Wikipedia

Joe Ward (footballer, born 1995)

Joseph Henry Ward (born 22 August 1995) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger for EFL Championship club Derby County.

Joe Ward
Personal information
Full name Joseph Henry Ward[1]
Date of birth (1995-08-22) 22 August 1995 (age 29)
Place of birth Chelmsford, England
Height 5 ft 6 in (1.67 m)[2]
Position(s) Winger
Team information
Current team
 Derby County
Number 23
Youth career
2009–2013 Chelmsford City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2015 Chelmsford City 63 (8)
2013 → Stanway Rovers (loan) 6 (0)
2015–2017 Brighton & Hove Albion 0 (0)
2017 → Lincoln City (loan) 2 (0)
2017–2018 Woking 27 (6)
2018–2023 Peterborough United 202 (18)
2023– Derby County 25 (2)
International career‡
2017 England C 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 12:08, 3 November 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21:00, 13 January 2018 (UTC)

Ward started his career at hometown club Chelmsford City in 2009, making his first-team debut in 2013, and having a loan spell at Stanway Rovers that same year. After trials with several Premier League club in 2015, Ward signed with Brighton & Hove Albion, but failed to break into the first team, and joined Lincoln City on loan in 2017. In June 2017, Ward was released by Brighton and signed with Woking.

Ward joined Peterborough United in January 2018, making his Football League debut in the same month, and helping Peterborough gain promotion to the Championship in 2021. He was named in the League One Team of the Year for the 2021–22 season. After making 232 appearances, Ward left Peterborough in June 2023 and joined fellow League One side Derby County. In his first season for the club he helped the club gain promotion to the Championship.

Club career

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Chelmsford City

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After initially featuring for the Chelmsford City youth sides whilst on a BTEC scholarship scheme, Ward made his debut for the club during their 6–0 home victory over Farnborough in the 2012–13 campaign at the age of 16.[3] On 30 November 2013, Ward scored on his first start for Chelmsford City, once again against Farnborough, in a 3–1 win.[4] On 23 April 2014, Ward scored the goal to save Chelmsford City from relegation from the Conference South in a 1–0 win over Gosport Borough.[5] In his final campaign at Chelmsford, Ward netted eleven times, including six goals during their impressive FA Cup run,[6] in which they reached the fourth qualifying round before being knocked out by Barnet.

In 2013 he spent time on loan with Stanway Rovers, making six league appearances.[7]

Brighton & Hove Albion

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Following trials with both West Ham United and Brighton & Hove Albion in summer 2015,[8] Brighton & Hove Albion signed Ward on a development contract on 3 June 2015.[9]

After failing to break through into the first-team squad, Ward was sent out on loan to National League side Lincoln City on a one-month basis in January 2017.[10] A day later, he made his debut during Lincoln's FA Trophy second-round victory over Gateshead, playing the entire 90 minutes in the 3–1 triumph.[11] In the following round, Ward netted twice during Lincoln's 3–1 away victory against Welling United.[12] Six days later, Ward's loan spell was extended for a further two months following some impressive form, especially in their FA Trophy campaign.[13]

Woking

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On 21 June 2017, Ward signed for National League club Woking on a two-year deal following his release from Brighton & Hove Albion.[14]

On the opening day of the 2017–18 campaign, Ward netted in Woking's 2–1 home victory over Gateshead, sealing the winner in the 44th minute.[15] Ward went onto net five more times during their league campaign, including goals against Torquay United, Macclesfield Town, Maidstone United, AFC Fylde and Dover Athletic.[16] Following this impressive form, Ward received his first call-up to the England C squad, in which he featured for 45 minutes during their 4–0 International Challenge Trophy final defeat against Slovakia U23s.[17] During Woking's impressive FA Cup run, Ward netted the Cards' equaliser in their second round tie against League One side Peterborough United.[18]

