Ward hopeful of starting in derby

Published: 05 Feb 2009 - 16:07:00

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The 22-year-old stepped off the bench to fire a last-minute winner at Southampton in midweek and hopes to have done enough to earn his first Blades start since arriving from Chesterfield last month. Ward, who scored the winner for the Spireites against the Owls in a pre-season friendly, said: "I'm really looking forward to my first Sheffield derby, especially after scoring at Southampton. "Hopefully the goal will give me a better chance of winning a starting place, although that's down to the manager." The Aston Villa fan added: "I've been at Villa Park for the Birmingham games and it's a great atmosphere. "I'm assuming Saturday will be very similar. With around 30,000 fans expected inside the ground it will be the biggest crowd I've ever played in front of and I can't wait."