Ward commits his future to Pompey

The new contract that Joel Ward was meant to be signing has been signed.

So, the local lad is tied into a contract - if that means anything these days - until the summer of 2013, this deal also has the option of another year.

Securing his Pompey future is something that he is 'delighted' to do, as he told The Pompey Site, and now wants to kick-on with his career: 'I'm delighted to have committed my future to the club. Hopefully we will go from strength to strength and keep progressing.

'I want to concentrate on my football and focus on doing the best that I can on the pitch.

'I want to help to get the club back into the Premier League - if we can do that, it would be brilliant.'

He did not have the best of games last night, then again who did?

Of course the premier league is the dream for him, and most youngsters that come into a club - even the majority of senior players here, although this seems a million miles away at the moment, in all honesty though this is not - apart from the financial benefits to the club, exactly a bad thing is it...

David Lampitt is equally as happy that Ward has committed his future to Pompey and wants him to be an 'example' to other younger players to look to: 'we're delighted that Joel has signed a new contract extending his commitment to the club.

'He is not only one of our brightest footballing prospects but a fine example to our other young players and we see Joel as being an important part of the club's future.'

Then again this depends on Steve Cotterill!

If he is going to be insistent on blaming the kids for everything that goes wrong, and constantly tells the media that they are not good enough there will not be many more 'wards' coming through...

PLAY UP POMPEY!

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