Stephen Robert Ward (born 20 August 1985) is a retired Irish professional
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 played as a
left-back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
and is currently assistant manager at
Brackley Town.
Ward began his senior career with
Bohemians
Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to:
*Anything of or relating to Bohemia
Beer
* National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst
* Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors
Culture and arts
* Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...
in his native Ireland, before moving to English
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
side
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...
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 relegation's though he was transfer listed and after spending the
2013–14 season on loan at
Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club (), commonly referred to simply as Brighton, is an English professional football club based in the city of Brighton and Hove. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league ...
he eventually left to return to the Premier League with
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, Lancashire, Preston, at the confluence of the River C ...
in 2014. He spent five seasons at
Turf Moor
Turf Moor is an association football stadium in Burnley, Lancashire, England, which has been the home of Burnley F.C. since 1883. This unbroken service makes Turf Moor the second-longest continuously used ground in English professional footba ...
making 113 appearances for the Clarets before joining
Stoke City in June 2019. Following the end of his contract at Stoke City, Ward signed for
Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system.
The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn profession ...
in August 2020. He spent one season at Ipswich before being released and joining
Walsall
Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands County, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east ...
in July 2021.
From 2011 until his retirement from international football in March 2019, he had been a regular member of the
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
's international squads, and played at
UEFA Euro 2012
The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2012 or simply Euro 2012, was the 14th UEFA European Championship, European Championship for List of men's national association football teams#UEFA (Europe), men's ...
and
UEFA Euro 2016
The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe ...
.
Club career
Bohemians
Born in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
, Ireland, Ward grew up in
Portmarnock
Portmarnock () is a coastal suburban settlement in Fingal, Ireland, with significant beaches, a modest commercial core and inland residential estates, and two golf courses, including one of Ireland's best-known golf clubs. , the population was ...
where he attended St Helen's Primary School and
Portmarnock Community School. Ward played schoolboy football for
Home Farm and Portmarnock before joining Dublin-based
League of Ireland
The League of Ireland ( ga, Sraith na hÉireann), together with the Football Association of Ireland, is one of the two main governing bodies responsible for organising association football in the Republic of Ireland. The term was originally us ...
side
Bohemians
Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to:
*Anything of or relating to Bohemia
Beer
* National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst
* Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors
Culture and arts
* Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...
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. Ward played as a forward for Bohemians before converting to a left-back. His form in Ireland attracted interest from various English sides including
Sunderland and
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...
. The
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
season with
Bohemians
Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to:
*Anything of or relating to Bohemia
Beer
* National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst
* Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors
Culture and arts
* Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...
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
The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the E ...
side
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...
in January 2007 on a two-and-a-half-year deal. The fee, although undisclosed, was reported to be £100,000.
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; his first goal came against
Plymouth Argyle on 3 February. He featured in all of Wolves remaining
2006–07 fixtures as they reached the play-offs where they lost 4–2 on aggregate to
Black Country rivals West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pl ...
. 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
Matthew Thomas Jarvis (born 22 May 1986) is an English former professional footballer who played as a winger.
After an unsuccessful spell as a youth-team player for Millwall, Jarvis began his professional career with Gillingham, making his ...
, but announced he was happy to play anywhere. 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. He played 31 times in
2007–08 as the team narrowly missed a second successive play-off spot finishing in 7th position.
The
2008–09 season again saw Ward adopt a new position as he was converted to a makeshift left-back, after
George Elokobi
George Nganyuo Elokobi (born 31 January 1986) is a Cameroonian former professional footballer who played as a defender and is interim manager at Maidstone United.
Elokobi moved from his native Cameroon to England at the age of 16, where he e ...
sustained knee damage in only the third game of the campaign. Despite the emergency purchase of natural full back
Matt Hill
Matthew Hill (born January 19, 1968) is a Canadian voice actor working for Ocean Productions.
Career
His roles include Ed in ''Ed, Edd n Eddy'', Kevin Keene/Captain N in '' Captain N: The Game Master'', Kira Yamato in ''Gundam Seed'' and '' G ...
