Ward hoping goals keep coming
Credit: Extratime Team (ETPhotos)
Dundalk FC midfielder Keith Ward is hoping that he can continue his scoring form when his old club UCD visit Oriel Park on Friday evening.
Ward, having scored a superb free-kick against Monaghan United in the League Cup in April, grabbed his first league goals for the club with strikes in facile wins over Galway United and Bray Wanderers late last month. And last weekend he made it three in four games as he netted against Saint Patrick’s Athletic, with the youngster hoping that the goals will “keep coming”.
Recent form
“It’s about time. I should be scoring goals,” Wardy told dundalkfc.com. “It’s probably something that I don’t do enough, but I’ve got three goals in four games, so I’m delighted with that, and hopefully they keep coming. As a midfielder, I should probably be aiming for about eight or ten goals throughout the season. Hopefully, I can get to at least six or seven by the end of the season if I can. But I’m happy enough that I’m scoring. It helps out the strikers as well. Goals should be coming from the midfielders, so I just want to help out as much as I can. I’ve been happy with my recent form. I think myself and Greg (Bolger) have been doing well; I’m delighted that Greg is back.
Adrenalin
“Greg has had his injuries this season,” Keith added, “and he really wanted to try hard and show everyone that he’s a good player, and he really is, so I’m glad that he’s back and that he’s been playing well. Me and him kind of rub off each other. We know each other’s style of play and I think we’ve been playing well recently, trying to get Quigs on it and the other lads on it.” Dundalk have been down to the bare bones for most of the season, and asked if it was difficult to motivate oneself with nobody to push players for their place, he added: “It is and it isn’t. You just have to keep on going. We have some boys coming back now; it was great to get Marzey back last week. It is hard at times but adrenalin just keeps you going. If you have something to play for, you’ll be alright.”
Back on track
This weekend will see Dundalk attempt to get their home form back on track as they have suffered three defeats in their last four outings at the border venue, having gone unbeaten there this year until a loss to Drogheda United four weeks ago. “At the start of the season, we were flying at home,” Keith said. “Nobody could get a win here. But these things happen. Hopefully, come Friday night against UCD, we can get back to winning ways and put in a good performance, and try to get back up the table.” But, despite beating the Students in the two previous meetings this year, 3-1 at Oriel Park in April and 2-0 at the UCD Bowl in May, Ward knows it won’t be an easy task. “I was at UCD last year and I know they’ll go out with no fear,” he said. “They always play great football and they’ve got goals in them.
No pressure
“But we just have to get at it from the start, put in a performance and get the win, which I know we’re capable of,” he added, before recalling with fondness his three-year spell at Belfield, which included winning a First Division medal in 2009. “It was my first season in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland last year and I really enjoyed it. Especially under Martin Russell, there was no pressure going onto the pitch. You were just allowed to go out and play. There were no fans to get on your back, so there was a freedom there to go out and play. We did well last year, it was a good young side that we had, and it was really good. It’s a great club to play for, UCD, especially when you’re young. It’s a brilliant club.”
Fair result
While results may not have gone their way, Dundalk have been showing well recently and put in another good display last Sunday as they drew 2-2 with St. Pat’s at Richmond Park. “It was a good game to watch I’d say,” Ward said. “It was a kind of end-to-end, very open game. In the first half both teams played 4-4-2 so it was an open game. We were able to get Quigs on it. They obviously got a goal from a set-piece, which we knew they would cause problems from. They’re a big, physical side. The only big player we really had in the team was Beno, so we knew it was going to be hard. But we got a good goal, Marzey got down the right and got a great ball in and Griff finished well. In the second half, they kind of went three in the middle and me and Greg found it hard to get Quigs on it and Quigs had to drop in. Either team could have won it in the end but I thought it was a fair result.
Griff praise
“I know we went ahead but going there we probably would have taken a point,” he added. “We’re just struggling to hold onto leads but it’s only a matter of time before we will. In the end, it’s not a bad result, so we’ll take it and try to build on it.” After Mark Griffin cancelled out Derek Doyle’s early opener, Dundalk took the lead five minutes into the second half when Griffin met Ross Gaynor’s corner and his downward header was tapped in from close range by Ward. And the young midfielder – who hit the post with a fantastic free-kick against UCD in May, with Griffin tapping in the rebound – was keen to claim the goal. “I would never take a goal off Griff but I did get a little touch on it,” he said. “I like to see Griff score. He has been excellent since he has come in, he’s great to play with and I’m delighted for him. I want to see him score, but I did get a touch! I like to see Griff scoring. As a striker, that’s his job and it takes pressure off him.”
