Tim Ward (footballer)
Encyclopedia
Tim Ward was an English
footballer and subsequently football manager, most notable for his success with Derby County
.
and Tim would be Derby County
.
He attended Charlton Kings Boys School.
who were then embarking on their first seasons in the Southern Football league. In 1937 Tim had an unsuccessful trail for Leicester City
risking the sack from his job, before catching the attention of Derby County
scout Jackie Whitehouse. He joined the club on trial, scoring with the first kick of his first trail match with Derby County 'A', and convinced George Jobey
to pay Cheltenham £100 and became a full time professional, playing at left half, replacing England international defender Errington Keen. Like many of his generation, Ward's career was adversely affected by the outbreak of World War II
, and during his time in the army Tim made guest appearances for Notts County
, Hamilton Academical
and Leeds United
and also played for the Scottish Army XI before he was sent in fight in Europe. After the war Tim played for the BAOR team before being demobbed. His time in Germany saw him miss all but one game of Derby's 1946 FA Cup campaign
. Ward was philosophical on missing the final, saying 'So many of my friends were killed in the war and I regarded myself lucky yo emerge from it, rather than unlucky to miss Wembley
." On his return to England, despite Arsenal
offering £10,000 for his services, Derby found him a position at right-half, were he was successful enough to gain 2 full England caps, making his debut against Belgium on 21 September 1947 at The Heysel Stadium and also appearing against Wales at Villa Park on 10 November 1948. He was also part of the FA Tour of Canada in 1950. He was sold to Barnsley in 1951, spending two years with the Tykes before entering management.
. After being appointed manager on 4 March 1953, and despite travelling to their Third Division South
match against Ipswich Town
, Barnsley
, who had never released Ward, recalled him on 12 March and appointed him manager two weeks later. Though he arrived too late to save Barnsley from relegation, he achieved promotion straight away as Third Division North
Champions in 1955. Though Barnsley were relegated again four years later, he was still comfortably established at Oakwell until joining Grimsby
boss in January 1960. Another promotion followed as Grimsby finished runners up in the 1961-62 Third Division
, finishing just three points behind winners Portsmouth
. His success at Grimsby saw he coveted by Derby County
, who appointed him manager ahead of the 1962-63 season. At the time Derby were established as a Second Division
side and, after four years of finishing progressively higher in the league (18th, 13th, 9th, 8th), the club dipped to 17th in the 1966/67
season and the club decided not to renew his contract, replacing him with Brian Clough
. Ward's five years at Derby were blighted by a lack of cash and a parochial attitude of the boardroom, but he is often credited with laying the foundations for the success of his successor, such as signing Colin Boulton
, Peter Daniel
, Kevin Hector
, Alan Durban
and Ron Webster
, all of whom were part of Clough's 1972 Football League winning side. Ward claimed that the successful signing of Eddie Thomas for just £3,500, counted against him, saying "(Thomas) proved a marvellous bargain and after that I was expected to sign other players as cheaply." After Derby, Ward spent 15 months as manager of Carlisle United
before leaving football management completely.
.
Grimsby Town F.C.:
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
footballer and subsequently football manager, most notable for his success with Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
.
Biography
Tim was christened Victor Timothy Ward, an adopted son to Bill and Eunice Andrews and raised in Charlton Kings near Cheltenham. Tim played football on the local pitches with his childhood friend Cedric, during these games Cedric would be ArsenalArsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
and Tim would be Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
.
He attended Charlton Kings Boys School.
Playing career
Tim played football for Cheltenham Schools and Charlton Kings before signing for Cheltenham TownCheltenham Town F.C.
Cheltenham Town Football Club is an English football club playing in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. Founded in 1887, the team has played at four different grounds, namely Agg-Gardner's Recreation Ground, Carter's Field and now the Abbey Business Stadium, although it is more...
who were then embarking on their first seasons in the Southern Football league. In 1937 Tim had an unsuccessful trail for Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
risking the sack from his job, before catching the attention of Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
scout Jackie Whitehouse. He joined the club on trial, scoring with the first kick of his first trail match with Derby County 'A', and convinced George Jobey
George Jobey
George Jobey was an English football player and manager. He won the league championship as a player with his hometown club Newcastle United.-Career:...
to pay Cheltenham £100 and became a full time professional, playing at left half, replacing England international defender Errington Keen. Like many of his generation, Ward's career was adversely affected by the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and during his time in the army Tim made guest appearances for Notts County
Notts County F.C.
Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...
, Hamilton Academical
Hamilton Academical F.C.
