Jamie Ward

Jamie Ward

Personal information
Full name	Jamie John Ward
Date of birth	12 May 1986 (1986-05-12)
Place of birth	Solihull, England
Height	1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Playing position	Winger, Forward
Club information
Current club	Derby County
Number	10
Youth career
0000–2005	Aston Villa
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2005–2006	Aston Villa	0	(0)
2006	→ Stockport County (loan)	9	(1)
2006–2007	Torquay United	25	(9)
2007–2009	Chesterfield	67	(29)
2009–2011	Sheffield United	63	(9)
2011	→ Derby County (loan)	13	(5)
2011–	Derby County	32	(4)
National team‡
2006–2008	Northern Ireland U21	7	(2)
2011–	Northern Ireland	1	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22:03, 23 February 2012 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 15:31, 13 August 2011 (UTC)

Jamie John Ward (born 12 May 1986) is an English-born Northern Irish international professional footballer, who plays as a midfielder or forward for Derby County. He was born in Smith's Wood, Solihull but qualifies to play for Northern Ireland through his grandfather.

Club career

Aston Villa

Ward began his career as a trainee with Aston Villa and played in their 2004 FA Youth Cup Final defeat against Middlesbrough. He turned professional in July 2005 after recovering from injuries received in a car crash in 2004. Although he captained the club's reserve team, he did not make a first team appearance and in March 2006 he joined Stockport County on loan until the end of the season, making his league debut in a 1–0 victory away to Bury on 7 March. He made nine appearances, scoring once in a 3–1 home victory against Shrewsbury Town.

Torquay United

At the end of the 2005–06 season, Ward was released by Aston Villa and on 6 July 2006 he signed a three-year contract with Ian Atkins' Torquay United, despite interest from Stockport County and Wrexham. However, with a change of ownership and manager at Torquay, Ward asked for a transfer in December 2006.

Chesterfield

He joined Chesterfield, managed by former Torquay manager Roy McFarland, on 31 January 2007 on a two-and-a-half year contract for an undisclosed fee.

Ward started the 2007–08 season brightly, but in only his second game, against Sheffield United, he again pulled his hamstring. He fought back to match fitness and scored twelve goals for the Spireites that season.

He began the 2008–09 season as a first choice, with his form attracting attention from higher level clubs such as Derby County and Sheffield United. He rejected the offer of a new contract with Chesterfield in December 2008, with his existing contract set to expire at the end of the season. In January 2009, Championship side Barnsley made a bid for Ward for £400,000 which had been accepted. However, the move was called off after he failed to agree personal terms with the club.

Sheffield United

Having rejected Barnsley as his girlfriend Chloe Mackay told him to, Ward finally agreed a three and a half year deal with Sheffield United in January 2009 with the clubs agreeing a fee of around £330,000.

Ward scored his first goal for the Blades in only his second appearance, a 2–1 win at Southampton in February of the same year. The Blades had conceded an injury time equaliser before Ward regained the lead in the 93rd minute. He then played regularly for the remainder of the season, scoring a further goal in the process. His season finished on a low note however as he was sent off for two handballs in the 2009 play-off final against Burnley at Wembley.

Having been suspended for the first two games of the following season Ward returned in fine form, scoring four goals in seven games, including the opener in the Bramall Lane leg of that season's Steel City derby against the Owls. Unfortunately he was stretchered off the field later in that game following a suspected hamstring tear. On returning to the team in November Ward played regularly without ever really regaining his early form before again succumbing to an injury in April which sidelined him for the remainder of the season.

Returning to fitness Ward started the 2010-2011 campaign as a regular first team player once more but an early suspension following a red card in the local derby against Leeds United coupled with further injury problems and a loss of form meant that he could not hold down a regular spot in the first team.

Derby County

As the Blades struggled, and with new manager Micky Adams seeking to re-build the team Ward was loaned to fellow relegation-threatened Championship team Derby County in mid February for three months, with a view to a permanent deal. Ward scored 5 times in 13 games, including 25-yard strikes against Crystal Palace and Reading, as Derby successfully avoided relegation to League One, something his parent club failed to manage. With his loan spell adjudged a success, two days after the end of Derby's season Ward signed a permanent 2-year contract with the option of a year extension, for an undisclosed fee.

On 17 September 2011, Ward scored his first goal as a full Derby player with the equaliser against rivals Nottingham Forest, as Derby recorded a 2–1 win.

International career

Ward made two appearances for the Northern Ireland under-18 team and a further seven for the under-21 team. After a promising start to his career at Sheffield United, Ward was called into the senior team in March 2009 ahead of two World Cup Qualifiers against Poland and Slovenia. Ward was an unused substitute for the two games in which Northern Ireland won back-to-back games and possibly enhanced their chance of reaching the World Cup in South Africa. Ward won his first full cap in a Euro 2012 qualifier against the Faroe Islands on 10 August 2011.

External links

• Jamie Ward career stats at Soccerbase
• NIFG profile