, Ward was often preferred in the spot anyway. Ward only missed four Championship matches helping Wolves win the title and earn promotion to the
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
.
Ward began the club's return to the top flight in the left-back role, but he soon suffered a cartilage injury that kept him out of action for two months. Returning in December 2009 he was sent-off by
against
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
a decision which angered manager
Mick McCarthy
Michael Joseph McCarthy (born 7 February 1959) is a professional football manager, pundit, and former player. He was last in charge of EFL Championship club Cardiff City.
McCarthy began his playing career at Barnsley in 1977, and he later had ...
. Ward made a total of 22 league appearances in
2009–10 as the club managed to avoid an immediate return to the second tier, finishing in 15th. At the end of the campaign Ward signed a contract extension with Wolves.
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
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
at
Anfield
Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892. ...
on 29 December 2010. He was part of the team that avoided relegation on the final day of the season as results went their way after a 3–2 defeat at home to
Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...
. Ward played 41 times in
2011–12 as Wolves suffered relegation to the Championship, finishing bottom of the table. Ward scored Wolves' first goal back in the Championship a 3–1 win against
Barnsley
Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...
on 20 August 2012. However Wolves would go on to have another poor campaign in
2012–13, suffering a second successive relegation.
Loan to Brighton & Hove Albion
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
Kenneth Francis Jackett (born 5 January 1962) is a former professional football player and manager, who is currently Director of Football at club Gillingham.
A skilful left-footed player, able to play in defence or midfield, Jackett was cappe ...
.
On 16 August 2013, Ward was loaned to
Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club (), commonly referred to simply as Brighton, is an English professional football club based in the city of Brighton and Hove. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league ...
for the
2013–14 season, where he made 47 appearances as the club reached the play-offs but were defeated at the semi-final stage by
Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 188 ...
. Brighton then agreed to a permanent deal with Wolves for Ward over the close season, but interest from the Premier League halted the move.
Burnley
![Arsenal Vs Burnley (24736526425)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Arsenal_Vs_Burnley_%2824736526425%29.jpg)
On 15 August 2014, Ward moved to newly promoted Premier League side
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, Lancashire, Preston, at the confluence of the River C ...
, signing a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee. Ward made only ten appearances for Burnley in
2014–15 due to injuries as the side suffered an immediate relegation. In
2015–16 Burnley went on a 23-unbeaten run which saw them gain promotion back to the Premier League as champions. Ward only missed one league match in
2016–17, playing a total of 38 times helping the Clarets avoid relegation, finishing in 16th position.
Ward signed a contract extension in August 2017, keeping him contracted at
Turf Moor
Turf Moor is an association football stadium in Burnley, Lancashire, England, which has been the home of Burnley F.C. since 1883. This unbroken service makes Turf Moor the second-longest continuously used ground in English professional footba ...
until 2019. Ward scored in a 3–2 win away at champions
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
on the opening day of the
2017–18 season. Ward made 28 appearances as Burnley had a successful campaign finishing in 7th, qualifying for the
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...
.
Ward lost his place in the side to
Charlie Taylor in
2018–19, only making ten appearances. On 12 May 2019, it was confirmed he would leave Burnley at the end of his contract on 1 July 2019.
Stoke City
On 26 June 2019, Ward joined
Stoke City, signing an initial one-year contract. Ward made his debut against
Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, south-east London, which compete in . Their home ground is The Valley, where the club have played since 1919. They have also played at The Mount in ...
on 10 August 2019 in a 3–1 defeat. Ward was in and out of the team in the first half of the
2019–20 season as Stoke were involved in a relegation fight. He picked up a calf injury against
Fulham
Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...
29 December 2019 which ruled him out for four months. Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
the season was suspended for 15 weeks and extended into the summer and on 1 July 2020 Ward signed a contract extension to cover the remaining matches. After only playing once since the restart Ward left Stoke on 17 July 2020.
