Jamie John Ward (born 12 May 1986) is an
English-born
Northern Irish international professional
footballer, who plays as a midfielder or forward for
Derby County. He was born in
Smith's Wood,
Solihull but qualifies to play for
Northern Ireland through his grandfather.
Club career
Aston Villa
Ward began his career as a trainee with
Aston Villa and played in their 2004
FA Youth Cup Final defeat against
Middlesbrough. Although he captained the club's reserve team, he did not make a first team appearance and in March 2006 he joined
Stockport County on loan until the end of the season, making his league debut in a 1–0 victory away to
Bury on 7 March. He made nine appearances, scoring once in a 3–1 home victory against
Shrewsbury Town.
Torquay United
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 with
Ian Atkins'
Torquay United, despite interest from Stockport County and
Wrexham. However, with a change of ownership and manager at Torquay, Ward asked for a transfer in December 2006.
Chesterfield
He joined
Chesterfield, managed by former Torquay manager
Roy McFarland, on 31...
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