Academy column: We are so proud of Danny Ward progress
In our latest Academy column, we speak with U21s goalkeeping coach Mark Morris about the progress of Danny Ward - who won his first senior cap for Wales last week.
It was a proud moment for everybody at the Academy when Danny made his international debut for Wales against Northern Ireland last Thursday. The cap represents some very hard work done by Danny and his family, and I’m certain that will be the first of many appearances in the future for Wales. He is a certainty to be part of the Wales squad for Euro 2016 and Chris Coleman knows he has a very capable goalkeeper at his disposal who certainly wouldn’t let anyone down if called upon.
I’ve known Danny and his family for a long time now. I worked with Danny when we were at Wrexham and also with the youth teams for Wales, so to see him go all the way and get his first cap is a brilliant moment and I’m really pleased for the lad. Before we signed Danny for Liverpool he had been on the radar for a while. I had been back to Wrexham a few times to watch him and was always impressed. I remember him playing for Wrexham against our Academy and even though we won 4-1, he kept the scoreline right down. We had a meeting with all the coaches and it was decided that we would make a move for him.
Danny signed for Liverpool in January 2012 and he started like a house on fire and then had a little blip, which is usual for a young player adjusting to the intensity of our training sessions. He has kicked on brilliantly from that, he has got a great presence about him and he has gone from strength to strength. I think his loan spell at Aberdeen was of massive benefit to him and he has come on leaps and bounds from that. We were talking about this recently, as life as a goalkeeper can be difficult because obviously only one of them can play and when you are third choice it’s difficult. Since Danny has come back from his loan spell he has been a regular substitute for the first team as back-up to Simon Mignolet, and he has also played in a number of U21 games, which is important for him to keep up his game sharpness.
In terms of his strengths as a goalkeeper, I believe Danny has a great personality and a presence about him. When he walks into the dressing room everybody takes to him. He is a very good shot-stopper, he reads the game well and his distribution has come on leaps and bounds. He has improved in every aspect as well, from dealing with crosses to his positional sense. He is a steady kid, a steady 'keeper and there is a lot more to come from him. Yes, he is deadly serious when he gets out on the pitch, but he certainly brings a personality into the dressing room.
Another of our talented goalkeepers, Ryan Fulton, is currently on loan at Portsmouth and he has done very well there. We are in constant touch and I have been down to see him a few times. I remember going down to Morecambe in horrendous conditions and Ryan was very good and very solid. Let’s not forget Lawrence Vigouroux as well, who has played 36 games for Swindon Town this season and is coming back at the moment from an injury, and we also have Andy Firth who has had a spell with Witton Albion and has come back a different 'keeper.
I have been with Liverpool now for eight years and thoroughly enjoy it. I work closely with our first-team goalkeeping coach John Achterberg and Neil Edwards, who is the U18s goalkeeping coach, and we are constantly talking to each other. Me and Neil give John regular updates about how our Academy goalkeepers are progressing and we also have regular reviews as well. Before I came full-time to Kirkby, I was involved working at a couple of development centres for the club and helping the trialists. I then became U18s goalkeeping coach for two years before stepping up to the U21s.
I find myself in a very privileged position working for Liverpool and I come in every day with a big smile on my face. There’s not many people who can say that, and I look forward to coming into work every day and helping our goalkeepers progress. As always, our priority at the Academy is to get as many players as we can up to Melwood to train on a regular basis and then the rest is down to them to try to get a first-team opportunity. When they get that chance it is a very proud moment, especially for them.