Peterborough United

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On 10 January 2018, Ward joined League One side Peterborough United following his impressive performances against them, on a two-and-a-half-year deal for an undisclosed fee.[19] Three days later, Ward made his debut for Peterborough, as well as his Football League debut, in a 0–0 draw with Wigan Athletic, replacing Michael Doughty in the 68th minute.[20] Following an impressive 2020–21 season, Ward was named in the 2020–21 EFL League One Team of the Season at the league's annual awards ceremony.[21]

He was offered a new three-year contract at the end of the 2022–23 season.[22]

Derby County

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In June 2023 it was announced that he would sign for Derby County on 1 July 2023, on a three-year contract.[23] Ward made his Derby debut in a 2–1 defeat to Wigan Athletic on 5 August 2023.[24] Ward impressed with his performances in a difficult to the 2023–24 season for Derby,[25] however Ward picked up a heel injury in Derby's match against Oxford United on 15 August 2023[26] which ruled him out of action for eight weeks.[27][28] Upon his return to the team, Ward struggled to cement a place in the Derby team, being demoted to the under-21s to keep him match fit.[29] In December 2023, Ward conceded penalties in back-to back games to Wycombe Wanderers who scored the 96th minute equalising penalty[30] and Lincoln City.[31] On 2 March 2024, Ward returned to the Derby starting lineup against Port Vale, assisted two of Derby's three goals in the 3–0 win, as Derby returned to a wing-back formation which played to Ward's strengths,[32] this performance earned praise from former Derby player Malcolm Christie who was working as match analyst for BBC Radio Derby.[33] On 2 April 2024, Ward scored twice, his first goals for the club, in a 2–2 draw at Portsmouth.[34] During this match, Ward picked up a knee injury which later required surgery which ended his season with an expected recovery time of two months, having made 26 appearances during his first season at Derby.[35] Derby secured automatic promotion the Championship after finishing runners-up in League One.[36]

Ward found appearances in the first-team hard to come by in the first two months of the 2024–25 season; playing in under-21 matches to maintain fitness.[37]

Career statistics

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As of match played 2 November 2024.
Club Season League FA Cup EFL Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Chelmsford City 2012–13[38] Conference South 1 0 0 0 — 0 0 1 0
2013–14[38] Conference South 25 3 0 0 — 1[a] 0 26 3
2014–15[38] Conference South 37 5 5 6 — 2[b] 0 44 11
Total 63 8 5 6 0 0 1 0 69 14
Lincoln City (loan) 2016–17[38] National League 2 0 2 0 — 4[c] 3 8 3
Woking 2017–18[38] National League 27 6 6 1 — 1[c] 0 34 7
Peterborough United 2017–18[39] League One 17 0 0 0 0 0 1[d] 0 18 0
2018–19[40] League One 43 4 4 1 1 0 4[d] 0 52 5
2019–20[41] League One 28 3 3 0 1 0 4[d] 2 36 5
2020–21[42] League One 37 5 0 0 1 0 2[d] 0 40 5
2021–22[43] Championship 38 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 41 1
2022–23[44] League One 39 6 0 0 2 0 4[e] 1 45 7
Total 202 18 9 2 6 0 15 3 232 23
Derby County 2023–24[45] League One 21 2 2 0 1 0 2[d] 0 26 2
2024–25[46] Championship 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 5 0
Total 25 2 2 0 2 0 2 0 31 2
Career total 319 34 24 9 8 0 25 6 376 49
  1. ^ Appearance in Essex Senior Cup.
  2. ^ One appearance in the Essex Senior Cup, one appearance in the FA Trophy.
  3. ^ a b Appearance in the FA Trophy.
  4. ^ a b c d e Appearance(s) in the Football League Trophy.
  5. ^ Two appearances in the EFL Trophy; two appearance and one goal in the play-offs.

