 Ward withNorthern Ireland in 2012 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jamie John Ward[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1986-05-12)12 May 1986 (age 39)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Birmingham, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Forward,winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Precision | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2005 | Aston Villa | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2005–2006 | Aston Villa | 0 | (0) |
| 2006 | →Stockport County (loan) | 9 | (1) |
| 2006–2007 | Torquay United | 25 | (9) |
| 2007–2009 | Chesterfield | 67 | (29) |
| 2009–2011 | Sheffield United | 63 | (9) |
| 2011 | →Derby County (loan) | 13 | (5) |
| 2011–2015 | Derby County | 125 | (29) |
| 2015–2019 | Nottingham Forest | 57 | (3) |
| 2016–2017 | →Burton Albion (loan) | 18 | (4) |
| 2018 | →Cardiff City (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2018 | →Charlton Athletic (loan) | 9 | (1) |
| 2019–2020 | Scunthorpe United | 6 | (2) |
| 2020–2021 | Solihull Moors | 19 | (3) |
| 2020–2021 | Duffield OB | 1 | (2) |
| 2021–2022 | Buxton | 33 | (17) |
| 2022–2023 | Ilkeston Town | 5 | (1) |
| 2023–2024 | Nuneaton Borough | 2 | (0) |
| 2024– | Precision | 13 | (6) |
| International career‡ | |||
| Northern Ireland U18 | 2 | (0) | |
| 2006–2008 | Northern Ireland U21 | 7 | (2) |
| 2011–2018 | Northern Ireland | 35 | (4) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2022–2023 | Ilkeston Town (player-manager) | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 08:09, 2 May 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 10:48, 30 December 2018 (UTC) | |||
Jamie John Ward (born 12 May 1986) is a professionalfootballer who plays as astriker forUAE Second Division League clubPrecision. He has represented theNorthern Ireland national team.
Born inBirmingham he began his career with his home-town clubAston Villa but failed to break into the first team and following a spell on loan atStockport County he joinedTorquay United. From there Ward had signed first forChesterfield and thenSheffield United before joiningDerby County in 2011 and laterNottingham Forest in 2015. Ward qualifies for Northern Ireland through his grandfather. He was included in theNorthern Ireland national team for theUEFA Euro 2016, where they reached the round of 16.
Ward began his career as a trainee withAston Villa and played in their 2004FA Youth Cup Final defeat againstMiddlesbrough.[2] He turned professional in July 2005 after recovering from injuries received in a car crash in 2004.[3]
Although Ward captained Aston Villa's reserve team, he did not make a first-team appearance and in March 2006 he joinedStockport County on loan until the end of the season,[4] making his league debut in a 1–0 victory away toBury on 7 March. He made nine appearances, scoring once in a 3–1 home victory againstShrewsbury Town.[5]
At the end of the 2005–06 season, Ward was released by Aston Villa and on 6 July 2006 he signed a three-year contract withIan Atkins'Torquay United, despite interest from Stockport County andWrexham.[6] However, with a change of ownership and manager at Torquay, Ward asked for a transfer in December 2006.
Ward joinedChesterfield, managed by former Torquay managerRoy McFarland, on 31 January 2007 on a two-and-a-half-year contract for a reported fee of £90,000.[7]
He started the 2007–08 season brightly, but in only his second game, againstSheffield United, he again pulled his hamstring. He fought back to match fitness and scored twelve goals forthe Spireites that season.[8]
He began the 2008–09 season as a first choice, with his form attracting attention from higher-level clubs such asDerby County andSheffield United.[9] He rejected the offer of a new contract with Chesterfield in December 2008, with his existing contract set to expire at the end of the season.[10] In January 2009, Championship sideBarnsley made a bid for Ward for £400,000 which had been accepted.[11] However, the move was called off after he failed to agree personal terms with the club.[12]
Having rejected Barnsley, Ward finally agreed a three-and-a-half-year deal with Sheffield United in January 2009 with the clubs agreeing a fee of around £330,000.[13][14]
Ward scored his first goal for the Blades in only his second appearance, a 2–1 win atSouthampton in February of the same year. The Blades had conceded an injury time equaliser before Ward regained the lead in the 93rd minute.[15] He then played regularly for the remainder of the season, scoring a further goal in the process. His season finished on a low note however as he was sent off for two handballs in the2009 play-off final against Burnley at Wembley.[16]
Having been suspended for the first two games of the following season Ward returned in fine form, scoring four goals in seven games, including the opener in theBramall Lane leg of that season'sSteel City derby against the Owls. Unfortunately he was stretchered off the field later in that game following a suspected hamstring tear.[17] On returning to the team in November Ward played regularly without ever really regaining his early form before again succumbing to an injury in April which sidelined him for the remainder of the season.
