From Newcastle United to Middlesbrough to Gateshead and how Sean Longstaff set the standards for youngsters

Not for the first time in his career, the Gateshead midfielder is looking to bounce back from suffering bitter disappointment in such cruel circumstances.

As he assessed his journey back to Tyneside, Ward contemplated the misfortune that has blighted a promising career that started alongside other Premier League hopefuls in the academy at Newcastle United.

The South Tyneside-born midfielder suffered a whole host of injuries that meant he had to sit and watch former academy team-mates Sean Longstaff and Dan Barlaser make senior debuts as his own opportunities to shine in the Magpies second string were restricted.

Ward was eventually released by United in the summer of 2018 – but he revealed that he will always have fond memories of his time with his boyhood club and explained why one academy graduate set the standards for others to follow.

He told The Gazette: “I probably didn’t really play as much as I should have at Newcastle because of injuries but that didn’t stop me loving my time at the club.

“But my time at Newcastle was something I loved, I learnt a lot from some great coaches and playing alongside some great players.

“There were people like Sean Longstaff, he was always in the gym and you could tell he was different.

“I think he probably wanted it more than the rest of us and off the pitch, he was completed dedicated, that was the cold hard truth of it.

“He is the same lad that he always has been, and he is someone young players should look to replicate.”

Ward’s search for a new club was short-lived as he penned a one-year deal to join Middlesbrough just two months after leaving the Magpies.

He went on to become a mainstay of Craig Liddle’s Boro Under-23s side, but a first-team opportunity remained agonisingly out of reach.

The youngster was to discover the harsh reality of failing to make the step up to senior football as he failed to capture the eye of former Boro boss Tony Pulis.

However, far from baring any grudges, Ward believes that he took a lot of positives from his time on Teesside.

“I felt that the year at Middlesbrough really helped me, I grew, I got stronger and I played a whole season without injuries.

“I sat down with Craig Liddle and he was really honest with me.

“He said they really liked me around the place and that I was really good in the Under-23s side, but Tony Pulis and his coaches didn’t see me in their plans.

“He said I could stay there, but it would be a year of my career wasted because I would not be playing men’s football.

“It was difficult to here that because I thought I had done enough to at least have a chance of getting some time with the first-team.

“I wanted to make that step, I had pushed to go out on loan, but it didn’t happen.

“I couldn’t waste another year, I needed men’s football.”

Ward’s departure from Boro led to a first move into the non-league game as National League North club Spennymoor Town won the race for his services.

His time at the Brewery Field lasted just under five months before Irish club St Patrick’s Athletic offered Ward a chance to move back into the full-time game.

However, once again the bad luck that had blighted his career came to the fore as the Covid-19 epidemic ended his time in Ireland after just seven appearances for his new club.

“I learnt a lot at Spennymoor, they were a great bunch of lads and the manager was always really good to me.

“But sometimes things just don’t work out, I think I should have stayed in a full-time environment, but you learn from these experiences.

“The move to St Patrick’s was a real positive as I was back in the full-time game.

“But when I sat down with the manager, he just said he didn’t know what the state of Irish football would be with Covid around.

“He said he wouldn’t stand in my way if I had something I could accept.

“Maybe I would have stayed if it wasn’t for Covid, I don’t know, I wasn’t really there very long.”

A move back to the North East was secured on the first weekend of the National League North season as former Newcastle United defender Mike Williamson added Ward to his Gateshead squad.

The 23-year-old has made nine appearances as the Heed look to challenge for a return to non-league’s top tier once again this season.

With National League North fixtures currently on hold, Williamson’s side are sat one point and three places outside of the play-off places – but a second consecutive top seven push is on the cards for the second half of the campaign.

Ward is keen to repay Williamson and the club for showing faith in him by helping them “achieve something special” when or if the season gets back underway.

“Gateshead has given me a lifeline and I want to repay them for that,” he explained.

“It’s been really good here and they’re a really good group of lads, so it didn’t take any time to settle in.

“The manager is helping us all and he constantly encourages us during training and on matchdays.

“There is a really good energy around the place, and I think that will get the best out of everyone.

“Promotion has to be the aim.

“We don’t have a massive squad, but we do have a lot of very good players.

“We want to go further than last year; we want to achieve things with this club, and we want to achieve something to look back on at the end of our careers.”

Hopefully, this time, luck will be on Ward’s side.