nothing less than an impressive victory over New Zealand will be tolerated. The match kicks off at 8pm (12 am Wednesday NZT).

*Michael Burgess travelled to Korea with the support of ASB, the principal partner of NZ Football.