“It was a huge result for us,” he said. “it was a nice result and to have a bit of a change we came up with the last minute winner – that’s hasn’t happened much over the last couple of seasons.
“For the club it was huge to set the record straight for away performances. It gives everyone that confidence and gives that feel good vibe around the place. I think that’s the same for any win, and a late winner is always exciting.
“There are always going to be moments in the Premier League when you go on spells such as that [without an away win]. It’s not that we were underperforming, some games just go one way or the other. We’ve been unfortunate at times.
“For us, it’s getting that balance. The attitude against West Ham was spot on from the first whistle to the last. The lads put in an enormous shift.
“[The Nottingham Forest match] is huge. It sets you up nicely for the break. Winning away at West Ham and hopefully getting points at Forest would be a huge jump in the right direction for us.”
Having spent a decade in the Premier League, Ward has noticed the quality of opposition rising – while developing himself as a player at the same time.
“You mature and you learn a lot throughout the game over the years,” he explained. “I like to think I’m still young – still young at heart! I like to have a laugh and a joke and mess around.
“But I’m mature, I've changed over time in character, how I am around players that want to develop and how I can guide young players. You learn things along the way and you can never disregard experiences.
“Each year that has passed, [the Premier League] has got more and more competitive from top to bottom. Look at the clubs at the top now: Manchester City and Liverpool over recent years, and Arsenal this year, they have set the standards and everyone is trying to evolve and better themselves in that way.
“Everyone can get carried away but for us – and I know its sitting on the fence – its about taking each game as it comes and giving ourselves the best opportunity to perform as we can perform.
“If we go out there and express ourselves as we know we can do as a team and a squad, the expectations are high – but the possibilities are high as well.”