Ward enjoys home comforts

WHEN Jack Charlton first took over the Irish squad, he realised there was an immediate problem for team spirit.

As soon as training finished in Dublin, the Irish-born boys would immediately depart for all corners of the country to visit their families — which left the English natives “twiddling their thumbs”.

You get the feeling that wouldn’t quite be a problem with Stephen Ward if the same practice was in place now though. His family home is a couple of minutes away from the team’s base in Malahide.