The Saturday Interview - Andy Neild meets Rovers' new signing Ashley Ward

PURE adrenaline coaxed me out of my car before I finally plucked up the courage to knock at the door.

The barking noise of which I had been living in fear piped up from within.

I was deep in rural Cheshire, outside the house of Ashley Ward, when a thin trickle of cold sweat crawled down my spine as I awaited my first meeting with the 14 and a half stone guard dog the Rovers' new man had warned me about.

All sorts of images were racing through my mind.

Who would I leave my car to? Should I have come armed with a Scooby snack? And why didn't I watch the Barbara Woodhouse Show more often?

To my great relief it was Casper the poodle rather than Percy the Neapolitan Mastiff who performed the welcoming ceremony. It was only later that I found out Percy's ancestors used to be trained to hunt lions in packs!

It pays to be an animal lover when you visit the Wards.

Ward's wife Dawn, a former model and classmate of Ryan Giggs, who Ashley proposed to on the pub car park where they met, is animal crazy.

And as Ashley insists that it is for this reason they share their lives with two pooches, a pony named Tigger and a pot-bellied pig affectionately known as Diana (after the late princess).

"It's all Dawn's doing. I'm just lumbered with feeding them all," moaned the Rovers star.

"It's getting crazy. I've said we aren't having any more animals now, they're driving me mad." Their home, just a stone's throw away from a village aptly named Ashley, makes an ideal animal haven, submerged in the sights and sounds of the Cheshire countryside. Just 12 months ago, it was a deserted barn but thanks to a lot of imagination - mainly from Dawn who designed every room - it has been transformed into their dream home.

All the trappings of fame and fortune are there.

A brand new Porsche with less than 100 miles on the clock graces the drive.

The games room on the middle floor, decorated with pictures of Ashley's greatest sporting moments, awaits delivery of a full-sized snooker table.

And the wine-rack in the kitchen overflows with Moet.

TV star Shane Ritchie used to be a near neighbour.

Yet, refreshingly, Ashley Ward is no champagne Charlie.

For a footballer who is known for his aerial prowess, he is very adept at keeping his feet firmly on terra firma.

Forget the bright lights of the city, the 28-year-old pines for the country life and a quiet existence, spending time with Dawn and his two daughters Darby and Taylor.

"For the last year or so all I've done is race home from training, see how things have been going with the house and sort out any problems there might be.

"Now it's finished it's nice to come back and be able to enjoy it with the family."

But his rise has been far from meteoric. It is more the product of 10 years hard labour and only now is he really starting to reap the benefits.

Brought up on the outskirts of Manchester in Middleton, his dad was a mining engineer and he emerged from humble beginnings. His school - William Hulme Grammar - did not even play football, opting instead for rugby and lacrosse.

But he shone for Cheadle Town Youth and chose Maine Road ahead of Ewood Park when Rovers and Manchester City both offered him an apprenticeship.

"I went to City in the end, partly because it was a bit nearer, but mainly because they had the best youth policy in the country at that time."

In those days he drove a battered Talbot Sunbeam, a far cry from his mode of transport now.

After breaking into the first team squad, a bad ankle injury requiring three operations kept him out for a year and he only made one appearance as a sub before being sold on to Leicester.

Still struggling for fitness, he spent most of his time at Filbert Street in the reserves but, despite a raft of goals, he could not dislodge legendary goalscoring 'phenomenon' Ian Ormondroyd.

Crewe was the next stop and, under the shrewd management of Dario Gradi, he set about re-launching his career, scoring 25 goals in 61 games.

But perhaps more importantly he found someone who believed in him.

"It was ideal working with Dario.

"He put so much time in working on individuals because he was determind to make you a better player and that was what I needed at the time."

That apprenticeship paved the way for a move to Premier League outfit Norwich City.

Chris Sutton had just quit to join Rovers and Ward was signed as his replacement, although he modestly plays that down. "I suppose I was in a way. They'd already signed Mike Sheron and a couple of other strikers but people looked at Chris's size and said I was of a similar stature, so they regarded me as his replacement."

Two happy seasons at Carrow Road further enhanced his growing reputation.

But the club hit financial difficulties, chairman Robert Chase insisted they had to cash in, and Ward was on his way again in a £1 million move to Derby where he furthered his footballing education in the ways of the old school under the wily Jim Smith.

"Jim was the last of the old school - he did a lot of shouting and showed his temper on matchdays.

"When I was an apprentice most of the managers were like that then.

"Now people are a bit calmer in the dressing room and talk a bit more constructively rather than tearing the paint off the walls."

The arrival of the foreign legion, in the form of Francesco Baiano and Paulo Wanchope, led to a move to Barnsley last season and, though the Tykes were relegated, Ward proved a big hit, picking up five of the club's six player of the year awards.

That made him one of the hottest properties outside the Premiership and seven top-flight clubs covetted his signature before he opted for Rovers.

So why Ewood?

"I think of Blackburn as one of the top four or five clubs in the country and it was just flattering that they were one of the teams interested in signing me.

"It reminds me very much of Norwich when I first went there.

"The facilities are great and there are a lot of nice people who work behind the scenes. It's a friendly club."

And after working under two of the longest serving managers in the modern game in Jim Smith and Dario Gradi, how does new boy Brian Kidd shape up? "He's very enthusiastic and that is something which rubs off on you.

"I know I've enjoyed every day of training so far and that is down to the sessions he puts on."

But what about Ward himself?

After a slow start to his own career, he has finally made the big-time, securing a multi-million pound move to one of the Premiership's top-dogs.

So has he reached his peak?

"I don't think I have because they say strikers reach their peak between 28 and 30.

"Things have got better and better for me since I got my career going at Crewe and I think I've been learning all along. I don't think I've ever taken a backward step and hopefully I will continue to improve, work hard and be successful with Blackburn Rovers."

Like Casper and Percy, he has the pedigree to make that happen.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.