Following consecutive relegation's though he was transfer listed and after spending the 2013–14 season on loan at Brighton & Hove Albion he eventually left to return to the Premier League with Burnley in 2014.

[4] Ward played schoolboy football for Home Farm and Portmarnock before joining Dublin-based League of Ireland side Bohemians in the summer of 2003.

[11] He featured in all of Wolves remaining 2006–07 fixtures as they reached the play-offs where they lost 4–2 on aggregate to Black Country rivals West Bromwich Albion.

[12] The next season was less successful for Ward as he was mostly used in an unfamiliar left midfield role, covering for the injured Matt Jarvis, but announced he was happy to play anywhere.

[15] The 2008–09 season again saw Ward adopt a new position as he was converted to a makeshift left-back, after George Elokobi sustained knee damage in only the third game of the campaign.

[27] After Wolves suffered a second consecutive relegation to enter League One in 2013, Ward was one of a group of players made available for transfer by the club's new head coach Kenny Jackett.

[28] On 16 August 2013, Ward was loaned to Brighton & Hove Albion for the 2013–14 season,[29] where he made 47 appearances as the club reached the play-offs but were defeated at the semi-final stage by Derby County.

[31] On 15 August 2014, Ward moved to newly promoted Premier League side Burnley, signing a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee.

[43] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the season was suspended for 15 weeks and extended into the summer and on 1 July 2020 Ward signed a contract extension to cover the remaining matches.

[46] Ward made his debut for Ipswich on 5 September, starting in a 3–0 win over Bristol Rovers in a League Cup first round tie at Portman Road.

[53] Ward made his competitive debut for the Republic of Ireland against Slovakia in a UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying match, during which he kept a clean sheet in a 0–0 draw.

Ward scored his second international goal in the second leg of the play-off for UEFA Euro 2012 against Estonia, sealing Ireland's place in their first major tournament since 2002 with an unprecedented 5–1 aggregate win.

[54] Ward was picked in Trapattoni's 23-man squad for the Euro 2012 finals in Poland and Ukraine,[55] going on to play in all three of their matches in the tournament before their group stage elimination.