Returning to fitness Ward started the 2010–2011 campaign as a regular first team player once more but an early suspension following a red card in the local derby againstLeeds United[18] coupled with further injury problems and a loss of form meant that he could not hold down a regular spot in the first team.
As the Blades struggled, and with new managerMicky Adams seeking to re-build the team, Ward was loaned to fellow relegation-threatenedChampionship teamDerby County in mid-February for three months, with a view to a permanent deal.[19] Ward made his debut on 19 February, starting in a 0–0 draw withScunthorpe United. He also started the next game, a 1–0 defeat toHull City, but missed the third, a 1–0 win at his parent club Sheffield United, as he was ineligible under the terms of his loan.[20] He started all of the next 10 games, helping the relegation-threatened side to two wins and four draws. His first goal for the club was a penalty in a 2–1 defeat againstMiddlesbrough on 8 March.[21] He scored again on 19 March, a stunning 35-yard strike in a 2–2 draw againstCrystal Palace.[22] For his efforts, he was named in the Championship's "Team of the Week".[23] He then won 2 penalties in 2 games, the first for a late consolation in a 4–1 defeat toCardiff City on 2 April,[24] and the second for Derby's equaliser in a 2–2 draw withCoventry City on 9 April.[25]
He scored again in the following game, a 2–1 win against fierce rivalsLeeds United on 12 April.[26] His fourth goal for the club was a 20-yard strike in the 30th minute againstBurnley on 23 April to putThe Rams 2–1 up. In the 61st minute, he conceded a penalty and was shown a straight red card for fouling former Derby defenderTyrone Mears in the 18-yard box. Burnley went on to win the match 4–2.[27] Ward was suspended for the next 2 games and returned for the final match of the season, againstReading on 7 May. He equalised with a stunning 25-yard goal but Derby went on to lose the match 2–1.[28] Derby avoided relegation toLeague One, something his parent club failed to manage. With his loan spell adjudged a success, two days after the end of Derby's season, Ward signed a permanent 2-year contract with the option of a year extension, for an undisclosed fee.[29]
On 17 September 2011, Ward scored his first goal as a full Derby player with the equaliser againstrivalsNottingham Forest, as Derby recorded a 2–1 win.[30] The goal won the club's Goal of the Season award.[31] Ward started all of Derby's (32 games, four goals) league games (bar the League Cup game againstShrewsbury Town when he was on international duty). Ward's run of starts ended after the game againstLeicester City when Ward picked up a thigh injury whilst on international duty on 29 February.[32] Ward was out of action for five weeks, before making his first team return in a goalless draw againstIpswich Town on 7 April 2012.[33] In the game againstCardiff City on 17 April 2012, Ward was substituted early in the second half after picking up a dead leg.[34] Ward was fit enough to start the following game atPortsmouth.[35]
Despite his contract still having a year to run, Derby coachJohn Metgod stated that the club were in contract talks with Ward during April 2012.[36] Ward signed a new two-year contract on 19 April 2012, with an option for a further year which will extend his stay at Derby until at least the summer of 2014.[37] Derby managerNigel Clough stated in a July 2012 interview that Ward could feature more as a striker in the 2012–13 season.[38]
Ward went on to start the first four league games of the season as a striker,[citation needed] providing an assist in the 2–2 home draw against Sheffield Wednesday[39] and providing two assists and scoring Derby's fifth goal in the 5–1 home win against Watford.[40]
Ward scored his first brace for the club in a 3–2 win againstCharlton Athletic, a 25-yard volley and a penalty.[41] and scored again four days later opening the scoring in a 2–1 loss againstBurnley.[42] In October 2012, Ward picked up a Grade One tear of his hamstring during theEast Midlands derby game atNottingham Forest.[43] Two months later, on 6 December, Clough stated he was uncertain when Ward would return to the squad and stated his frustration at the injury.[44] However, a day before Derby's game atCharlton Athletic on 29 December, Clough said that Ward was set to return to the matchday squad as a substitute after a three-month absence.[45] Ward featured as a 68th-minute substitute and scored the equalising penalty in the 72nd minute in the 1–1 draw against Charlton. However, he picked up an injury in the match and was replaced in the 83rd minute.[46] Ward missed the following game due to the injury.[47]
