"Out of love" with football, the former Sheffield United ace is now a boxer by trade but relishing his necessary football fix with Harrogate Town next term.

Woodhouse was something of a household footballing name in his younger days, the ex-York City youth player a regular with the Blades during which time he represented England under-21s.

The midfielder then tasted the Premier League with Birmingham City but it was at St Andrew's, amidst personal problems, that the Beverley-born footballer's enthusiasm for the beautiful game began to wane and he turned his attentions to boxing in which he had always excelled.

Moves to Peterborough United and even hometown club Hull City failed to re-ignite the footballing spark and in 2006 Woodhouse's mind was made up, he retired to turn his attentions to the ring.

His boxing exploits have gone from strength to strength – the 5ft 8in ace having lost just one of his 11 fights to date, and five of those victories achieved by knock-outs.

It is the British welterweight title that the so-called 'Driffield Destroyer' now dreams about but, for all his attempts to leave the sport, football still has the 29-year-old coming back for more.

Now he is planning some knockout performances for the Blue Square North outfit based at Wetherby Road.

"It's strange really and I have got a love-hate relationship with football," said Woodhouse, who joined from Blue Square Premier outfit Mansfield Town.

"It's kind of like that girlfriend that you go out with, that you know is all wrong for you, but you just can't help but see her on a weekend!

"That's the kind of the relationship I have with football and when I've not been playing for a while I get fed up and I want to play again.

Then sometimes when I am playing I think 'I can't be bothered with this anymore'.

"I need it in my life but sometimes I feel like I don't want it in my life, it's hard to explain.

"Boxing is definitely where my main ambitions are now.

"I achieved everything I ever dreamed of really in football, I never thought I would play in the Premiership and that was just a dream to get there and to play for my country and things like that. That was fantastic.

"It's looking like I am going to be fighting next in September, somewhere in the Hull area, maybe Hull City Hall, which will be great.

"That will give me a good bit of time to get bedded in at Harrogate Town, to get a few games under my belt.

"Until I get a date, when I am playing football I'm 100 per cent on my football. Then, when I'm boxing, I'm 100 per cent on that. When I have got no fight coming up, Harrogate will get 110 per cent off me."

That statement, from a talented welterweight, should be enough to put the fear of God into opposing midfields next term, but the man himself says his exploits in the ring have actually made him more of a softy on the field.

"The last thing you want when you have been fighting all week and getting punched in the face is to get hit again in your spare time," said Woodhouse, who was at Rushden before joining the Stags.

"It's strange, you ask any boxers and the last thing they want after they have been training two or three times a day, seven days a week, is confrontation.

"It's mellowed me out really and I probably make less tackles now that I am boxing than when I was a full-time footballer."

To those that know him, Woodhouse's switch to boxing will not have come as a shock after he shone at sparring from an early age.

"I've always dabbled with boxing," he said. "I was always down the local gym. I would go down and train.

"I would have a little bit of a mess about and as I got a little bit older my love for it kind of grew. It was just one of those things where I thought 'I really want to give this a go'.

"I used to spar with the other kids in the gym when I was playing football and I would hold my own.

"They were good fighters and it got me thinking if I did it properly I would do okay. One day I just thought I am finally going to give it a go'."

Three years on from his decision, Woodhouse is now more than having a go and, trained by former British featherweight champion Gary De Roux, he has his sights set on the British welterweight crown.

"I want to become British champion – that's the aim," he said.

"What have I had now? 11 fights? I am not sure, but I think this next year is going to be a big year for me.

"I'm looking at really stepping up and trying to make some giant strides.

"Hopefully, by this time next year, I will be looking at getting into the top 10 and then I might even get a title fight."

For now, and with a recent scheduled fight called off owing to the collapse of Irish broadcaster Setanta, Woodhouse is concentrating first and foremost on a planned promotion bid at Harrogate Town.

The club have missed out on the play-offs three times in the last four years, but their new recruit will not settle for another season of disappointment.

"I'm looking forward to the football season now. My fight got called off last week but I'm in good shape as I trained 12 hard weeks for that," he said. "I spoke to the manager and we fully expect to be right up there.

"The kind of relationship I have with football, the love-hate thing, I could never play somewhere and be mid-table or fighting relegation or anything like that.

"I've got a bit of a big ego and my pride won't let me do that. I've joined Harrogate and I fully expect to be competing at the top end of the table.

"The main aim is promotion, along with probably 10 other clubs in that league, but the manager is really ambitious and he is optimistic.

"Hopefully, we can have promotion and hopefully this time next year I will have a belt around my waist.That would be a nice double."

Indeed it would, promotion to the Blue Square Premier and a British welterweight champion the kind of PR to make Town chairman Bill Fotherby purr.

Woodhouse hopes to do his bit on the pitch but insists he has not even contemplated a goal celebration yet.

Butr you would have to say a few Tim Cahill-style jabs at the corner flags would be long odds-on.

"I don't score too many goals so when you have a record like me you don't think too much about celebrations," quipped Woodhouse, who has also had spells at Rotherham United and Grimsby Town. "It would be nice just to stick one in the back of the net as it's been a while."

However, one matter Woodhouse certainly has contemplated is moving house to Harrogate – something for him that has been a complete no-brainer.

Sky-high property prices and the likes of Betty's are not the rough and ready fighter's cup of tea.
"I live in Brough, just outside Hull, so I am not far away anyway," he added. "I'm all right in Hull, it's cheap as chips where I am so it's happy days.

"I won't be moving up to Harrogate – I've heard the prices are a bit pricey up there.

"I've heard Harrogate is a bit posh and I don't know if they let my kind in Harrogate. We'll soon find out!"