Joel Ward (soccer player)

Joel Ward
Joel Ward 2012
Personnel
Surname	Joel Edward Philip Ward
birthday	October 29, 1989
place of birth	Emsworth ,  England
position	Defender
Juniors
Years	station
2006-2008	Portsmouth FC
Men's
Years	station	Games (goals) 1
2008–2012	Portsmouth FC	89 (6)
2008-2009	→  AFC Bournemouth  (loan)	21 (1)
2012–	Crystal Palace	170 (5)
1 Only league games are given. As of December 26, 2018

Joel Edward Philip Ward (born October 29, 1989 in Emsworth ) is an English football player . The versatile defensive player was trained at Portsmouth FC before he moved to Crystal Palace in 2012 and matured there in 2013 as a regular in the Premier League .

Athletic career

Ward began his football career at Portsmouth FC . There he signed his first professional contract in the summer of 2008 after having been trained as a defender for two years in the club's own academy and in the reserve team. He first gained professional experience at the fourth division AFC Bournemouth , to whom Portsmouth loaned him for the entire 2008/09 season. For Bournemouth he made his professional debut on August 12, 2008 in a League Cup game , which ended in a 2-1 home defeat to Cardiff City . He played a total of 25 competitive games for his loan club and scored his first goal on May 2, 2009 in his last appearance against FC Morecambe .

After returning to Portsmouth FC , he completed three games in the Premier League in a turbulent 2009/10 season for the club , which brought Portsmouth down as it were, as well as insolvency proceedings. Ward was one of the few players who were still available to the club when it was rebuilt. In this environment he developed under coach Steve Cotterill to the regular player in the right full-back position and helped the club to 16th place in the second division . After another year in Portsmouth, in which he continued to call up his performances and scored a 1-1 goal against arch rivals Southampton FC , he left the club for Crystal Palace at the end of May 2012 , with the transfer fee of 400,000 in particular Pound was badly needed in Portsmouth.

Upon arriving at Selhurst Park , Ward immediately established himself in the new area and was one of the key players on his way to promotion to the Premier League in the 2012/13 season . In the following season 2013/14 he only missed four games and he showed his versatility in defense several times when coach Tony Pulis occasionally used him as a left defender or central midfielder. In 2014 he finally won the club's internal election for the best young professional at Crystal Palace.

Web links

• Profile at Crystal Palace
• Joel Ward in the soccerbase.com database

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Profile at Crystal Palace (cpfc.co.uk)