Calum Ward arrived in ML1 simply to cover in the goalkeeping department. Extensive injuries saw a number of keepers ruled out of action, and Ward arrived off the back of playing in Finland to be the number three choice. That first six months saw Ward only take part in training sessions, with his only chance to make his debut dismissed due to other factors. But he did enough to earn a new contract, and with Jens Berthel Askou arriving, Ward saw it as a fresh start and backed himself to play more minutes. But even during pre-season, Ward never expected to play. But when first choice Aston Oxborough picked up an injury, Ward was drafted in and quickly became the keeper for the club. Supporters were wary, with a lack of first-team exposure of great concern regarding the Englishman. This paired with a couple of unfortunate errors early on in the season saw many write the keeper off. But not only did Ward, through the use of analysis with goalkeeping coach Neil Alexander and thorough training sessions, prove the doubters wrong; he has gone on to be an influential member in the team that has adopted a bold and advanced style of play. The system sees Ward sometimes become a centre-back and relies on the keeper being able to adapt well under pressure. Ward has passed with flying colours, as he has smashed the club-record for number of clean sheets in a season, with Ward currently on 20 in all competitions, surpassing Darren Randolph's decade-long record. He has also matched his goalkeeping coaches' record for number of clean sheets for a non-Rangers or Celtic goalkeeping in a Premiership season, with the team also setting a new record for nine consecutive clean sheets at home.
