Danny Ward wants to help make more history at Wrexham
Huge strides have been made since Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney completed their takeover at The Racecourse in February 2021 and Ward is on board for the next leg of the journey.
The goalkeeper has re-joined his home-town club on a contract until the end of the 2026-27 season after leaving Leicester City.
A product of the academy at The Racecourse, Welsh international Ward made the switch to Liverpool in January 2012 for a fee of around £100,000 having made one competitive appearance for Wrexham when he started the 2-1 Welsh Cup third round defeat at home to Airbus on December 3, 2011.
He's back where it all began and although Ward, who made 29 league appearances in seven seasons for Leicester after leaving Anfield for around £12.5 million in July 2018, knows it won't be easy when Wrexham come up against the likes of Ipswich Town and Southampton in the 2025-26 campaign, the 32-year-old hopes Wrexham can make the most of the momentum they have and continue making headlines.
"We just want to try and give a good account of ourselves," said Ward, who helped Huddersfield clinch promotion to the Premier League during a loan spell during his time with Liverpool.
"I think everyone understands the step up in level and how tough a league the Championship is.
"There are some great clubs in this division and it will be tough but we want to try and create our own little bit of history.
"We want to carry on doing as well as we can.
"It may not be straight away next season but step-by-step.
"The club is going in a really good direction and we will have to try and capitalise on the momentum that has been built over the last three or four years."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
19 minutes ago
- Daily Record
My friendship with Rangers boss Russell Martin will count for nothing in Champions league pressure cooker
Martin and Brugge boss Nicky Hayen go back three years to when they were both managing in Wales Club Brugge boss Nicky Hayen has backed pal Russell Martin to handle the heat at Rangers. But the Belgian says their three-year friendship will count for nothing at Ibrox this week as he looks to pile on the pressure by dumping him out of the Champions League. Hayen and Martin got to know each other in 2022 when they were both managing Welsh clubs. The Rangers gaffer was then at Swansea, while Hayen was in charge of minnows Haverfordwest County. The pair struck up a relationship but didn't actually get to meet each other until this season's summer friendly between Brugge and Gers. Now they'll face off in a crunch £40million play-off tie. Hayen rates Martin highly and expects him to succeed at Ibrox - but not before he's got one over on him. The Brugge coach said: 'I like Russell very much. I was at Haverfordwest County when he was at Swansea. 'I wanted to visit Swansea for two days, which he allowed but we just couldn't find the right date. 'We then arranged a friendly game between the two teams. It was scheduled but then I left to come to Brugge. 'We spoke a lot, texted a lot and stayed in touch. But we never actually met until he came to Rangers. 'We have a really good connection but tomorrow night that won't count. 'He's a great manager. If you see the results he got at Swansea and Southampton, that's clear. 'This is a great step for him to come here. Of course, he's got a lot of pressure but I'm sure he'll deal with it. 'He's a manager who has a certain style of play and it's very clear how he wants to play - dominant, attacking football.' Hayen was in Glasgow last November when Brugge were terrific in the Champions League against Celtic - but only got a 1-1 draw. After that experience, he says the Ibrox atmosphere won't faze his players. And as much as he thinks his team will get chances - he's refusing to under-estimate Martin's Rangers. When asked about not getting what he deserved at Celtic and making sure it doesn't happen again, he said: 'Correct. 'Look, it's difficult to compare the two teams (Rangers and Celtic). What they have in common is they play with a lot of intensity. 'It's similar because they want to play offensive football and they're supported by wonderful fans, which gives them a boost. But we showed at Celtic Park that we're ready for every kind of atmosphere. We just have to play our own game. 'Do I see opportunities for us to take advantage of? Yes, of course. 'This game will be different from the friendly. Of course, we analysed the game and saw some patterns. But Rangers have bought some new players. They have more quality now. We have to be 100 percent ready for Tuesday night.' Brugge defender Joaquin Seys says the Belgian champs believe they can grab a first-leg lead in Glasgow. He said: 'We're confident and we play every game to win. We're in good form and want to perform at our best. That's what we're going to do. 'I played at Celtic Park and it was a great atmosphere. 'I've heard many stories about here as well, it's going to be crazy. But I'm excited to play here.'
