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Stephen Ward (footballer)

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Stephen Ward
Ward playing for Ireland in the 2011 Nations Cup
Personal information
Full name Stephen Robert Ward[1]
Date of birth (1985-08-20) 20 August 1985 (age 39)[1]
Place of birth Dublin, Ireland
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[2]
Position(s) Left back / Winger / Forward
Team information
Current team
 Burnley
Number 23
Youth career
Home Farm
Portmarnock
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2003–2007 Bohemians 93 (26)
2007–2014 Wolverhampton Wanderers 222 (9)
2013–2014 → Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) 44 (4)
2014– Burnley 21 (0)
International career‡
2003–2004 Republic of Ireland U19 5 (3)
2005–2008 Republic of Ireland U21 13 (4)
2007 Republic of Ireland B 1 (0)
2011– Republic of Ireland 31 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:49, 29 February 2016 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21:24, 18 November 2015 (UTC)

Stephen Robert Ward (born 20 August 1985) is an Irish professional footballer who plays for English club Burnley. He is able to play in a variety of positions, primarily left back, but also in left midfield and as a striker.

Ward began his senior career with Bohemians in his native Ireland, before moving to English Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2007. Featuring regularly, he was part of their promotion to the Premier League two years later and played over 230 times for the club. Following consecutive relegations though he was transfer listed,[3] eventually leaving to return to the Premier League with Burnley in 2014.

Since 2011 he has been a regular member of the Republic of Ireland's international squads, and played in all three of their matches at UEFA Euro 2012.

Club career

Bohemians

Born in Dublin, Ireland, Ward grew up in Portmarnock and played schoolboy football for Home Farm and Portmarnock. Ward joined Dublin-based League of Ireland side Bohemians from Portmarnock in the summer of 2003. He scored twice on his debut as a substitute against Skerries Town in the FAI Cup on 15 August 2003. His form in Ireland attracted interest from various English sides. The 2006 season with Bohemians ended up being his last and he made a total of 93 appearances for the club, scoring 26 times.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

After a successful trial, Ward joined English Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers in January 2007 on a two-and-a-half-year deal.[4] The fee, although undisclosed, was reported to be £100,000 – then a record for the League of Ireland.

Ward had a bright start to English football scoring three times in his first six games, earning him the Championship Player of the Month Award for February 2007;[5] his first goal came against Plymouth Argyle on 3 February. He featured in all of Wolves remaining fixtures as they reached the promotion play-offs where they lost to local rivals West Bromwich Albion.

The next season was less successful for Ward as he was mostly used in an unfamiliar left midfield role, covering for the injured Matt Jarvis, but announced he was happy to play anywhere.[6] Later on in the season, Ward himself also suffered injury woes as he was struck down with patellar tendinitis that ruled him out for four months,[7] as the team narrowly missed a second successive play-off spot.

The 2008–09 season again saw Ward adopt a new position as he was converted to a makeshift left back, after George Elokobi sustained knee damage in only the third game of the campaign. Despite the emergency purchase of natural full back Matt Hill, Ward was often preferred in the spot anyway, helping the side win promotion to the Premier League.

Ward began the club's return to the top flight at left back role, but he soon suffered a cartilage injury that kept him out of action for two months. Returning in December, he made a total of 22 league appearances as the club managed to avoid an immediate return to the second tier.

During the 2010–11 season, Ward filled a variety of roles, playing left back, left midfield and as a striker. One game up front saw him net his first Premier League goal, when he scored the only goal of the game against Liverpool at Anfield on 29 December 2010.[8] He was part of the team that avoided relegation on the final day of the season.

Loan to Brighton

After Wolves suffered a second consecutive relegation to enter League One in 2013, Ward was one of a group of players made available for transfer by the club's new head coach Kenny Jackett.[3] On 16 August 2013 Ward was loaned to Brighton & Hove Albion for the 2013–14 season,[9] where he made 47 appearances as the club reached the play-offs but were defeated at the semi-final stage by Derby. Brighton then agreed a permanent deal with Wolves for Ward over the close season,[10] but interest from the Premier League halted the move.

Burnley

On 15 August 2014 Ward moved to newly promoted Premier League side Burnley, signing a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee.[11]

International career

Ward in action during Euro 2012.

