Midfielder Michael Woods came through the academy system at Leeds United before joining Chelsea as a 16-year-old. He played a few cup matches during his time at Stamford Bridge but found his progress restricted by a number of injuries. He was released in 2011 and spent brief spells at Yeovil Town and Doncaster Rovers before dropping out of league football to sign for Harrogate Town. He spent the summer of 2014 on trial at Pools and, though he was forced to miss a couple of friendlies through injury, he did enough for manager Colin Cooper to offer him a contract.