ELLIOTT Ward admits that West Ham United have used up their luck
after last weekend's results and must now take matters into
their own hands with three points at his old club Watford on
Sunday.
The big defender could not believe how well events panned out for
Alan Pardew's men just a day after defeat to Sunderland looked
to have driven a nail into their Play-off chances. Now the
20-year-old centre-back is calling for his team to take advantage
of their good fortune with a winning performance at Vicarage Road.
"It would be fantastic to clinch a Play-off place with a win
at Watford," he admitted. "We know that we can do it and
after the weekend's results it's in our hands again.
We're focused on going there and getting the three points we
need, and despite the Sunderland result, confidence amongst the
lads is high.
"I was really disappointed after the Sunderland game,
especially with my own performance, but with what happened the day
after to Reading and Derby, I never really let it sink in.
"Having experienced a disappointing Friday night it was
suddenly all positive again on Saturday and that's really the
way it has stayed right through this week.
"Naturally I want to put the Sunderland game behind me and
perform a lot better on Sunday. I was angry with myself for their
second goal in particular, but I've got a chance to put it
right at Watford and help the team secure the win we need."
It will be a return to familiar territory for Ward, who was with
Watford as a youngster before joining the West Ham United Academy.
"I joined Watford when I was 12 and played there for two years
before joining West Ham. I had some good times there as a
schoolboy, as did the rest of my family, because my brothers played
there as well.
"I played with their full-back Ashley Young in the junior
teams and he has done well to go through and play for the
first-team, and my brother Darren played there as well before
joining Millwall.
"But none of that will count for much on Sunday. All I'm
thinking about is going there, getting the three points and
hopefully securing a place in the Play-offs."
Despite a poor display by his own admission against Sunderland,
Ward can look back on this season as the finest of his fledgling
career.
He has made 10 Championship appearances for the first-team since
his League debut at Reading just two months ago and has earned rave
reviews with some cultured displays alongside fellow Academy star
Anton Ferdinand.
After enduring a torrid, injury-stricken campaign last season
Elliott is delighted with his progress this term.
"I've been through a lot so it's just brilliant to
have come back and made my breakthrough in the first-team," he
said.
"I had a back injury that kept me out for pretty much all of
last season. But I've worked really hard at my game and
fitness levels this season and it has definitely paid off.
"I feel I've really improved as a player since the start
of the season. Definitely having some good senior professionals
around me has helped my development, and obviously playing at
first-team level raises your game a notch in terms of pace and
sharpness.
"Playing alongside Anton, I think we've struck up a pretty
good partnership. The main thing is we believe in each other and
trust in the other's ability.
"I think that has just come because we've grown up and
progressed together through the youth and Reserve teams, and
that's enabled us to have a good understanding of each
other's abilities.
"We didn't have our best game at Sunderland, but that
aside I think we've coped really well over the last few games.
"The team has been on a good run during that time as well. Now
we need to put the Sunderland result behind us, hopefully do the
business against Watford and then concentrate on the
Play-offs."
Ward's Winning Luck
6th May 2005