Defender joins Town on loan from Premier League
- Elliott Ward joins Huddersfield Town on emergency loan deal
- The loan will initially last 28 days
- Listen to his reaction
Huddersfield Town have signed Elliott Ward on a 28 day Emergency-Loan deal from Premiership new-boys Bournemouth.
The London-born central defender came through the ranks at West Ham before moving to Coventry in June 2006. He made 116 appearances over the course of his four year spell at Coventry which included loan spells at Doncaster Rovers and Preston North End.
In June 2010 he signed for Norwich where he made 51 appearances including 12 in the Premier League in 2011/12. He then had two separate loan spells at Nottingham Forest where he featured in 31 Championship fixtures for them. He then signed for Bournemouth on an initial one-year contract in 2013. He has gone on to make 21 Championship appearances for them and was part of the squad that won the 2014/15 Championship title.
With 249 Championship appearances and 16 in the Premier League Elliott is an established player at this level with the knowhow and track record to improve Town’s squad. At 6'1 he has a big presence and poses a threat at set-pieces.
Whilst not featuring for Bournemouth so far this season he is fully fit and played for the Cherries throughout preseason and most recently a behind closed doors game on Friday.
Elliott Ward told HTAFC.com:
"I first found out about the interest on Friday and its taken a few days to get the paperwork sorted out and to wait for the loan window to open but I'm happy now it's done.
"I have spoken to Chris Powell and it's a good opportunity for all of us; he said that they needed a centre-half and I need to play games so it's a good fit.
"I think I now have good experience of what the Championship is all about and what it takes to win games and get up the division. I have come from a footballing team and I like to keep clean sheets.
"Last season was frustrating, I was out for a time with injury but I got back fit and the lads were doing really well so I was sub from January onwards - It was frustrating on one side but it was a great achievement from the team [Bournemouth] and it was great to be involved in.
"Pre-season has gone very well, I haven't missed a minute of training and I feel really strong and fit and I'm more than ready to play straight away. If I'm selected on Saturday it will be a great opportunity to get back playing again"
Elliott Ward was at PPG Canalside on Tuesday 8th September to meet his new teammates and familiarise himself with the surroundings. He will wear the number 12 shirt and is available for selection for this Saturday's Sky Bet Championship game at Cardiff City. Click HERE. for tickets.
