Darren Ward (footballer born 1978)

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

Personal information
Darren Ward
Full name	Darren Philip Ward
Date of birth	September 13, 1978 (1978-09-13) (age 29)
Place of birth	Kenton, England
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Playing position	Defender
Club information
Current club	Wolverhampton Wanderers
Number	2
Senior clubs¹
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1995–2001 1999–2000 2001–2005 2005–2007 2007–	Watford → Queens Park Rangers (loan) Millwall Crystal Palace Wolverhampton Wanderers	059 (2) 014 (0) 142 (4) 063 (5) 030 (0)
¹ Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22:02, 14 May 2008 (UTC). * Appearances (Goals)

Darren Philip Ward (born September 13, 1978 in Kenton, Harrow) is an English footballer who plays for Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Championship as a defender.

[edit] Playing career

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 in the 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 not preferred, with Mark Hudson and Leon Cort preferred.

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]

[edit] Personal life

Darren is the brother of Coventry 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^[1].