Darren Ward
| Date of birth | 11 May 1974 |
| Place of birth | Worksop |
| Nationality | Welsh |
| Weight | 90 kg |
| Height | 1.88 m |
| Position | Goalkeeper |
Ward was once again in fine form for Notts County in 2000-01 and despite having a spell out through injury he produced his usual quota of superb displays, saving the Magpies time and time again.
An accomplished shot stopper he was out of contract in the summer of 2001 and signed for local rivals Nottingham Forest.
Ward joined Norwich City in August 2004 with a two-year contract.
He joined Sunderland in August 2006 in a one-year deal.
His Black Cats contract was extended to June 2009 in March 2007.
Club history
| Team | Joined | Left | Loan / Trialist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mansfield Town | 27 Jul 1992 | 11 Jul 1995 | |
| Notts County | 11 Jul 1995 | 18 May 2001 | |
| Nottingham Forest | 18 May 2001 | 06 Aug 2004 | |
| Norwich City | 06 Aug 2004 | 30 Jun 2006 | |
| Sunderland | 04 Aug 2006 | 30 Jun 2009 | |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 02 Mar 2009 | 31 May 2009 | L |
Club stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Clean sheets | Conceded | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994-95 | Mansfield Town | League Cup | 2 | 1 | ||||
| 1995-96 | Notts County | League Cup | 2 | 3 | ||||
| 1996-97 | Notts County | FA Cup | 2 | 3 | ||||
| 1998-99 | Notts County | League Cup | 2 | 9 | ||||
| 2000-01 | Notts County | FA Cup | 5 | 6 | ||||
| 2000-01 | Notts County | League Cup | 3 | 2 | 1 | |||
| 2000-01 | Notts County | League Division 2 | 35 | 8 | 43 |
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| 2001-02 | Nottingham Forest | FA Cup | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 2001-02 | Nottingham Forest | League Cup | 3 | 1 | 2 | |||
| 2001-02 | Nottingham Forest | League Division 1 | 46 | 6 | 50 | |||
| 2002-03 | Nottingham Forest | FA Cup | 1 | 3 | ||||
| 2002-03 | Nottingham Forest | League Cup | 2 | 1 | 2 | |||
| 2002-03 | Nottingham Forest | League Division 1 | 45 | 12 | 47 | |||
| 2002-03 | Nottingham Forest | League Division 1 Play-Offs | 2 | 4 | ||||
| 2003-04 | Nottingham Forest | FA Cup | 2 | 1 | 3 | |||
| 2003-04 | Nottingham Forest | League Cup | 3 | 3 | ||||
| 2003-04 | Nottingham Forest | League Division 1 | 32 | 4 | 41 | |||
| 2004-05 | Norwich City | Premier League | 1 |
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| 2005-06 | Norwich City | FA Cup | 1 |
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| 2005-06 | Norwich City | League Cup | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 2006-07 | Sunderland | FA Cup | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 2006-07 | Sunderland | League Championship | 30 | 10 | 27 | |||
| 2007-08 | Sunderland | League Cup | 1 | 3 | ||||
| 2007-08 | Sunderland | Premier League | 3 | 1 | 3 |
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
Club matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Sep 1995 | Leeds United v Notts County | D | 0-0 | League Cup | 2nd round 1st leg |
| 03 Oct 1995 | Notts County v Leeds United | L |
2-3 Agg: 2-3 |
League Cup | 2nd round 2nd leg |
| 14 Jan 1997 | Notts County v Aston Villa | D | 0-0 | FA Cup | 3rd round |
| 22 Jan 1997 | Aston Villa v Notts County | L | 3-0 | FA Cup | 3rd round replay |
| 11 Aug 1998 | Notts County v Manchester City | L | 0-2 | League Cup | 1st round 1st leg |
| 19 Aug 1998 | Manchester City v Notts County | L |
7-1 Agg: 9-1 |
League Cup | 1st round 2nd leg |
| 12 Aug 2000 | Luton Town v Notts County | W | 0-1 | League Division 2 | |
| 19 Aug 2000 | Notts County v Millwall | L | 3-4 | League Division 2 | |
| 22 Aug 2000 | Hull City v Notts County | L | 1-0 | League Cup | 1st round 1st leg |
| 26 Aug 2000 | Stoke City v Notts County | W | 0-1 | League Division 2 | |
| 28 Aug 2000 | Notts County v Cambridge United | L | 0-1 | League Division 2 | |
| 02 Sep 2000 | Oldham Athletic v Notts County | W | 0-1 | League Division 2 | |
| 05 Sep 2000 | Notts County v Hull City | W |
2-0 Agg: 2-1 |