Ipswich Town
On 17 August 2020, Ward joined
League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
side
Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system.
The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn profession ...
on a free transfer. He signed a one-year deal with the club, with the option of an additional one-year extension. Ward made his debut for Ipswich on 5 September, starting in a 3–0 win over
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 ...
in a
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
first round tie at
Portman Road
Portman Road is a football stadium in Ipswich, Suffolk, England, which has been the home ground of Ipswich Town F.C. since 1884. The stadium has also hosted many England youth international matches, and one senior England friendly internation ...
. Having made 31 appearances in all competitions during the 2020–21 season, the club announced on 5 May 2021 that Ward would not be offered a new deal and would leave the club at the end of the season.
Walsall
On 9 July 2021, Ward joined
Walsall
Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands County, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east ...
on a one-year deal.
On 22 April 2022, Ward announced his retirement from football.
International career
![Gdansk PGE Arena ESP-IRE Euro 2012 19 Ward](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Gdansk_PGE_Arena_ESP-IRE_Euro_2012_19_Ward.jpg)
Ward received his first full call-up to the
Republic of Ireland national team on 4 May 2011, for friendlies against
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
and
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
as well as a
UEFA Euro 2012
The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2012 or simply Euro 2012, was the 14th UEFA European Championship, European Championship for List of men's national association football teams#UEFA (Europe), men's ...
qualifier against
Macedonia. He made his national team debut on 24 May 2011 in a
Nations Cup game against
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
, where he opened the scoring in a 5–0 victory. Ward made his competitive debut for the Republic of Ireland against
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
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
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
, sealing Ireland's place in their first major tournament since
2002 with
an unprecedented 5–1 aggregate win.
Ward was picked in Trapattoni's 23-man squad for the
Euro 2012
The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2012 or simply Euro 2012, was the 14th European Championship for men's national football teams organised by UEFA. The final tournament, held between 8 June and 1 ...
finals in Poland and
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
, going on to play in all three of their matches in the tournament before their group stage elimination.
He played in three of Ireland's four matches at
Euro 2016
The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe o ...
as the ''Boys in Green'' made the knockout stages, losing to France in the Round of 16.
He announced his retirement from international football on 14 March 2019 after missing out on the final squad for the
Euro 2020 qualifiers against
Gibraltar
)
, anthem = " God Save the King"
, song = " Gibraltar Anthem"
, image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg
, map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe
, map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green
, mapsize =
, image_map2 = Gib ...
and
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
.
Coaching career
On 29 September 2022, Ward was appointed assistant manager of
National League North
The National League North, formerly Conference North, is a division of the National League in England, immediately below the National League division. Along with the National League South, it is at the second level of the National League Syst ...
club
Brackley Town, assisting former Wolverhampton Wanderers teammate
Roger Johnson in his first managerial role.
Career statistics
Club
International
Source:
International goals
:''Republic of Ireland score listed first, score column indicates score after each Ward goal.''
Honours
Wolverhampton Wanderers
*
Football League Championship:
2008–09
Burnley
*Football League Championship:
2015–16
Republic of Ireland
*
Nations Cup:
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
Individual
*
Football League Championship Player of the Month: February 2007
References
External links
Republic of Ireland profileat Soccer Scene
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, Stephen
1985 births
Living people
Association footballers from Dublin (city)
Republic of Ireland association footballers
Republic of Ireland youth international footballers
Republic of Ireland under-21 international footballers
Republic of Ireland B international footballers
Republic of Ireland international footballers
Association football fullbacks
Association football wingers
Association football utility players
Home Farm F.C. players
Bohemian F.C. players
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. players
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. players
Burnley F.C. players
Stoke City F.C. players
Ipswich Town F.C. players
Walsall F.C. players
League of Ireland players
English Football League players
Premier League players
UEFA Euro 2012 players
UEFA Euro 2016 players
Republic of Ireland expatriate association footballers
Expatriate footballers in England
Irish expatriate sportspeople in England