DANNY WARD admits it was tough being on the sidelines for so long after suffering the worst injury of his career but he refuses to dwell on the past.
The Wales international rejoined home-town club Wrexham, where he started his career, last summer and began the 2025-26 Championship season as first choice goalkeeper after getting the nod over Arthur Okonkwo.
But in just the fourth league game of the campaign, the 32-year-old dislocated an elbow in the 2-0 win at Millwall on August 30 and required surgery.
That meant a long-lay off for Ward who was out of action until the new year but still had to bide his time with Okonkwo helping the Reds challenge for a play-off spot.
Ward returned to the side for the final four games as the Reds missed out on a top-six finish by just two points and although he missed a lot of the season, the stopper prefers to focus on the future.
"It was just one of those things, it couldn't be helped. There's no point looking back on it now," said Ward, who is in the Wales squad for tonight's friendly against World Cup-bound Ghana at The Cardiff City Stadium.
"As a group, we've come a long way this season. Arthur came in and was brilliant all season.
"We've had boys who've come in and out of the team at crucial times who have all individually made a big contribution and it was just pleasing for me to get back out there.
"You want to be part of that success and it's tough not being part of that, but it would be way more tough if the team weren't producing performances and winning games and being up at the end of the table we want to be at.
"You take the rough with the smooth, it's behind me now.
"It's been eye-opening, an experience I've never had before in my career but one that we all take something from, we move on and it's gone now."
Ward, who made his first appearance in more than seven months when he was selected ahead of Okonkwo for the 2-0 win against Stoke City at The Racecourse on April 18, says there were a lot of lows during his time on the treatment table.
"Obviously you're going to be sore and it was really tough physically," he added.
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"People just think you lie around on the treatment table and have a nice massage, but it's a lot of pain and it's tough.
"On top of that, it's the 'what if that hadn't happened, how could you have dealt with that?'
"I'm really lucky here that we've got brilliant medical staff and there was a couple of boys who were with me all the way through with long-term injuries, and if I was having a bad day, the lads would get round me and vice versa.
"It is difficult but we've got a real good changing room and whether you're in the team or out of the team, whoever it is, we've got a real good group in there.
"We don't get too high, don't get too low and we always push each other because ultimately, we all want to go the same way and that's upwards."
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