Blades-Mad feature Aston Villa and Chesterfield striker Jamie Ward in our player-profiles section.

jamie ward

He played in the 2004 FA Youth Cup Final defeat to Middlesbrough but was unfortunate to be out for some time following a car crash. In July 2005 he turned professional - captaining the reserve side.

Unable to break into the first team he joined Stockport County in March 2006 on loan where he was handed his Football League debut; a 1-0 victory at Bury. He played a total of nine times for the Hatters and scored once in a win over Shrewsbury Town (3-1).

He was released by Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neil; deeming surplus to requirements at Villa Park. He was soon snapped up by Torquay United on a free transfer despite avid interest from Stockport County and Wrexham. He signed a three year deal with the Plainmoor club which were then managed by Ian Atkins.

Ward made his United debut in a 1-0 win at Barnet and later netted braces against Chester City (2-2), Milton Keynes Dons (2-3) and Bury (2-2). In late December he handed in a transfer request due to a change in ownership and manager.

From there he was transferred to Chesterfield in January 2007 on a two and a half undisclosed deal; he had made 29 appearances and scored eleven goals. His Spirites debut came as a substitute against AFC Bournemouth in a 1-0 defeat.

He looked set to start the 2007-08 campaign brightly but in his second game; a League Cup fixture at Sheffield United having pulled his hamstring and was sidelined for two months. He returned from injury and went onto score a dozen goals that season but finished just outside the play-off pack.

In September 2008 Ward received the first red card of his career in a 2-1 defeat at Rochdale; the striker had scored the Blue's goal with five minutes remaining before being dismissed.

A month later he netted his first career hat-trick; Chesterfield beating Aldershot 5-1 at Saltergate - his inspirational form attracted the interest from bigger clubs such as Derby County and Sheffield United. However he held talks with Barnsley but failed to agree personal terms.

Six days later he was snapped up by Sheffield United; signing a three and a half year deal with the Blades paying £330,000 in transfer.

He made his debut in a 1-0 defeat to Doncaster Rovers before securing three points at Southampton. The Saints had grabbed a last minute leveller before Ward charged forward to score three minutes into added on time to boost the Blades promotion push.

In March 2009 he was drafted into the senior squad for the Northern Ireland national team for the World Cup qualifiers against Poland and Slovenia but failed to make an appearance. He qualifies via his grandfather and has already featured seven times for the under-21's.

He featured regularly until the end of the season; grabbing one more goal in a 3-0 win at Cardiff City before ending the season on a low note. The club had battled through to the Play-Off Final after demolishing Preston North End at the semi-final stage.

United lost the final 1-0 to Burnley but for Ward the game was to get worst. He had replaced David Cotterill as a second half substitute but with ten minutes remaining was shown a second yellow card for handball and was dismissed.

The young forward netted on his first game on the season in a 2-0 victory over Watford and more memorably against Sheffield Wednesday in a 3-2 victory in what was a better season for the striker during the 2009-10 campaign.

He netted eight times that season including a brace against Plymouth Argyle in a 4-3 victory at the Lane, but in an injury packed season for the club they failed to finish inside the top six and were forced to play Championship season again.

In September 2010 he was dismissed for a third time in his career as the Blades slipped to a 1-0 defeat at Leeds United and at time of writing has yet to open up his account for the 2010-11 season.

Updated: October 2010