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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Oct 2006 | Stoke City v Sunderland | L | 2-1 | League Championship | |
| 21 Oct 2006 | Sunderland v Barnsley | W | 2-0 | League Championship | |
| 28 Oct 2006 | Hull City v Sunderland | W | 0-1 | League Championship | |
| 31 Oct 2006 | Sunderland v Cardiff City | L | 1-2 | League Championship | |
| 04 Nov 2006 | Norwich City v Sunderland | L | 1-0 | League Championship | |
| 11 Nov 2006 | Sunderland v Southampton | D | 1-1 | League Championship | |
| 18 Nov 2006 | Sunderland v Colchester United | W | 3-1 | League Championship | |
| 24 Nov 2006 | Wolverhampton Wanderers v Sunderland | D | 1-1 | League Championship | |
| 28 Nov 2006 | Queens Park Rangers v Sunderland | W | 1-2 | League Championship | |
| 02 Dec 2006 | Sunderland v Norwich City | W | 1-0 | League Championship | |
| 16 Dec 2006 | Burnley v Sunderland | D | 2-2 | League Championship | |
| 22 Dec 2006 | Crystal Palace v Sunderland | L | 1-0 | League Championship | |
| 26 Dec 2006 | Sunderland v Leeds United | W | 2-0 | League Championship | |
| 30 Dec 2006 | Sunderland v Preston North End | L | 0-1 | League Championship | |
| 01 Jan 2007 | Leicester City v Sunderland | W | 0-2 | League Championship | |
| 06 Jan 2007 | Preston North End v Sunderland | L | 1-0 | FA Cup | 3rd round |
| 13 Jan 2007 | Sunderland v Ipswich Town | W | 1-0 | League Championship | |
| 20 Jan 2007 | Sheffield Wednesday v Sunderland | W | 2-4 | League Championship | |
| 30 Jan 2007 | Sunderland v Crystal Palace | D | 0-0 | League Championship | |
| 03 Feb 2007 | Sunderland v Coventry City | W | 2-0 | League Championship | |
| 24 Feb 2007 | Sunderland v Derby County | W | 2-1 | League Championship | |
| 03 Mar 2007 | West Bromwich Albion v Sunderland | W | 1-2 | League Championship | |
| 10 Mar 2007 | Barnsley v Sunderland | W | 0-2 | League Championship | |
| 13 Mar 2007 | Sunderland v Stoke City | D | 2-2 | League Championship | |
| 17 Mar 2007 | Sunderland v Hull City | W | 2-0 | League Championship | |
| 31 Mar 2007 | Cardiff City v Sunderland | W | 0-1 | League Championship | |
| 07 Apr 2007 | Sunderland v Wolverhampton Wanderers | W | 2-1 | League Championship | |
| 09 Apr 2007 | Southampton v Sunderland | W | 1-2 | League Championship | |
| 14 Apr 2007 | Sunderland v Queens Park Rangers | W | 2-1 | League Championship | |
| 21 Apr 2007 | Colchester United v Sunderland | L | 3-1 | League Championship | |
| 27 Apr 2007 | Sunderland v Burnley | W | 3-2 | League Championship | |
| 28 Aug 2007 | Luton Town v Sunderland | L | 3-0 | League Cup | 2nd round |
| 01 Dec 2007 | Sunderland v Derby County | W | 1-0 | Premier League | |
| 08 Dec 2007 | Chelsea v Sunderland | L | 2-0 | Premier League | |
| 15 Dec 2007 | Sunderland v Aston Villa | D | 1-1 | Premier League | |
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.