Aberdeen must keep ball to triumph in Croatia, warns keeper Ward
DANNY WARD, the Aberdeen goalkeeper, is looking for a little bit more help from his new team-mates when they venture over to Croatia next week.
The Pittodrie club advanced into the second round of the Europa League qualifiers on Thursday but only after an, at times, nail-biting home encounter with Macedonian side Shkendija. An away goal in Skopje had given Derek McInnes’ men the advantage after a 1-1 draw, and as it turned out that was enough to seal their passage through to face HNK Rijeka this Thursday.
However, the second leg at Pittodrie turned out to be a bit closer than Aberdeen had bargained for as their plucky opponents forced Ward into action on his home debut several times – including having to make a last-gasp save low to his left to deny Besart Ibraimi.
The shot-stopper on loan from Liverpool was happy to play his part in his team’s success, but he was frank in his assessment of how those in front of him need to improve to help their cause further. “There were some good performances out there but we all know where we went wrong in certain areas. Hopefully, we will put that right for next week,” said Ward.
“We need to improve our use of the ball. It is hard in European football and you need to keep the ball rather than play end to end. We need to manage the game a bit more and it is something we will work on in training.”
It was an eye-opening experience for the 22-year-old from Wrexham who arrived in the Granite City last month on a year-long loan from Anfield. On the hunt for first-team football with the Ladbrokes Premiership side, Ward is delighted that McInnes has shown faith in him from the outset by playing him in both ties against Shkendija.
The 14,000 Aberdeen fans who were inside Pittodrie on Thursday night would have been more than impressed with the former Wales Under-21 internationalist who commanded his box with purpose in the face of tricky opposition. It was a feeling that was mutual.
“It has been fantastic for me personally,” he said. “I came from Liverpool to play. It is a good team [here] in front of a big crowd on a big stage and I am just delighted we got through. You can never expect anything in football. I came here wanting to play. I just had to work hard in training and to try and show that I deserved a play. The manager has shown faith in me and I am delighted with that.”
Ward admits that he knew next to nothing about their first-round opponents. He and his team-mates will be slightly more aware of what to expect from their Croatian opponents in next week’s first leg in Rejika, but more importantly, they are aware of how much more is expected of them on the field. “We know where we need to improve,” said Ward. “It wasn’t very pretty, but we are through to the next round and that is all that counts.”