How a Swansea game in 2012 started it all for Danny Ward
With a second Liverpool start expected to come his way at Swansea City this weekend, Danny Ward wants to build further upon a foundation that was laid in a game against the Welsh side in 2012.
The goalkeeper is ‘likely’ to be between the posts for the Reds at the Liberty Stadium tomorrow according to Jürgen Klopp, who handed the 22-year-old a senior debut in the win over Bournemouth a fortnight ago.
It was a long wait to feature in the starting XI for the down-to-earth Ward, whose very first experience of being in the squad came as a substitute for a League Cup meeting with Swansea at Anfield three-and-a-half years ago.
His personal assessment of that impressive opening outing on the south coast is a modest one, with the Wales international primarily focused on increasing his appearance tally and cementing his status under Klopp.
Ward told Premier League Productions: “It was obviously special. I’m thankful to the manager and staff for putting me in.
“I just wanted to do myself justice. It was okay as debuts go. It was something to build on, it was a foundation – I don’t want to rest on my laurels, I want to try to improve on every game.
“I’m 22 and in goalkeeping terms that’s relatively young. I managed to go and get some first-team games elsewhere as well, which was massive. That certainly helped bring me on, by playing pressure games.
“It’s alright sampling the big games on the bench, especially somewhere like Anfield and at a club this size, but to actually be in the heat of battle is another thing. It’s something I can look forward to in the future, hopefully.”
| Watch again: Ward's debut at Bournemouth on LFCTV GO |
The stopper’s determination to keep moving forward can perhaps be traced by looking backward – to his inclusion in the squad for the aforementioned cup tie with Swansea.
Ward was not involved as Liverpool were overturned 3-1 at Anfield but soaked up enough even in the warm-up to know there and then that he craved more of the same.
“I remember getting a call saying I was going to be on the bench for the first time,” he recalled. “I was at my apartment in the city centre at the time.
“It was a surprise but obviously something to look forward to, I was excited and looking forward to sampling the game from a different view at Anfield.
“It was the day before – I was over the moon. I fired a few texts out but if I hadn’t have rung my mum or dad first they wouldn’t have been best pleased!
“To sample the atmosphere from the Kop especially, where we warm up, was something special. It gave me a real hunger to sample it again, as many times as I can. Luckily, in the last couple of years I’ve been able to do that.”