Hamilton Academical Football Club, often known as Hamilton Academical, or Accies, are a Scottish football club from Hamilton in South Lanarkshire. They were established in 1874 from the school football team at Hamilton Academy. They remain the only professional club in British football to have...
and Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
and also played for the Scottish Army XI before he was sent in fight in Europe. After the war Tim played for the BAOR team before being demobbed. His time in Germany saw him miss all but one game of Derby's 1946 FA Cup campaign
1946 FA Cup Final
The 1946 FA Cup Final, the first since the start of the Second World War, was contested by Derby County and Charlton Athletic at Wembley. Derby won 4–1 after extra time, with goals from Bert Turner , Peter Doherty and a double from Jackie Stamps.-Match summary:The game was goalless until the...
. Ward was philosophical on missing the final, saying 'So many of my friends were killed in the war and I regarded myself lucky yo emerge from it, rather than unlucky to miss Wembley
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
." On his return to England, despite Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
offering £10,000 for his services, Derby found him a position at right-half, were he was successful enough to gain 2 full England caps, making his debut against Belgium on 21 September 1947 at The Heysel Stadium and also appearing against Wales at Villa Park on 10 November 1948. He was also part of the FA Tour of Canada in 1950. He was sold to Barnsley in 1951, spending two years with the Tykes before entering management.
Managerial career
Ward's management career started with a 8 day stay as Exeter City managerExeter City F.C.
Exeter City Football Club is an English football club, based in Exeter, which is owned by its fans through the Exeter City Supporters Trust.The club was a member of the Football League from 1920 to 2003...
. After being appointed manager on 4 March 1953, and despite travelling to their Third Division South
Football League Third Division South
The Football League Third Division South was a level of English professional football which ran in parallel to Third Division North from 1921 to 1958....
match against Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
, Barnsley
Barnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
, who had never released Ward, recalled him on 12 March and appointed him manager two weeks later. Though he arrived too late to save Barnsley from relegation, he achieved promotion straight away as Third Division North
Football League Third Division North
The Third Division North of The Football League was a tier in the English association football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran parallel to Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated to one or the other according to geographical position...
Champions in 1955. Though Barnsley were relegated again four years later, he was still comfortably established at Oakwell until joining Grimsby
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
boss in January 1960. Another promotion followed as Grimsby finished runners up in the 1961-62 Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
, finishing just three points behind winners Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
. His success at Grimsby saw he coveted by Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
, who appointed him manager ahead of the 1962-63 season. At the time Derby were established as a Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
side and, after four years of finishing progressively higher in the league (18th, 13th, 9th, 8th), the club dipped to 17th in the 1966/67
1966-67 in English football
The 1966–67 season was the 87th season of competitive football in England.-Events:Queens Park Rangers won the Football League Cup on the first occasion it was played at Wembley, coming from 2-0 down at half-time to beat West Bromwich Albion 3-2....
season and the club decided not to renew his contract, replacing him with Brian Clough
Brian Clough
Brian Howard Clough, OBE was an English footballer and football manager. He is most notable for his success with Derby County and Nottingham Forest. His achievement of winning back-to-back European Cups with Nottingham Forest, a traditionally moderate provincial English club, is considered to be...
. Ward's five years at Derby were blighted by a lack of cash and a parochial attitude of the boardroom, but he is often credited with laying the foundations for the success of his successor, such as signing Colin Boulton
Colin Boulton
Colin Donald Boulton was a football player who played as a Goalkeeper.-Football career:Solid, dependable, ever present are among the things that were said about him...
, Peter Daniel
Peter Daniel (footballer born 1946)
Peter A. Daniel is a former professional footballer, most notable for his 14 year association with English football club Derby County...
, Kevin Hector
Kevin Hector
Kevin James Hector is an English former footballer who scored 268 goals from 662 appearances in the Football League playing for Bradford Park Avenue and Derby County. His 486 League appearances for Derby County is a club record...
, Alan Durban
Alan Durban
William Alan Durban is a Welsh former international footballer and manager between the 1970s and 1990s.-Club career:...
and Ron Webster
Ron Webster
Ron Webster is an English former association football player, who spent nearly all his career playing for his local team Derby County. Webster played at right back. Webster was always a fans' favourite because of his hard tackles and effort. Seth Johnson, a recent ex-Derby player was compared to...
, all of whom were part of Clough's 1972 Football League winning side. Ward claimed that the successful signing of Eddie Thomas for just £3,500, counted against him, saying "(Thomas) proved a marvellous bargain and after that I was expected to sign other players as cheaply." After Derby, Ward spent 15 months as manager of Carlisle United
Carlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....
before leaving football management completely.
Post Management
Following his retirement from management, Ward ran the ex-Derby County football side and was instrumental in the formation of the Derby County Former Player's Association in 1991, becoming the first Chairman. He also held a position of scout for Nottingham ForestNottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
.
Achievements
Barnsley F.C.:- Third Division NorthFootball League Third Division NorthThe Third Division North of The Football League was a tier in the English association football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran parallel to Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated to one or the other according to geographical position...
Champions 1954–55
Grimsby Town F.C.:
- Third DivisionFootball League Third DivisionThe Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
Runners-Up 1961–62