Wembley agony but best side I played in, says Jamie
JAMIE Ward says the Derby County side in the 2013-14 season was the best team he ever played in.
The forward, who now plays for Buxton, signed for the Rams from Sheffield United in 2011 and has played for a number of other clubs in his career, including Nottingham Forest, as well as having a loan spell with Burton Albion.
But the Northern Ireland international singled out the Rams side in his later years at Pride Park as one he rates most highly.
“That Derby side was incredible,” said Ward.
“We had everything. We had that togetherness, (manager) Nigel Clough got us together and he developed a real team spirit, a real team bond where the lads would do anything for each other.
“We’d run through brick walls, we’d get hurt for each other, we did what it took to win.
“Then Steve McClaren came in and just took us to that next level.”
And that next level for Derby propelled them to a first Championship play-off campaign in seven years with a chance to return to the Premier League.
But the Rams missed out on promotion in the 2014 Championship play-off final at
Wembley after a late Bobby Zamora winner sent Queens Park Rangers into the top flight, despite McClaren’s side controlling most of the game.
Ward played in that game and said: “The performance was unbelievable but on that day we just couldn’t get over the line. Then, obviously, Bobby Zamora won it.
“That’s why he’s played years and years in the Premier League, he had one chance and he took it.
“Unfortunately for us we lost but at least we gave a good account of ourselves.”
After Ward left in 2015, the Rams reached the play-offs three more times but promotion proved beyond them.
Now the club are in turmoil and rock bottom in the Championship after being deducted 21 points.
“Back then I always said it, we didn’t need big-name players we needed the right characters,” said Ward.
“In the end, the club went down the route of big names, which kind of blew the wage budget and obviously took us to where are we now seven years later.
“You look at the club and it’s in a whole lot of trouble right now because of decisions like that where it didn’t need to be done. We just needed the right characters in.”
Ward is coming to the end of his playing career and has been trying his hand at coaching, saying it could be the next step for him.
“It’s certainly something I’d love to do in the future,” he added.
“I’ve been into (Aston) Villa just watching stuff and seeing how they do it with the under-18s and 23s and having my opinion when asked on certain bits, which is great.
“It was easy to go in and chat and I know in this instance with George Boateng, Sean Verity, Mark Delaney they’re not asking questions to try and hold anything against me if they don’t like the answer, they just want the honesty.
“I’ve also been helping out Burton Albion’s under 13s and Villa’s under 13s. It’s great.”