Honours

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Derby County

Individual

References

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  1. ^ "Club list of registered players: As at 19th May 2019" (PDF). English Football League. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  2. ^ "Joe Ward - Midfielder - First Team Profiles - Peterborough United". Peterborough United F.C. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  3. ^ "Chelmsford City vs. Farnborough". Soccerway. 18 March 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  4. ^ "Chelmsford City 3 'Boro 1". Farnborough F.C. 2 December 2016. Archived from the original on 14 January 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  5. ^ "Chelmsford City secure safety with Gosport Borough win". Essex Chronicle. 23 April 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2018.[permanent dead link‍]
  6. ^ "Joe Ward Profile". Aylesbury United FC. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  7. ^ @StanwayRovers (30 April 2018). "@JS2017JS 0" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  8. ^ "Brighton take Chelmsford City winger Joe Ward on trial". Essex Chronicle. 6 May 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2018.[permanent dead link‍]
  9. ^ "Ward joins Development squad". Brighton & Hove Albion. 3 June 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2018.[permanent dead link‍]
  10. ^ "Joe Ward: Lincoln City sign Brighton & Hove Albion winger on loan". BBC Sport. 13 January 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  11. ^ "Gateshead vs. Lincoln City". Soccerway. 14 January 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  12. ^ "Welling United vs. Lincoln City". Soccerway. 4 February 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  13. ^ "Joe Ward: Brighton & Hove Albion winger extends Lincoln City loan". BBC Sport. 10 February 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  14. ^ "Cards sign former Brighton winger". Woking F.C. 21 June 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  15. ^ "Woking vs. Gateshead". Soccerway. 5 August 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  16. ^ "J. Ward". Soccerway. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  17. ^ "England C lose International Challenge Trophy Final by 4-0 against Slovakia U21s". The FA. 8 November 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  18. ^ "Woking vs. Peterborough United". Soccerway. 3 December 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  19. ^ "Posh Secure Signing Of Highly-Rated Winger". Peterborough United Official Site. 10 January 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  20. ^ "Wigan Athletic vs. Peterborough United". Soccerway. 13 January 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  21. ^ a b "Football Manager EFL Team of the Season line-ups announced". EFL.com. 24 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  22. ^ "Posh Confirm Number Of Players Available For Transfer". www.theposh.com. 26 May 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  23. ^ "Derby sign winger Ward from Peterborough". BBC Sport. 20 June 2023.
  24. ^ "Derby 1 – 2 Wigan". BBC Sport. 5 August 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  25. ^ "All of Derby County's summer signings (Ranked)". Football League World. 19 September 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  26. ^ "Paul Warne: Derby County 'not a top-three team', says boss". BBC Sport. 19 September 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  27. ^ "The Derby County transfer that needs to happen and the change Paul Warne must make". Derby Evening Telegraph. 16 August 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  28. ^ "Ward, Waghorn, Elder - Derby County injury news and return dates ahead of Shrewsbury". Derby Evening Telegraph. 16 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  29. ^ "Derby County quartet play for under-21s as duo score eight goals between them in Notts County rout". Derby Evening Telegraph. 16 January 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  30. ^ "Derby County 1–1 Wycombe Wanderers". Sky Sports. 16 December 2023. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  31. ^ "Derby up to third in League One with victory over Lincoln". beIn Sports. 21 December 2023. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  32. ^ "I just saw £7k-a-week Derby County star really impress in 3-0 win over Port Vale". Derby County News. 2 March 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  33. ^ "Malcolm Christie says one Derby County player was so 'exceptional' in Port Vale win". Derby County News. 5 March 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  34. ^ "Portsmouth 2–2 Derby County". BBC Sport. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  35. ^ "Paul Warne confirms 'massive' Derby County blow ahead of season finale". Derby Evening Telegraph. 18 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  36. ^ a b "Breaking: Derby County promoted as duo seal it for Paul Warne's side". Derby Telegraph. 27 April 2024. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  37. ^ "Derby County duo give Paul Warne a reminder as attitude hailed in Wrexham victory". Derby Telegraph. 18 September 2024. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  38. ^ a b c d e Joe Ward at Soccerway. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  39. ^ "Games played by Joe Ward in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  40. ^ "Games played by Joe Ward in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  41. ^ "Games played by Joe Ward in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  42. ^ "Games played by Joe Ward in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  43. ^ "Games played by Joe Ward in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  44. ^ "Games played by Joe Ward in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  45. ^ "Games played by Joe Ward in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  46. ^ "Games played by Joe Ward in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
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