Scotsman
19 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Ben Doak in shirt name change as Premier League club announce £25m signing of Scotland winger from Liverpool
Doak set for new challenge - and a new moniker Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Scotland international Ben Doak has tonight completed his £25million move from Liverpool to Bournemouth - and changed the name on the back of his shirt. The 19-year-old winger has signed a five-year deal with the Cherries with Liverpool including a buy-back option in the deal which gives them first option of signing him back in the future. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Bournemouth beat competition from several clubs to secure his signature with Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest, Leeds United and Porto all credited with an interest in the player this summer. Ben Doak, now known as Ben Gannon Doak, has completed a £25m transfer from Liverpool to Bournemouth. (Photo by) | Getty Images In a surprising twist, the south coast club announced the signing of Ben Gannon Doak with the teenager said to have requested the new moniker in order to reflect both parents' names moving forward. 'I'm buzzing to be here,' Doak said of joining Andoni Iraola's side, where he will link up with Scotland team-mate Ryan Christie. 'I feel like it's the right time for me and it's a great opportunity to play regular football at the highest level. The team play very nice football. It's fast and it really suits my game, so I felt like I couldn't say no to the chance to play here.' Doak joined Liverpool from Celtic in 2022 for a compensation fee of £600,000 and went on to make 10 appearances for the Anfield side after being handed his debut by Jurgen Klopp aged 16. He enjoyed a productive loan spell with Middlesbrough last season, scoring three times and providing seven assists in 24 appearances for the Championship club before a thigh injury prematurely ended his campaign in February. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Doak also became a full Scotland international last term, earning six caps after making his senior debut as a substitute against Poland at Hampden last September following his promotion from the Under-21s.
Daily Mirror
20 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Chelsea sent Xavi Simons transfer warning as RB Leipzig stand ground despite agreement
Chelsea are still looking to add to their squad before the close of the transfer window and boss Enzo Maresca wants more attacking players, with RB Leipzig's Netherland international Xavi Simons prime on their shortlist RB Leipzig have warned Chelsea they're ready to walk away from a deal for Xavi Simons. The Netherlands international is ready to move to Stamford Bridge and has agreed terms with the Premier League side, who are keen to add him to their attacking stable before the close of the transfer window. But Leipzig are refusing to deal cheaply and certainly don't need to sell - despite their failure to qualify for the Champions League this season - after cashing in on Benjamin Sesko to the tune of £74m. Simons is believed to have made it clear that he only wants to go to Chelsea, despite reported interest from both Manchester City and Bayern Munich, with the latter now pushing to add to their attack following Kingsley Coman's exit to Saudi Arabia. But RBL aren't in any rush to let him leave and are wary that Chelsea are also advancing in negotiations with Manchester United to sign Alejandro Garnacho. Now sporting director Marcel Schafer has warned that a deal will only be sanctioned by RBL if they are completely happy with all aspects of the move. He told Bild: "A transfer will only happen if it makes sporting and financial sense. If that's not the case, Xavi will be an RB Leipzig player next year as well." Leipzig are believed to be asking for at least £60million to part ways with Simons and have no interest in any kind of swap deal. They've earmarked Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott as a potential replacement. One area where Chelsea boss Maresca is now desperate to add is in defence, after Tosin Adarabioyo followed Levi Colwill onto the club's injury list. Colwill is expected to miss most of the season after undergoing surgery on an ACL injury picked up in training after the squad returned for pre-season. Speaking on Friday, Maresca revealed that he wanted a new central defender but that the club would look to internal options. Maresca said: "I think we need a central defender. We are looking for an internal solution but as I said, the club know exactly what I think." When the subject was broached at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, Maresca had no interest in adding more fuel to the topic. "You like to talk about central defenders?" he asked the reporter. "I already spoke. Thank you very much." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
