Goalkeeper Danny Ward issued a goodbye message to the Aberdeen support after Liverpool recalled him from his loan spell at Pittodrie. The 22-year-old is now expected to be named in the Liverpool squad for Wednesday night's match against Arsenal. Danny thanked the Red Army on his personal twitter account:
“Dandies, I’d just like to place on record my deepest thanks to the manager, staff, players and everyone involved at Aberdeen Football Club for giving me the opportunity to play for such a big club.
“To all the fans I can’t thank you enough for the support you’ve given me over my six months at Pittodrie, from Kilmarnock to Kazakhstan your support has been amazing, you’ve made my time at the club very special.
“I wish the club all the very best for the rest of the season and every success in the future, keep standing free! Once a don always a don.”
In an interview Danny did for the last issue of RedMatchday he was asked if he felt he had improved during his stay in the North East?
“Yes absolutely because you are always learning all the time, no matter how old you are. Maybe I have not improved so much ability wise because your natural ability is something you have throughout your career. But the big thing for me was trying to get some consistency. I feel the majority of the times I have played this season, I have been quite consistent. A big part of that is down to the work I do during the week on the training ground with the team and the coaches, and especially working with Gordon Marshall who has been brilliant with me.
“The feedback I get from Gordon, our video analyst Greig Thomson, speaking to the manager and Tony Docherty on a regular basis, and from Liverpool as well, I take all that on board and then you try and take that into the training and then into the games. Playing games at such a young age as a goalkeeper has helped me mature on the pitch. I feel very settled and quite confident going into games now. My game management is better which gives me that confidence.
“Sometimes you have to work against the complacency, especially as a goalkeeper. If you have one or two good games, you have to be careful not to take it for granted. You always have to be on your toes.
“At Aberdeen, sometimes I might not have a lot to do in the game and then suddenly I have to produce a save that can affect the outcome of the match. As a goalkeeper, the concertation levels are massive. We might be dominating games for long spells and you might not get a lot of touches of the ball. When you are making save after save, it is easier as you don’t need to think about it, it is just instinctive. But when you are not involved for long periods, you have to keep yourself in the game. That might involve speaking to your back four, keeping yourself warm, knowing where the ball is at all times, making sure your positioning is right on the pitch.
“It sounds simple and they are all little things, but for a goalkeeper you need to do them to stay in a game and keep on your toes. If I do all that, then I am able to deal with the ball when it comes into my area and I can deal with a back pass, or deal with a shot or a cross. It is impossible to dominate a game for 90 minutes and expect to have it your own way the whole time.”
“It sounds simple and they are all little things, but for a goalkeeper you need to do them to stay in a game and keep on your toes. If I do all that, then I am able to deal with the ball when it comes into my area and I can deal with a back pass, or deal with a shot or a cross. It is impossible to dominate a game for 90 minutes and expect to have it your own way the whole time.”