League Cup | 1st round 2nd leg |
| 09 Sep 2000 | Notts County v Bristol Rovers | D | 1-1 | League Division 2 | |
| 12 Sep 2000 | Notts County v Swansea City | L | 0-1 | League Division 2 | |
| 23 Sep 2000 | Notts County v Brentford | D | 2-2 | League Division 2 | |
| 26 Sep 2000 | Watford v Notts County | W |
0-2 Agg: 3-3 |
League Cup | 2nd round 2nd leg |
| 08 Dec 2000 | Gravesend and Northfleet v Notts County | W | 1-2 | FA Cup | 1st round |
| 12 Dec 2000 | Wigan Athletic v Notts County | D | 1-1 | FA Cup | 2nd round |
| 16 Dec 2000 | Notts County v Reading | W | 3-2 | League Division 2 | |
| 19 Dec 2000 | Notts County v Wigan Athletic | W | 2-1 | FA Cup | 2nd round replay |
| 23 Dec 2000 | Notts County v Wrexham | W | 1-0 | League Division 2 | |
| 26 Dec 2000 | Rotherham United v Notts County | D | 0-0 | League Division 2 | |
| 30 Dec 2000 | Millwall v Notts County | W | 2-3 | League Division 2 | |
| 01 Jan 2001 | Notts County v Stoke City | D | 2-2 | League Division 2 | |
| 06 Jan 2001 | Wimbledon v Notts County | D | 2-2 | FA Cup | 3rd round |
| 13 Jan 2001 | Cambridge United v Notts County | D | 2-2 | League Division 2 | |
| 20 Jan 2001 | Notts County v Rotherham United | W | 4-1 | League Division 2 | |
| 27 Jan 2001 | Notts County v Wimbledon | L | 0-1 | FA Cup | 3rd round replay |
| 03 Feb 2001 | Notts County v Oldham Athletic | W | 1-0 | League Division 2 | |
| 10 Feb 2001 | Bristol Rovers v Notts County | D | 0-0 | League Division 2 | |
| 13 Feb 2001 | Notts County v Luton Town | L | 1-3 | League Division 2 | |
| 17 Feb 2001 | Notts County v Northampton Town | W | 2-0 | League Division 2 | |
| 20 Feb 2001 | Swansea City v Notts County | W | 0-1 | League Division 2 | |
| 24 Feb 2001 | Brentford v Notts County | L | 3-1 | League Division 2 | |
| 03 Mar 2001 | Notts County v Walsall | W | 2-0 | League Division 2 | |
| 06 Mar 2001 | Wigan Athletic v Notts County | D | 1-1 | League Division 2 | |
| 17 Mar 2001 | Bury v Notts County | D | 1-1 | League Division 2 | |
| 23 Mar 2001 | Notts County v Peterborough United | D | 3-3 | League Division 2 | |
| 27 Mar 2001 | Notts County v Port Vale | L | 0-1 | League Division 2 | |
| 31 Mar 2001 | Reading v Notts County | L | 2-1 | League Division 2 | |
| 10 Apr 2001 | Wrexham v Notts County | D | 1-1 | League Division 2 | |
| 14 Apr 2001 | Notts County v AFC Bournemouth | L | 0-2 | League Division 2 | |
| 16 Apr 2001 | Swindon Town v Notts County | W | 1-2 | League Division 2 | |
| 21 Apr 2001 | Notts County v Bristol City | W | 2-1 | League Division 2 | |
| 26 Apr 2001 | Notts County v Wycombe Wanderers | L | 0-2 | League Division 2 | |
| 28 Apr 2001 | Port Vale v Notts County | W | 2-3 | League Division 2 | |
| 03 May 2001 | Notts County v Colchester United | D | 2-2 | League Division 2 | |
| 05 May 2001 | Notts County v Oxford United | W | 2-1 | League Division 2 | |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Clean sheets | Conceded | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-96 | Wales | UEFA Under-21 | 2 | 1 | 5 | |||
| 1998-99 | Wales | B International | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 1999-00 | Wales | International Friendly | 1 | 3 | ||||
| 2001-02 | Wales | International Friendly | 1 | |||||
| 2002-03 | Wales | International Friendly | 1 | 1 |
2 | |||
| 2003-04 | Wales | International Friendly | 1 |
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05 Sep 1995 | Wales v Moldova | W | 1-0 | UEFA Under-21 | Group 7 |
| 10 Oct 1995 | Wales v Germany | L | 1-5 | UEFA Under-21 | Group 7 |
| 09 Feb 1999 | Wales v Northern Ireland | W | 1-0 | B International | |
| 02 Jun 2000 | Portugal v Wales | L | 3-0 | International Friendly | |
| 27 Mar 2002 | Wales v Czech Republic | D | 0-0 | International Friendly | |
| 12 Feb 2003 | Wales v Bosnia and Herzegovina | D | 2-2 | International Friendly | |
| 26 May 2003 | USA v Wales | L | 2-0 | International Friendly | |
| 18 Feb 2004 | Wales v Scotland | W | 4-0 | International Friendly | |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.