Premier League ...to prison cell

FORMER Latics star Mark Ward - pictured scoring for Athletic against Brighton Sport

FORMER Athletic player Mark Ward used a prison sentence to become a best-selling author.

Far from wasting his time behind bars, the ex-midfield player set about rebuilding his life.

And part of that process was writing his own gripping life story “Right Wing To B-Wing” which he believes can serve as a salutary lesson to show how footballers can get into a downward spiral after they finish playing.

Ward - who was sentenced to eight years for possessing cocaine with intent to supply - hopes other footballers will take the time to read his autobiography and avoid the mistakes he made.

He said: “Writing the book was never about making money, but doing something useful with the four years I spent in prison.

“I worry for players about how easy it is to get caught up in something like I did.

“I was at a low point in my life and we all make decisions, but this is one I will regret for the rest of my life.

“I was not a drug dealer, but a small cog in a chain. Drugs were stored in a house which was in my name.”

Ward believes his experiences underline just how difficult it is for footballers to adjust to life after their playing days.

He said: “When a footballer finishes playing it leaves a massive void - and that is not simply down to money.

“There is nothing to compare with walking out at Wembley or Upton Park and ex-footballers are described as difficult men to deal with.

“The wives often feel the backlash and the statistics are staggering with 70-per-cent of players divorced within three years of retiring.”

Ward hopes the book also has another message to young players to never give up if they are rejected.

He recalls his own experiences after being released in his teens by Everton and team up with part-timers Northwich Victoria while working in a bakery.

Ward was given the opportunity to launch his career again by Athletic boss Joe Royle, who admitted the Boundary Park directors were reluctant to pay the £9,500 fee to Northwich.

As for Ward himself, he accepted a sizeable pay cut to return to full-time football such was his burning desire to succeed. He was earning a combined £200 a week from his bakery job and playing part time while Athletic’s offer was £130 per week.

Ward was approached by a publisher soon after starting his prison sentence and decided to write a sample chapter. He was unaware whether he had the ability to undertake such a massive project.

He added he had the fortune of being in the same remand wing as Paul McGrath, with whom he had played under-12s football in Liverpool, so was lucky to have an additional source of research.

From that hesitant start developed a book containing over 100,000 words which were hand written chapter-by-chapter on A4 paper and sent to the publisher.

What made Ward proud was that, unlike most other footballing autobiographies, it was not ghost written and was all his own work.

It is an honest and revealing account of his life from a tough, working-class upbringing in Liverpool to a career which, despite the low of being rejected by Everton, later saw him play at the highest level.

The money in those days was a far cry from today when the top players won’t have to worry about working again.

His highest wage was £2,000 per week, but he admits the £1,200 he cleared after tax soon went on a footballer’s lifestyle of big house and cars. Ward also admits he drank and gambled too much, as well as having a couple of financial disasters with investments in a betting shop and pub.

Ward, who was released recently, will be under licence for the next four years. He admits it will be hard to rebuild his life, saying there will always be divided opinion about the mistakes he has made.

He has applied for jobs and would like to return to football in some capacity, believing he can help others avoid the pitfalls.

* Signed copies of the book are available in hardback for £15 (postage free in the UK) from Football World 01708 744333 or online at:

www.footballworld.co.uk. Cheques for £15 made payable to Football World can also be sent to: Football World (MW Book), 103 Douglas Road, Hornchurch, Essex, RM11 1AW.