Ilkeston Bring in Former Northern Ireland International

Busy Ilkeston Town have made another signing ahead of their first season in the Pitching In Southern League Premier Division Central.

And manager Martin Carruthers has pulled off something of a coup by bringing in former Northern Ireland international forward Jamie Ward, who helped Buxton to win promotion from the Northern Premier League in 2021/22.

Now 36, Ward joined the Bucks after spending a year with Solihull Moors in the Vanarama National League.

After starting out at Aston Villa, he had spells with Torquay United, Chesterfield, where he played 67 times and scored 29 goals, and Sheffield United, where he appeared 63 times and netted 9 goals.

After a loan spell with Derby County, scoring 5 goals in 13 matches, he signed a permanent deal with the Rams in 2011, making 125 appearances and netting 29 goals and winning the first of his 35 full international caps to go with the honours earned at under-18 and under-21 level.

He then moved to arch-rivals Nottingham Forest in 2015 and scored 3 goals in 57 appearances.

The forward contributed two goals in 31 Championship appearances in his first campaign on Trentside, adding 5 assists to his game too.

The following season, however, he struggled to establish himself and joined Burton Albion on loan for the first half of the 2016/17 campaign.

Prior to his permanent departure from Forest in September 2019, he had loan spells at Cardiff City and Charlton Athletic.

After a short spell with Scunthorpe United, he returned to his hometown of Birmingham in order to play for Solihull where he scored 3 times from 21 appearances in all competitions.