#13 - Darren Ward

Position: Goalkeeper

DOB: 11 May 1974

Born: Worksop

Height: 180cm

Darren Ward endured a frustrating season for Sunderland after helping the club win the Championship title in his first campaign on Wearside, making just four appearances in 2007-08 (one in the League Cup) and spending the majority of the second-half of the year sidelined through injury.

Ward made the goalkeeper position his own in 2006-07 after at first signing for the Black Cats as cover for Ben Alnwick, but having succeeded the youngster as regular number one after his departure to Tottenham, Ward played a key role in Sunderland’s rise to the Championship title, conceding just 14 goals in 16 league games since the turn of 2007, including six clean sheets.

The experienced Wales international was out of contract after being released by Norwich at the end of 2005-06 and signed a one-year deal at the Stadium of Light, with an option to extend it for a further year (it was later extended to 2009). Ward, capped five times by Wales, has played more than 500 career league and cup games over the last 15 years.

He kept a clean sheet for Nottingham Forest against Sunderland on the opening day of the 2003-04 season as Mick McCarthy’s Black Cats were beaten 2-0 at the City Ground.

He was also in goal for Paul Hart’s Forest at the Stadium of Light later that season, on January 10 2004, when Sunderland were 1-0 winners, Julio Arca scoring the winning goal.

The Worksop-born ‘keeper began his career with Mansfield Town in 1992 and he made almost 100 league and cup appearances for the Stags before signing for Notts County in summer 2005 for £150,000.

He spent six years at Meadow Lane and played 302 games for the Magpies – playing under both Sam Allardyce and former Sunderland coach Jocky Scott during his time there – before David Platt signed him for arch rivals Forest in May 2001.

He spent a further three years at the City Ground, playing 137 games under three managers, and then signed for Norwich in August 2004, but his appearances at Carrow Road were limited due to Robert Green’s consistently impressive form.