Crystal Palace defender Joel Ward says he and his teammates want to put Sunday’s Premier League defeat to Leicester firmly behind them so they can put all their focus into Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea.
First-half goals from Ademola Lookman and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall handed Brendan Rodgers’ side a 2-1 win over the Eagles at the King Power Stadium, with Palace looking underwhelming despite coming into the game off the back of a seven-game unbeaten run. Wilfried Zaha managed to claw a goal back in the second half but the visitors never truly looked like they would threaten the scoreline after that as the Foxes held on for all three points in the Midlands.
Ward, who came on to replace the injured Tyrick Mitchell after half an hour, said he was disappointed to see the team’s unbeaten run come to an abrupt end against a strong Leicester side, with attention now turning to the trip to Wembley on the weekend.
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“Coming off the back of such a good and solid run it’s always disappointing not to perform the way we have been,” the full-back told PalaceTV. “We dust ourselves down, we’ve been there before and we kick on for the weekend. We have to respect them, they’re a solid side, they’re a good side. But I think we have to as well look at ourselves and what we could have done better and there are certain things we need to be working and making sure we put right come the weekend.
“I think you can see this as a bit of a wake-up call, to make sure we remain focused, that we remain determined. And that we prepare correctly for the week ahead and the rest of the games this season.”
In coming off the bench for Mitchell on Sunday, Ward made his 300th appearance for Crystal Palace. The full-back, who joined the club in 2012, made his debut against Exeter City a decade ago and is one of the club’s longest-serving players.
Reflecting on the milestone he said: “I feel very blessed to have played the amount of games I have. It was a dream of mine to play football and to look at that landmark and milestone is amazing. The support from my family and friends and obviously the club and supporters has been solid throughout. Really it’s for them and family and I just pray for many more to come.”
Ward has been waiting to make his landmark appearance for two months now after suffering a hamstring injury following his 299th game for the club against Brentford in February. When he did come on, it was in the more unfamiliar role of left-back to replace the injured Mitchell, with Nathaniel Clyne at right-back on the opposite flank.
Palace boss Patrick Vieira admitted in his post-match press conference it wasn’t ideal to bring Ward back from injury into an unfamiliar position, though with little cover in Mitchell’s position, it was a move that needed to be made.
“We conceded the goal a couple of minutes after so of course, it's losing this kind of momentum for us to find the right balance,” said the Frenchman on Ward’s substitution. ”But it was difficult. It is not the best for Ward to come as a left-back knowing that he used to have these kinds of references on the right-hand side, but I think he came and he did his best and he had a good performance. And, you know, for somebody who didn't play so long, you will need time to get into the rhythm of the games.”
Ward might be utilised in a similar position next week if Mitchell’s injury is not cleared up by Sunday, with Vieira telling reporters that the left-back would be assessed at the club’s training ground on Monday.
