Jed Macauley Ward (born 20 May 2003) is an English

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who plays as a

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

for

Wealdstone Wealdstone () is a district located in the centre of the London Borough of Harrow, England. It is located just north of Harrow town centre and is south of Harrow Weald, west of Belmont and Kenton, and east of Headstone. The area accommodates ...

on loan from

Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers Football Club are a professional football club in Bristol, England. They compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They play home matches at the Memorial Stadium in Horfield, they have been ...

Club career

Ward joined local Bristol side Bradley Stoke United before being scouted at a local chess club and joining

at the age of eight, joining the under-9 team. On 5 February 2021, Ward signed his first professional contract with the club aged 17. On 9 May 2021, with Rovers already relegated, Ward made his professional debut on the final day of the season against Blackpool as they lost 1–0. On 21 January 2022, Ward joined Southern League Premier Division South club Swindon Supermarine on a one-month loan deal, joining fellow Rovers youngsters Kieran Phillips and Tom Mehew at the club. Ward was recalled from his loan spell on 3 February. On 17 February he joined Prescot Cables on loan for a month. He returned to his parent club in early March. On 12 August 2022, Ward joined National League South club Hungerford Town on a one-month youth loan deal. On 7 September 2022, this deal was extended until the end of the season. Whilst on loan with the club suffering from a broken hand, Ward signed a new contract with his parent club that would keep him at Rovers until 2024 with the option for a further extension. Despite Hungerford's relegation battle, he impressed with his manager referring to him as an "ultimate professional" and "a very good up-and-coming goalkeeper". He was recalled from his loan with immediate effect on 7 April, with manager Barton later promising to involve him at some point in the last five matches of the season. On 22 April, he made his first performance since returning to the club, featuring in a 2–0 defeat to

Port Vale Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley o ...

, with manager Barton impressed by his performance despite the scoreline, tipping him to be a future first-choice goalkeeper for the club. On 25 July 2023, Ward signed for

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...

club

on a season-long loan deal.

International career

On 21 May 2021, the day after he turned 18, Ward was called up to the England U19 training camp, to be held at St George's Park.

Career Statistics

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, Jed 2003 births Living people English men's footballers Men's association football goalkeepers Footballers from Bristol Bristol Rovers F.C. players Swindon Supermarine F.C. players Prescot Cables F.C. players Hungerford Town F.C. players Wealdstone F.C. players English Football League players Southern Football League players Northern Premier League players National League (English football) players