‘If I would have known injury was that bad, I would have kicked the ball out’ says Ward
JAMIE Ward has revealed how he might have done things differently in his first East Midlands showdown for Derby County against Nottingham Forest.
Ward scored for Derby against the Reds at the City Ground in September 2011, as Nigel Clough’s side hit back with 10 men to win 2-1.
Chris Cohen sustained a serious knee injury in the lead-up to Ward’s equaliser on a painful afternoon for Forest in more ways than one.
Fast forward four years and Ward made the journey across Brian Clough Way to join the Reds after his Derby contract expired.
He would fail to carry over his best form from Pride Park, eventually being loaned out to Burton Albion, Cardiff City and Charlton Athletic before departing permanently in 2019.
Speaking to Rams TV about that infamous East Midland derby, Ward said: “I wish Chris Cohen never would have had that knee injury.
“Because it is a terrible injury in the football world.
“If I would have known it was that bad, I would have kicked the ball out but I just thought he may have been playing on it and trying to stop the game because we were going forward. The referee didn’t stop the game.
“The ball came forward from Jason Shackell to Gareth Roberts.
“Robbo played it to me and I just remember hearing Nigel [Clough] shouting ‘play on’.
“Rightly so, too. If the game should be stopped, then the referee should stop it, unless it’s a clash of heads.
“Essentially, it was 10v10, wasn’t it? Radoslaw Majewski tried to kick me and didn’t.
“Someone else had a go and a couple more too, but they missed.
“I remember getting past one, Chris Gunter came across, and he tried to nail me on the touchline, and I got past him with a cheeky nutmeg. I meant it, too, he added.
“I had no right to hit it. But I just thought why not.
“It didn’t actually hit my foot
properly, it hit the back of the foot more so more my heel, and Lee Camp went to save it with his feet.
“If he had gone with his hands, then he would have picked it up.”
Ward added: “People can talk about sportsmanship but three or four of their players surrounded the referee to get Frank Fielding sent off.
“Yes, it was a sending off, but they didn’t need to surround him because he was always going to get sent off.
“As I was celebrating, Matt Derbyshire tried to grab me but it is just part and parcel of the game.
“You just have to get on with the game and defend it better.”