Ward received his first full call-up to the Republic of Ireland national team squad on 4 May 2011, for friendlies against Northern Ireland and Scotland as well as a UEFA Euro 2012 qualifier against Macedonia.[12][13] He made his national team debut on 24 May 2011 in a Nations Cup game against Northern Ireland, where he opened the scoring in a 5–0 victory.[14] Ward made his competitive debut for the Republic of Ireland against Slovakia in a UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying match, during which he kept a clean sheet in a 0–0 draw. Ward scored his second international goal in the second leg of the play-off for UEFA Euro 2012 against Estonia, sealing Ireland's place in their first major tournament since 2002 with an unprecedented 5–1 aggregate win.[15]

Ward was picked in Trapattoni's 23-man squad for the UEFA Euro 2012 finals in Poland and Ukraine,[16] going on to play in all three of their matches in the tournament before their group stage elimination.

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 27 February 2016.
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2006–07[17] Championship 18 3 1 0 — 2[a] 0 21 3
2007–08[18] Championship 29 0 1 0 1 0 — 31 0
2008–09[19] Championship 42 0 1 0 1 0 — 44 0
2009–10[20] Premier League 22 0 2 0 0 0 — 24 0
2010–11[21] Premier League 34 1 3 0 0 0 — 37 1
2011–12[22] Premier League 38 3 2 0 1 0 — 41 3
2012–13[23] Championship 39 2 1 0 1 0 — 41 2
Total 222 9 11 0 4 0 2 0 239 9
Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) 2013–14[24] Championship 44 4 1 0 0 0 2[a] 0 47 4
Burnley 2014–15[25] Premier League 9 0 0 0 1 0 — 10 0
2015–16[26] Championship 12 0 2 1 1 0 — 15 1
Total 21 0 2 1 2 0 — 25 1
Career total 287 13 14 1 6 0 4 0 311 14
  1. ^ a b Appearances in Football League Championship play-offs

International

As of match played 13 November 2015.[27]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Republic of Ireland 2011 9 2
2012 9 0
2013 2 0
2014 9 0
2015 2 0
Total 31 2

International goals

As of match played 15 November 2011. Republic of Ireland score listed first, score column indicates score after each Ward goal.[27]
International goals by date, venue, cap, opponent, score, result and competition
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition Ref
1 24 May 2011 Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland 1  Northern Ireland 1–0 5–0 2011 Nations Cup [28]
2 15 November 2011 Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland 9  Estonia 1–0 1–1 UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying play-offs [29]

Honours

Club

Wolverhampton Wanderers

International

Individual

References

  1. ^ a b Hugman, Barry J. (ed) (2008). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2008–09. Mainstream. ISBN 978-1-84596-324-8. {{cite book}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  2. ^ The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2010–11. Mainstream Publishing. p. 429. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  3. ^ a b "Four players transfer listed". Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. 24 June 2013.
  4. ^ "Ward ready to sign". wolves.co.uk. 15 January 2007.
  5. ^ "Wolves star earns February honour". BBC Sport. 4 March 2007.
  6. ^ "Ward happy with his Molineux role". BBC Sport. 10 July 2008.
  7. ^ "Ward glad at lucky escape". Birmingham Mail. 8 March 2008.
  8. ^ "Mick McCarthy praises Wolves' match-winner Stephen Ward". BBC Sport. 30 December 2010.
  9. ^ "Stephen Ward joins Brighton as Gordon Greer signs new deal". BBC Sport. 16 August 2013.
  10. ^ "Brighton agree deal for Stephen Ward". Birmingham Mail. 14 August 2014.
  11. ^ "Stephen Ward: Burnley sign long-serving Wolves defender". BBC Sport. 15 August 2014.
  12. ^ http://www.setanta.com/ie/Articles/2011/05/04/Ireland-call-up-Ward/gnid-93929/
  13. ^ http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro2012/news/newsid=1627010.html
  14. ^ "Rep of Ireland 5–0 N Ireland". BBC Sport. 24 May 2011.
  15. ^ Mason, Glenn (15 November 2011). "Ireland 1–1 Estonia". RTÉ Sport.
  16. ^ "EURO 2012 squad named". fai.ie. 7 May 2012. {{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help)
  17. ^ "Games played by Stephen Ward in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  18. ^ "Games played by Stephen Ward in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  19. ^ "Games played by Stephen Ward in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  20. ^ "Games played by Stephen Ward in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  21. ^ "Games played by Stephen Ward in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  22. ^ "Games played by Stephen Ward in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  23. ^ "Games played by Stephen Ward in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  24. ^ "Games played by Stephen Ward in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  25. ^ "Games played by Stephen Ward in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  26. ^ "Games played by Stephen Ward in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
  27. ^ a b "Stephen Ward". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  28. ^ "Rep of Ireland 5–0 N Ireland". BBC Sport. 24 May 2011. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  29. ^ "Republic of Ireland 1–1 Estonia (5-1 agg)". BBC Sport. 14 November 2011. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
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