Darren Ward (footballer born 1978)

For the retired Welsh goalkeeper, see Darren Ward (footballer born 1974).

For other people named Darren Ward, see Darren Ward (disambiguation).

Darren Ward

Personal information
Full name	Darren Philip Ward
Date of birth	13 September 1978 (1978-09-13) (age 33)
Place of birth	Kenton, London, England
Height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Playing position	Centre back
Club information
Current club	Millwall
Number	18
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1995–2001	Watford	59	(2)
1999–2000	→ Queens Park Rangers (loan)	14	(0)
2001–2005	Millwall	144	(4)
2005–2007	Crystal Palace	64	(5)
2007–2010	Wolverhampton Wanderers	31	(0)
2008	→ Watford (loan)	9	(1)
2009	→ Charlton Athletic (loan)	16	(0)
2009	→ Millwall (loan)	9	(0)
2010–	Millwall	70	(2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 13 May 2011. † Appearances (Goals).

Darren Philip Ward (born 13 September 1978) is an English footballer who plays as a defender who plays for Championship club Millwall, for whom he has twice been Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005.

Ward has played for all three major South London teams, Charlton Athletic, Crystal Palace and Millwall. As of 7 May 2011, he holds the record for most games played for all three (317 in all competitions.)

Playing career

Born in Kenton, Harrow, Ward started his career at Watford, making his debut on 20 April 1996 against arch-rivals Luton. But opportunities were scant for Ward in the next few seasons - he made eight appearances in 1996-97 and, after suffering a badly broken leg, only one appearance in each of the following two seasons.

Ward was loaned out to Q.P.R., in the 1999-2000 season, playing fifteen games, and was generally impressive. On his return to Watford he became one of Watford's first-team centre-halves, playing against teams like Manchester United and Arsenal in the club's final two months in the Premiership. On their return to Division 1, Ward continued to be a first team regular, making 40 appearances in 2000-01.

Gianluca Vialli's arrival at Vicarage Road in the summer of 2001 saw a considerable re-modelling of the side, and Ward was one the casualties. He moved to Millwall in October 2001 for £500,000 where he became a regular first team player, and was nicknamed 'The Peckham Beckham', due to the fact that his haircut is similar to that of former England captain David Beckham. At The New Den, Ward and Matthew Lawrence stood out at the central defensive position, as the Lions played in the 2004 FA Cup Final, against Manchester United. Ward played the full 90 minutes, as Millwall were beaten 3-0.

In May 2005 he moved across south-London to Crystal Palace for £1.1m, signing a three-year deal. Ward initially did well and his goalscoring form made him very popular, but by the end of his first season this good form disappeared, and by May 2007 he was out of the side, with Mark Hudson and Leon Cort preferred instead.

In July 2007, Ward joined Wolves on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee however it was announced in May 2008 that he would be one of many casualties leaving the club, after spending less than a year there.^[1] However, after showing a positive attitude, Ward was taken off the transfer list and told to fight for his place.

He went on a two month loan to Watford in September 2008, the club where he began his career,^[2] but this was halted after nine appearances when he suffered a cheekbone fracture.^[3] He scored once during his second spell at Watford, in a 3-0 win over QPR.^[4]

He joined Charlton Athletic on loan for the remainder of the 2008–09 season on 30 January 2009, but was unable to prevent the team being relegated to League One. He returned to his parent club in the summer, who loaned him out again in September 2009, this time to his former team Millwall on a three-month loan,^[5] made permanent on 1 January 2010.^[6] He signed a three year contact extension with Millwall in June 2010.^[7]

Personal life

Darren is the brother of Norwich City's ex-West Ham United defender Elliott Ward. He turned down the opportunity of joining West Ham and the Premiership before opting for Palace, claiming he didn't want to keep his brother out of the team.^[8]

As of February 2011, he runs a cattery in Hertfordshire.^[9]

References

1. ^ "Wolves have end-of-term clear-out". BBC Sport. 2008-05-09. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/wolverhampton_wanderers/7392077.stm. 
2. ^ "Loan pair to extend Watford stay". BBC Sport. 2008-10-29. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/watford/7697289.stm. 
3. ^ "Mackay angry after Ward is sent to hospital with suspected fractured cheek bone". Watford Observer. 2008-11-25. http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/sport/localsport/3877466.Mackay_angry_after_Ward_is_sent_to_hospital_with_suspected_fractured_cheek_bone/. 
4. ^ "Watford 3-0 QPR". BBC. 22 November 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_1/7727310.stm. Retrieved 17 January 2010. 
5. ^ "Ward Into The Lions Den". wolves.co.uk. 2009-09-11. http://www.wolves.co.uk/page/News/0,,10307~1794532,00.html. 
6. ^ "Millwall sign Wolves defender Ward permanently". BBC Sport. 2010-01-01. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/millwall/8437033.stm. 
7. ^ "Millwall defender Darren Ward signs new deal". BBC Sport. 2010-06-10. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/millwall/8732517.stm. 
8. ^ "Quotes of the week". BBC Sport. 2005-08-23. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/funny_old_game/quotes_of_week/4173850.stm. 
9. ^ "The Millwall footballer who runs a cattery". BBC Sport. 28 February 2011. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/millwall/9409827.stm. Retrieved 28 February 2011. 

External links

• Darren Ward career stats at Soccerbase

Persondata
Name	Ward, Darren
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	13 September 1978
Place of birth	Kenton, London, England
Date of death
Place of death