Zlatan and Viktor, Joe Skarz, and the day I took one in the face from Steve Stone ... Rotherham United's Richard Wood writes for the Advertiser

IT’S been good to spend some time with my old pal, Joe Skarz.

He and I were teammates when I first came to the club in 2014 and I got on really well with him. He was a good, reliable player. You always knew what you were going to get from him.

He was very fit then and still is now because he really looks after himself. He goes running and cycling and does all sorts..

Skarzy is back at Rotherham United coaching the under-18s and I’ve been helping him out when I can. It’s no secret that I want to be a coach when I hang up my boots.

He coached my son, Graye, in the Sheffield United youth set-up for a spell so I’ve watched how he operates loads of times.

I assist him when I can with the Millers youngsters and I’m learning a lot from him. He shows me how to plan sessions and it’s nice to have a friend you can ask questions.

I’d like to do more with the kids but their schedules and mine don’t always match. I was at the area final in the Youth Alliance Cup when they beat Mansfield Town 2-1 and was really pleased for them. I’m getting to know all the lads better, which is good.

Talking of young players, one of my most vivid memories from my long career comes from a match when I was a fresh-faced 16-year-old and yet to make my way in the game.

I was with Sheffield Wednesday and came up in a reserve match at Hillsborough against Steve Stone who was a seasoned England international and playing for Aston Villa.

It was good back in those days. It wasn’t like it is now. There was a Premier Reserve League and we used to get crowds for midweek night matches. Loads of pros would play in them — all those who hadn’t played in the first team at the weekend — and the standard was very high.

Being involved in those kind of fixtures, against the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool, brought me on loads.

On this particular occasion, I was playing at left-back, a cross came in and I headed it clear. Steve Stone has then come through me and elbowed me in the face. He just looked at me and said: “Welcome to men’s football.”

Things like that helped to make me the competitor I went on to be. I learned to handle the rough stuff. My face might have been hurting but I’d just tangled with an England international. It was like a badge of honour.

God, I loved it!

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ZLATAN Ibrahimovic is a good bloke and like a man mountain close up.

I know this because I’ve been quizzing Viktor Johansson about the Swedish legend since our goalkeeper returned from his first taste of international duty.

The Viking had a brilliant time with the Sweden squad. He didn’t get to play in either of their two matches but I’m sure his time will come. It’s fantastic for him that he’s in and around things now.

Viktor told me Zlatan was just a level above everyone in terms of playing. He also said the AC Milan striker is a really nice guy who was very decent with him.

Chieo Ogbene is another of our players on the international scene and he didn’t do too badly against France, did he! I’m really pleased for him because he’s a great lad and a really good player.

With his pace, he is always going to be a threat, no matter what level he’s playing at. If you’re quick and you’ve got a bit about you — which he has — you can cause any defender problems.