Joseph Henry Ward (born 22 August 1995) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger for League One side Peterborough United.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joseph Henry Ward[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1995-08-22) 22 August 1995 (age 27) | ||
| Place of birth | Chelmsford, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.67 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Winger | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Peterborough United | ||
| Number | 23 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2009–2013 | Chelmsford City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013–2015 | Chelmsford City | 63 | (8) |
| 2013 | → Stanway Rovers (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2015–2017 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | (0) |
| 2017 | → Lincoln City (loan) | 2 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | Woking | 27 | (6) |
| 2018– | Peterborough United | 178 | (14) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2017 | England C | 1 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11:08, 23 October 2022 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21:00, 13 January 2018 (UTC) | |||
After initially featuring for the Chelmsford City youth sides whilst on a BTEC scholarship scheme, Ward made his debut for the club during their 6–0 home victory over Farnborough in the 2012–13 campaign at the age of 16.[3] On 30 November 2013, Ward scored on his first start for Chelmsford City, once again against Farnborough, in a 3–1 win.[4] On 23 April 2014, Ward scored the goal to save Chelmsford City from relegation from the Conference South in a 1–0 win over Gosport Borough.[5] In his final campaign at Chelmsford, Ward netted eleven times, including six goals during their impressive FA Cup run,[6] in which they reached the fourth qualifying round before being knocked out by Barnet.
In 2013 he spent time on loan with Stanway Rovers, making six league appearances.[7]
Following trials with both West Ham United and Brighton & Hove Albion in summer 2015,[8] Brighton & Hove Albion signed Ward on a development contract on 3 June 2015.[9]
After failing to break through into the first-team squad, Ward was sent out on loan to National League side Lincoln City on a one-month basis in January 2017.[10] A day later, he made his debut during Lincoln's FA Trophy second-round victory over Gateshead, playing the entire 90 minutes in the 3–1 triumph.[11] In the following round, Ward netted twice during Lincoln's 3–1 away victory against Welling United.[12] Six days later, Ward's loan spell was extended for a further two months following some impressive form, especially in their FA Trophy campaign.[13]
On 21 June 2017, Ward signed for National League club Woking on a two-year deal following his release from Brighton & Hove Albion.[14]
On the opening day of the 2017–18 campaign, Ward netted in Woking's 2–1 home victory over Gateshead, sealing the winner in the 44th minute.[15] Ward went onto net five more times during their league campaign, including goals against Torquay United, Macclesfield Town, Maidstone United, AFC Fylde and Dover Athletic.[16] Following this impressive form, Ward received his first call-up to the England C squad, in which he featured for 45 minutes during their 4–0 International Challenge Trophy final defeat against Slovakia U23s.[17] During Woking's impressive FA Cup run, Ward netted the Cards' equaliser in their second round tie against League One side Peterborough United.[18]
On 10 January 2018, Ward joined League One side Peterborough United following his impressive performances against them, on a two-and-a-half-year deal for an undisclosed fee.[19] Three days later, Ward made his debut for Peterborough, as well as his Football League debut, in a 0–0 draw with Wigan Athletic, replacing Michael Doughty in the 68th minute.[20] Following an impressive 2020–21 season, Ward was named in the 2020–21 EFL League One Team of the Season at the league's annual awards ceremony.[21]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Chelmsford City | 2012–13[22] | Conference South | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2013–14[22] | Conference South | 25 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 1[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 26 | 3 | ||
| 2014–15[22] | Conference South | 37 | 5 | 5 | 6 | — | 2[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2] | 0 | 44 | 11 | ||
| Total | 63 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 69 | 14 | ||
| Lincoln City (loan) | 2016–17[22] | National League | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 4[lower-alpha 2] | 3 | 8 | 3 | |
| Woking | 2017–18[22] | National League | 27 | 6 | 6 | 1 | — | 1[lower-alpha 2] | 0 | 34 | 7 | |
| Peterborough United | 2017–18[23] | League One | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[lower-alpha 3] | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| 2018–19[24] | League One | 43 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4[lower-alpha 3] | 0 | 52 | 5 | |
| 2019–20[25] | League One | 28 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4[lower-alpha 3] | 2 | 36 | 5 | |
| 2020–21[26] | League One | 37 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[lower-alpha 3] | 0 | 40 | 5 | |
| 2021–22[27] | Championship | 38 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 1 | |
| 2022–23 | League One | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 19 | 2 | |
| Total | 178 | 14 | 9 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 206 | 18 | ||
| Career total | 270 | 28 | 22 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 21 | 5 | 319 | 42 | ||
Individual
Peterborough United F.C. – current squad | |
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2020–21 EFL League One Team of the Season | |
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