Ward: I could win foot race against Bale

DANNY Ward believes he could see off Gareth Bale in a foot race after reflecting on his celebrations following Huddersfield Town’s play-off semi-final at Hillsborough.

The Liverpool goalkeeper saved Fernando Forestieri’s crucial fifth penalty in the penalty shoot-out, sending Town into the play-off final at Wembley.

The keeper proceeded to run the length of the pitch to celebrate in front of the travelling Town fans, out-pacing all of his Town teammates.

And the keeper now thinks he could give Real Madrid superstar Gareth Bale a run for his money.

“In fairness, everyone else had played 120 minutes and I’d been walking in a six yard radius so I had more in the tank,” Ward joked to Wales Online.

“I reckon I could see Bale off, though I couldn’t do that to him, his value would go down!”

Ward went on to speak about his “crazy year”, in which he started a first match for Wales in Euro 2016 after a historic qualifying campaign, before going on to achieve promotion with the Terriers.

He said: “Playing against Slovakia was one of the best things that happened to me. It was unexpected but a special, special day.

“It’s been a crazy year, to be involved in a historic qualifying, to play in the Euros and then go to little old Huddersfield and get promoted – it’s been a fairytale year for me.

“Once you’ve played in those big games, you have the experience and know-how, things like when to calm the game down when you’re going into the lion’s den like in Serbia.

“Little things you pick up from playing in those big games, and if it came to it, I’d be ready.”

Ward’s Wales took on Serbia in Belgrade in the World Cup qualifying Group D and came away with a 1-1 draw.

Aaron Ramsey has revealed how he won the battle of minds with Serbia goalkeeper Vladimir Stojkovic over his Panenka penalty.

Ramsey netted from the spot in the World Cup draw in Belgrade on Sunday night, taking a leaf out of the famous spot-kick book of Czechoslovakia great Antonin Panenka.

The Arsenal midfielder chipped the ball past Stojkovic in the 35th-minute as the Serbia goalkeeper dived in to the opposite corner.

Amazingly, the penalty made famous by Panenka - the shoot-out winner in the 1976 European Championship final against West Germany - was scored at the same Belgrade stadium.

“I didn’t know, but that is quite a nice touch,” Ramsey said when told about the Panenka penalty, which was also scored at the same end of the Rajko Mitic Stadium.

“I felt calm, I felt confident in the situation.

“The keeper asked for the ball so I gave him the ball and he said, ‘I’m going to stay in the middle, you’re going to go down the middle’.

“So I went in the right hand corner. Thankfully it went in.”