BARROW AFC sporting director Iain Wood is delighted he got his man and not just because he was the only option he had in his mind.

Wood joined the Bluebirds as sporting director around 18 months ago, and one of his first and most important jobs was to bring in a new manager.

His number one choice was Pete Wild, and thankfully for Wood and more importantly for Barrow he managed to get the deal done.

Wood told the club’s YouTube channel: “It was a massive no brainer (bringing Wild in as boss).

“As soon as I got the job and saw the surroundings of Barrow, got a little bit of an understanding of supporters, the surroundings and the owners going for someone like Pete was a no brainer.

“He was my number one target, and being my number one target it was maybe a bit of a learning curve as well because I didn’t have a B and C, I was so set on Pete Wild joining Barrow.

“So I had to try to make it happen and luckily I did, and everyone can see what is happening right now.”

Wood believes he and Wild are a good fit and work well together.

He added: “When I took the job, from an outsider looking in you can go this could be a banana skin for me, taking my first role as a sporting director.

“I wanted to bring Pete in because we are sort of from the same cloth a little bit – we just want to win.

“I knew when I came in, we had to bring in someone with the same sort of mentality.

le bit – we just want to win.

“Pete wanted to manage in the EFL, and we gave him the opportunity to do that, and we are reaping the rewards right now because we are heading in the right direction.”

Wood met Wild while the former was still in his role as a football agent and says that gave him a feel for the type of person the Bluebirds’ gaffer is.

“I know when I have dealt with Pete on players in my previous life as an agent you just click with people.

“Pete’s got that ambition and drive, which suits me. We can put our heads together and come up with an outcome at the end of it.

“We talk a lot, we speak every day pretty much. Maybe after the games I let him de-stress, but pretty much all the way through the week we see each other and talk to each other.

“It’s an intense relationship at times but in a good way.”

 The Bluebirds have brought in players who are both good footballers and good people in recent transfer windows such as James Chester, something Wood said Wild was instrumental in.

“That’s driven from Pete character wise,” he said.

“Pete’s a good guy. He wears his heart on his sleeve and would help anybody. From that mentality to bring those types of people into the building was a big driving force, and from me I was 100 per cent behind that.

“Good people do stand by your side and do get that extra 10 per cent when you need it.”