Walsall defender Stephen Ward announces his retirement from football

Walsall defender Stephen Ward has announced his decision to retire from professional football.

The 36-year-old made his name at Wolves before moving to Burnley in 2014.

At Turf Moor he helped the Clarets achieve promotion to the Premier League in the 2015-16 season and reach the Europa League in the 2017-18 season.

Ward also had stints at Stoke and Ipswich and was capped 50 times for the Republic of Ireland, featuring in two European Championships for his country.

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