Patience the key as Ward grabs his chance with Ireland

STEPHEN WARD was born and bred in Portmarnock, just a brisk walk along the Dublin coastline from the Republic of Ireland’s training base in Malahide, but his path towards full international honours proved far longer than he could have anticipated.

Now 25, the Wolves defender made his debut last week in the 5-0 defeat of Northern Ireland and was offered another opportunity to make up for lost time with another 90 minutes against Scotland on Sunday as the Irish side claimed a rare piece of silverware.

Awaiting him after his debut was a congratulatory text from club manager Mick McCarthy, who had long championed his potential contribution which, until then, had been limited to a B appearance and a senior call-up last May that had to be rejected on account of a knee operation.

The door finally opened last week when, with Kevin Kilbane, Ger Cunningham and Ciaran Clark all unavailable for one reason or another, Ward found himself elevated to the head of the queue but there was surely a stage when he felt like questioning his omissions.

“I don’t believe in spitting my dummy out and having a go,” he said last night. “It’s the manager’s decision who is in the squad. I never had a problem not being in it.

“Obviously, from my point of view, it was something I really wanted to happen in my career but, as I said many a time, I just concentrated on my club football.

“If you let things get to you, it can affect your club form and you may not be in your club side. From my point of view, it was just about working hard and staying in the Wolves side and if there was a chance … I never wanted it to come across that I felt I deserved to be in it because you only deserve to be in it when you play well and you’re in it.”

With Kilbane reporting for duty on Monday, hours after Huddersfield Town’s League One play-off loss to Peterborough United, it remains to be seen what part Ward will play in Macedonia on Saturday.

Incidentally, if he plays 15 minutes it would trigger another £50,000 payment from Wolves to his old club Bohemians.

Whatever his input, he isn’t the worst guy to have around.

He lined out at left-back, centre midfield, right-wing, left-wing, in the hole and up front during the Premier League season just gone but has mostly made his name in the number three shirt, which McCarthy first handed to him one day when Wolves went down to 10 men.

It was an inspired move and Ward is effusive in his praise for the former Ireland manager who first asked him over to England for a trial at Sunderland during his days as a striker with Bohs and a second time a few years later when McCarthy had moved on to Molineux.

“For me, he has been massive. He was the one who gave me my chance in England. At the time I didn’t feel ready. I had been out injured and there was talk of clubs looking at me but when I went on trial, deep down I knew I wasn’t ready for it, I needed to mature a bit more.

“In fairness to him, he said, ‘I don’t think you’re ready but I will keep an eye on you’. He stuck to his word and just over a year later he took me to Wolves and for that I’m grateful. To be with him for the last four years, I couldn’t speak more highly of him.”