A former Portsmouth defender has opened up on his future after confirming his departure from FA Cup winners Crystal Palace.
A former Portsmouth defender has revealed he has no plans to retire as he prepares to leave Crystal Palace in the aftermath of their historic FA Cup final win against Manchester City.
Almost 16 years have passed since Joel Ward made his Pompey debut alongside the likes of John Utaka, Younes Kaboul and Asmir Begovic in a 4-1 home win in a League Cup second round win against Hereford United in August 2009. Although he made his name in the blue of Pompey, the full-back has become synonymous with Crystal Palace after racking up 364 appearances during a 13-year stint with the Selhurst Park club.
Ward had previously been a mainstay of Eagles squads for a large proportion of that time but injuries and the form of Colombia international Daniel Munoz have limited him to just three appearances in all competitions during the current campaign. There were emotional scenes in the aftermath of Palace’s Wembley win against Pep Guardiola’s side as Ward bid farewell to Eagles supporters after it was confirmed he will leave the newly-crowned FA Cup winners when his contract comes to a close next month.
Speculation over where he could resume his career has already been kickstarted but any thoughts of a romantic return to the club where his career began would appear to be fanciful as Pompey already have Jordan Williams, Terry Devlin and Zak Swanson on their books - and the latter of that trio has been offered a new one-year deal as John Mousinho looks to build on a solid return to the Championship.
For Ward, who is now 35, retirement is not on the agenda and the veteran defender is already looking forward to ‘a new chapter’ in a career that started within the youth setup in Fratton Park and brought 96 Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and Championship appearances for Pompey.
Speaking on Wednesday as he prepares to bring an end to his 13-year stay with Palace, he told talkSPORT: "The idea is to carry on. I've still got the hunger, still got the desire to play and to cross that white line. So until that leaves my body, I don’t plan on giving up any time soon. As it stands right now, the baton is going to be passed and I don’t think there’s much of a better way to do that from the weekend celebrations.
"To come into my first year at Palace 13 years ago and lift the play-off final trophy and obviously lift the FA Cup in my last year was something special. "I think at the moment that’s where it stands and I don’t think there’s a better ending to it. For me, I’m content and I’m happy and the rest will take care of itself, but I know it's a new chapter."
Continue Reading