Wooden’s spot-kick, smashed excessive past Emi Martinez, was his 2 hundredth profession aim and offers Forest one thing to defend at Villa Park subsequent week.
The New Zealand worldwide solely returned this month, having been sidelined since October along with his knee subject.
He missed everything of Sean Dyche’s reign, having surgical procedure in December, however began the quarter-final first-leg attract Porto three weeks in the past.
Lucas Digne’s baffling determination to boost his arms and deal with the ball as Omari Hutchinson tried to maintain it in play gave Wooden his probability with 19 minutes left.
There was an audible cheer when Wooden stepped as much as take the penalty – Morgan Gibbs-White having missed from the spot in opposition to Strum Graz and Braga this season.
There was a way of expectation, which is barely truthful as Wooden has not missed a penalty in 10 years – since failing to attain in opposition to Hull for Leeds in April 2016.
He has now scored 28 successive spot-kicks.
“That is what I’ve to do and that is what I attempt to do. It is the job, the duty that my workforce provides me,” he informed TNT.
“It is cup competitions. They arrive right down to small margins at occasions. Each groups performed very nicely. However it’s small moments that may doubtlessly change video games. Fortunately it went in our favour tonight and hopefully once more subsequent week.
“It is one leg of the tie. It is good to have the benefit however going to Villa Park will probably be a troublesome recreation. They’re good at their place. However we have performed the job right here at residence and now hopefully we’ll construct into subsequent week.”
He scored in final Friday’s 5-0 Premier League win at Sunderland – his first aim since a penalty in opposition to Midtjylland in October – and has six targets in 19 video games for membership and nation this season.
Wooden, 34, has defined he should handle his knee damage for the remainder of his life – however after watching a lot of Forest’s battle in opposition to the Premier League drop from the sidelines, he’s simply glad to be again in motion and scoring.
“That is all I wished to do,” he stated. “I wished to get again match and firing to assist my workforce as finest as I can on the finish of the season. I knew we had rather a lot to play for once I was combating to get match and it is displaying. It is some massive competitions to be part of.
“We’re within the crunch finish of the season. We have to carry out on each components and we’ll be wanting to do this for certain.”
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