Ward, having scored a superb free-kick against Monaghan United in the League Cup in April, grabbed his first league goals for the club with strikes in facile wins over Galway United and Bray Wanderers late last month. And last weekend he made it three in four games as he netted against Saint Patrick’s Athletic, with the youngster hoping that the goals will “keep coming”.
Recent form
“It’s about time. I should be scoring goals,” Wardy told dundalkfc.com. “It’s probably something that I don’t do enough, but I’ve got three goals in four games, so I’m delighted with that, and hopefully they keep coming. As a midfielder, I should probably be aiming for about eight or ten goals throughout the season. Hopefully, I can get to at least six or seven by the end of the season if I can. But I’m happy enough that I’m scoring. It helps out the strikers as well. Goals should be coming from the midfielders, so I just want to help out as much as I can. I’ve been happy with my recent form. I think myself and Greg (Bolger) have been doing well; I’m delighted that Greg is back.
Adrenalin
“Greg has had his injuries this season,” Keith added, “and he really wanted to try hard and show everyone that he’s a good player, and he really is, so I’m glad that he’s back and that he’s been playing well. Me and him kind of rub off each other. We know each other’s style of play and I think we’ve been playing well recently, trying to get Quigs on it and the other lads on it.” Dundalk have been down to the bare bones for most of the season, and asked if it was difficult to motivate oneself with nobody to push players for their place, he added: “It is and it isn’t. You just have to keep on going. We have some boys coming back now; it was great to get Marzey back last week. It is hard at times but adrenalin just keeps you going. If you have something to play for, you’ll be alright.”
Back on track
This weekend will see Dundalk attempt to get their home form back on track as they have suffered three defeats in their last four outings at the border venue, having gone unbeaten there this year until a loss to Drogheda United four weeks ago. “At the start of the season, we were flying at home,” Keith said. “Nobody could get a win here. But these things happen. Hopefully, come Friday night against UCD, we can get back to winning ways and put in a good performance, and try to get back up the table.” But, despite beating the Students in the two previous meetings this year, 3-1 at Oriel Park in April and 2-0 at the UCD Bowl in May, Ward knows it won’t be an easy task. “I was at UCD last year and I know they’ll go out with no fear,” he said. “They always play great football and they’ve got goals in them.
No pressure
“But we just have to get at it from the start, put in a performance and get the win, which I know we’re capable of,” he added, before recalling with fondness his three-year spell at Belfield, which included winning a First Division medal in 2009. “It was my first season in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland last year and I really enjoyed it. Especially under Martin Russell, there was no pressure going onto the pitch. You were just allowed to go out and play. There were no fans to get on your back, so there was a freedom there to go out and play. We did well last year, it was a good young side that we had, and it was really good. It’s a great club to play for, UCD, especially when you’re young. It’s a brilliant club.”
Fair result
While results may not have gone their way, Dundalk have been showing well recently and put in another good display last Sunday as they drew 2-2 with St. Pat’s at Richmond Park. “It was a good game to watch I’d say,” Ward said. “It was a kind of end-to-end, very open game. In the first half both teams played 4-4-2 so it was an open game. We were able to get Quigs on it. They obviously got a goal from a set-piece, which we knew they would cause problems from. They’re a big, physical side. The only big player we really had in the team was Beno, so we knew it was going to be hard. But we got a good goal, Marzey got down the right and got a great ball in and Griff finished well. In the second half, they kind of went three in the middle and me and Greg found it hard to get Quigs on it and Quigs had to drop in. Either team could have won it in the end but I thought it was a fair result.
Griff praise
“I know we went ahead but going there we probably would have taken a point,” he added. “We’re just struggling to hold onto leads but it’s only a matter of time before we will. In the end, it’s not a bad result, so we’ll take it and try to build on it.” After Mark Griffin cancelled out Derek Doyle’s early opener, Dundalk took the lead five minutes into the second half when Griffin met Ross Gaynor’s corner and his downward header was tapped in from close range by Ward. And the young midfielder – who hit the post with a fantastic free-kick against UCD in May, with Griffin tapping in the rebound – was keen to claim the goal. “I would never take a goal off Griff but I did get a little touch on it,” he said. “I like to see Griff score. He has been excellent since he has come in, he’s great to play with and I’m delighted for him. I want to see him score, but I did get a touch! I like to see Griff scoring. As a striker, that’s his job and it takes pressure off him.”