Ward scored six times in January and February 2013, which took his tally to eleven goals, overtaking previous top scorerTheo Robinson on nine. However, Ward picked up a new hamstring injury on 1 March, during Derby's 1–0 loss toCrystal Palace. He was absent from the team until 16 March, when he played 63 minutes in Derby's 2–1 win at home toLeicester City. On 29 March he scored his 12th goal of the season in Derby's 3–0 overBristol City. Ward also missed a penalty after 3 minutes of the match.[48] He missed the next game, a 2–1 win againstLeeds United, but played the final five games of the season, missing another penalty against Ipswich Town.[49] Ward finished third in the voting for Derby County's player of the season despite missing significant portions of the season through injury and was also named the 87th best player in the2012–13 Football League Championship by the Actim Index.[50]
Ward played in all of Derby's first 16 league games, starting 14 of them. He scored his first goal of the season on 1 October in a 4–4 draw against Ipswich Town at Pride Park.[51] He scored a brace against Watford in a 3–2 away win on 19 October[52] and another in the following game, a 1–1 draw withBirmingham City on 26 October.[53]
He scored the only goal of the game on 23 November as Derby beatAFC Bournemouth 1–0, powering home aCraig Forsyth cross past former Derby goalkeeperLee Camp.[54] He was substituted in the 79th minute after injuring his knee[55] and after precautionary scans, he was ruled out for a fortnight.[56] However, he only missed one match and returned ahead of schedule, in the club's 2–1 win againstMiddlesbrough on 4 December.[57] He scored his sixth goal of the season, a 25-yard free kick, in a 2–0 win atCharlton Athletic on 14 December.[58]
On 2 July 2015, Ward signed for Derby's arch-rivalsNottingham Forest on a four-year deal, after his contract with Derby had expired at the end of the season. This was a somewhat unexpected transfer, given that Ward had often played a controversial and provocative role in recent games between the two sides. Ward acknowledged this in an interview with BBC East Midlands Today, but stressed that his focus was now on Forest:
"I think quite a few people will be surprised but I am delighted to be here and Nottingham Forest is the only thing that counts now... [the controversy] was to spice up the local rivalry and it got me a bit more stick than I wanted. I enjoyed it at the time but hopefully the fans can see past that and get behind me."[59]
Ward scored his first goal for the club in anFA Cup tie againstQueens Park Rangers on 9 January 2016.[60] This was followed up a week later by his first league goal, and two assists, in a man-of-the-match performance againstBolton Wanderers. His good form continued with Ward scoring to secureNottingham Forest an away victory againstMiddlesbrough, who were at the top of the table prior to this fixture.[61]
On 31 August 2016, Ward was loaned to Championship rivalsBurton Albion until the end of the 2016–17 season.[62] He scored his first goal for the club in a 1–1 draw withQueens Park Rangers on 27 September 2016.[63] On 20 January 2017 Ward's loan to Burton was terminated, and he returned to Nottingham Forest.[64]
On 31 January 2018, Ward joinedCardiff City on loan for the remainder of the 2017–18 season in a swap deal involvingLee Tomlin moving to Forest on loan.[65] His debut came on 13 February againstBolton Wanderers, however, he suffered an injury 13 minutes into the game, resulting in his substitution.[66]
On 31 August 2018, Ward joined League One sideCharlton Athletic on loan until 1 January 2019.[67]
On 25 September 2019, Ward joinedLeague Two clubScunthorpe United on a deal until January 2020.[68]
On 2 October 2020, Ward joinedNational League sideSolihull Moors on a one-year deal.[69]
On 13 August 2021, Ward joinedNorthern Premier League sideBuxton.[70]
Ward left Buxton at the end of the 2021–22 season following them winning the league and gaining promotion. He subsequently signed for newly-promoted Northern Premier League Premier Division sideIlkeston Town after they had won the Division One Midlands.[71] On 6 September 2022, Ward was named interim manager of the club[72] before being given the job on a permanent basis on the 21st of the month.[73]
On 28 July 2023, Ward was announced to be departing the club via mutual consent following that evening's pre-season friendly.[74]
In January 2024, Ward joinedUAE Third Division League sidePrecision.[75] Following promotion, he signed a one-year contract extension in September 2024.[76]
