Stephen Ward has been the hot topic on the lips of the Molineux faithful for some time now, and it hasn’t always been for the right reasons. It’s a well known fact that the majority of Wolves fans have been crying out for a new left-back ever since we progressed to the Premier League back in 2009.

Whilst Mick attempted to address the problem last summer with the arrival of Jelle Van Damme from Anderlecht, the move didn’t work out and the Belgium International opted to move back home after just six short months at the club.

Ward, 26, has frequently fought for the vacant left-back spot along with George Elokobi in recent times, and he has often been criticised for his lacklustre performances. Many Wolves fans tended to jump on his back due to his defensive approach – Ward tends to back-off and “jockey” opposing wingers rather than go in and make his tackle straight away – something which a lot of fans don’t understand.

However, early signs this season suggest that the Republic of Ireland international is ready to make the position his own and put an end to the fans’ cries of wanting a new left-back.

Ward has made a fantastic start to the season, scoring the crucial winner at Ewood Park on the opening day of the season and also being part of a defence that has conceded just one goal in the first three games – the joint best defensive record in the Premiership so far.

It appears the addition of Roger Johnson to the Wolves defence has steadied the ship, and there’s no doubt in my mind that the new Wolves captain has helped Ward improve the defensive side of his game. In addition to this, Ward has been a constant threat going forward and has consistently created chances for the side. Let’s not forget Ward’s natural position is not at left-back, as he originally came to the club as a striker back in 2007.

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Ward also made some fantastic performances in his natural forward role last season, including his tremendous effort in our 1-0 victory at Anfield in which he scored the only goal of the game.

Furthermore, with the injury of Kevin Doyle looming over the club in the last few weeks of the season, Ward stepped up to the plate and formed a formidable partnership with Steven Fletcher – something which many Wolves fans believe was the key to ensuring our Premiership survival. A highlight of the season was undoubtedly the 3-1 victory over arch-rivals West Brom, in which Ward put in a brilliant performance in attack to ensure we got those very important three points.

A key factor in the rise of Stephen Ward is undoubtedly his first call-ups to the Republic of Ireland squad. He has put in a few solid performances for his country over the summer and it is evident that he is now a much more confident player and he is willing to express himself even more on the pitch.

Something which has also helped Ward progress is Mick McCarthy’s refusal to drop the player when he wasn’t performing to his best. This is something that has led to criticism of the management team at Wolves in the past, and many fans believe McCarthy has his “favourites” within the squad who he will refuse to drop from the first-team when things are going wrong.

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However, Mick McCarthy proved the fans wrong towards the latter end of the 10/11 season when he replaced Christophe Berra in central defence – something which had previously been unthinkable. Now, it finally seems Mick’s patience with Stephen Ward has started to pay off.

He is beginning to win the fans over and rightly so – Ward deserves his opportunity to shine and he is grabbing it with both hands. It might not be too long before he is one of the first names on the team sheet.