The defender helped the Potters hold their visitors to a goalless stalemate in their Premier League opener on Sunday to take a well-deserved point.
Former Tottenham man Woodgate had not featured in a league game since November 2009 after seeing his career blighted by injury.
And he was grateful to be back on the pitch after joining Stoke on a free transfer this summer.
"I felt alright, to be fair," he told Sky Sports News. "I thought I'd get a bit of cramp but it was alright.
"There's been times in my career when I didn't think I was going to be back. But you battle on, you persevere and in the end you get there."
Woodgate was impressed by his side's team spirit after they stubbornly withstood pressure from Chelsea, particularly in the second half.
"We were playing against a top team full of international players," he added. "I thought we battled hard.
"They were putting a lot of pressure on us. The lads showed a great spirit which we need in the league all year. So it's a good result for us in the end."
Stoke boss Tony Pulis has underlined his plans to bring in some more new faces before the transfer window closes, and Woodgate is looking forward to seeing how he develops the squad.
"I think we're going to add to the squad, which is good," he said. "The players work their socks off every day in training so if we build the squad it'll be even better. "
Source: Team Talk
Source: Team Talk