Born inBirmingham in theWest Midlands,[1] Ward qualifies for Northern Ireland through his grandfather. He made two appearances for the Northern Ireland under-18 team[3] and a further seven for theunder-21 team. After a promising start to his career at Sheffield United, Ward was called into the senior team in March 2009 ahead of twoWorld Cupqualifiers againstPoland andSlovenia. Ward was an unused substitute for the two games in which Northern Ireland won back-to-back games and possibly enhanced their chance of reaching the World Cup in South Africa.[77]
Ward won his first full cap for Northern Ireland in aEuro 2012 qualifier against theFaroe Islands on 10 August 2011,[78] with his first start coming in a 2–0 defeat away toRussia in their first2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier.[79] On 6 September 2013, Ward scored his first goal in a 2–4 home defeat againstPortugal. On 28 May 2016, Jamie Ward was named inMichael O'Neill's squad forEuro 2016.[80]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Aston Villa | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Stockport County (loan) | League Two | 9 | 1 | — | — | — | 9 | 1 | ||||
| Torquay United | League Two | 25 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 29 | 11 | |
| Chesterfield | 2006–07[82] | League One | 9 | 3 | — | — | — | 9 | 3 | |||
| 2007–08[83] | League Two | 35 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 12 | |
| 2008–09[84] | League Two | 23 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 16 | |
| Total | 67 | 29 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 74 | 31 | ||
| Sheffield United | 2008–09[84] | Championship | 16 | 2 | — | — | 2[b] | 0 | 18 | 2 | ||
| 2009–10[85] | Championship | 28 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 31 | 8 | ||
| 2010–11[86] | Championship | 19 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 21 | 1 | ||
| Total | 63 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 70 | 11 | ||
| Derby County (loan) | 2010–11[86] | Championship | 13 | 5 | — | — | — | 13 | 5 | |||
| Derby County | 2011–12[87] | Championship | 37 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 39 | 4 | |
| 2012–13[88] | Championship | 25 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 26 | 12 | ||
| 2013–14[89] | Championship | 38 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3[b] | 0 | 42 | 7 | |
| 2014–15[90] | Championship | 25 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 29 | 6 | ||
| Total | 138 | 34 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 149 | 34 | ||
| Nottingham Forest | Championship | 31 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 34 | 3 | ||
| Championship | 18 | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | — | 20 | 2 | ||||
| Championship | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | |||
| Championship | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 57 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 62 | 5 | ||
| Burton Albion (loan) | Championship | 18 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 4 | |||
| Cardiff City (loan) | Championship | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | ||||
| Charlton Athletic (loan) | League One | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 1[a] | 0 | 11 | 1 | ||
| Scunthorpe United | League Two | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | |
| Solihull Moors | National League | 19 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | 2[c] | 0 | 23 | 3 | ||
| Buxton | 2021–22[97][98] | NPL Premier Division | 33 | 17 | 7 | 3 | — | 1[c] | 0 | 41 | 20 | |
| Career totals | 448 | 112 | 30 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 497 | 123 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Ireland | 2011 | 1 | 0 |
| 2012 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2014 | 4 | 1 | |
| 2015 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 11 | 1 | |
| 2017 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2018 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 35 | 4 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 September 2013 | Windsor Park,Belfast, Northern Ireland | 6 |  Portugal | 2–1 | 2–4 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification | [80] |
| 2 | 14 October 2014 | Karaiskakis Stadium,Piraeus, Greece | 13 |  Greece | 1–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying | [103] |
| 3 | 8 October 2016 | Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland | 28 |  San Marino | 3–0 | 4–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification | [104] |
| 4 | 26 March 2017 | Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland | 30 |  Norway | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
