Stephen Ward - Wolves star openly admits to living the dream

Jul 31 2011 by Bill Howell, Sunday Mercury

STEPHEN Ward says it is about time he and the rest of the Wolves squad stopped believing in fairy tales and wake up to the fact that their Premier League dream is a reality.

Just like so many of Mick McCarthy’s squad, Ward’s rags-to- riches tale is straight from the pages of the Boys Own Paper, or Roy of the Rovers.

He was a gangly left-sided striker with Bohemians, just 20 years of age, when he first set foot at Molineux almost five years ago as the first seeds of McCarthy’s revolution were being sown,

A boyhood Manchester United supporter from a family of Liverpool-ites, he was always Ryan Giggs in the school playground. Not because he was flashy or full of flair on the ball – but simply because he was left-footed.

Ward admits he is living the dream – at a big club in the best league in the world. He is a more than decent left-back and far better than the ‘emergency’ forward tag that often comes his way.

“Obviously you do try and take it in your stride but I or anyone would be lying if they said they don’t sometimes have a moment where they think about just being a part of the Premier League, because it is unbelievable,” he says.

“It is the best league in the world. Everyone at our club grew up watching it. I used to collect all the football cards.