‘I’d love to see him back with us, but he’s clearly ready for a step up.’
Jed Ward of Yeovil Town is beaten by a Southport penalty during the Isuzu FA Trophy match between Southport and Yeovil Town at Haig Avenue, Southport on 28 February 2026 (Photo: Steve Flynn/PPAUK)(Image: Steve Flynn/PPAUK)
Five first-team players for Bristol Rovers are currently out on loan – Kamil Conteh, Isaac Hutchinson, Jed Ward, Ryan Howley, and Ollie Dewsbury.
Ward is a Rovers academy graduate and has played 42 times for his boyhood club, including 18 appearances in last season’s League One relegation campaign.
In August 2025, the 22-year-old joined Yeovil Town on a season-long loan. This is his sixth loan since 2022, with spells at Swindon Supermarine, Prescot Cables, Hungerford Town, Wealdstone, and Forest Green Rovers.
Despite Yeovil being 16th in the National League with two games to go, Ward has impressed for the Glovers, with penalty shootout heroics in consecutive rounds of the FA Trophy against Maidstone United and Alvechurch.
At Rovers, it’s been a topsy-turvy season for the two goalkeepers – Luke Southwood and Brad Young. Southwood started the season as the number one under Darrell Clarke before Young replaced the former Bolton shot-stopper in mid-January under Steve Evans.
Since becoming a regular in the starting lineup in January, Young has been one of the standout performers for the Gas, and going into next season, it’s hard to see a world where he is not Rovers’ number one.
So, where does this leave Ward? To try and get a more complete assessment of the 22-year-old’s loan so far, though, we’ve caught up with the Gloverscast’s Ian Perkins….
READ MORE: Bristol Rovers ‘breeding a winning culture’ but ‘we were the better team’ says Crawley bossREAD MORE: ‘It will be my decision’ – Steve Evans on Ellis Harrison and the possibility of a new contractHow has Jed Ward fared during his loan spell at Yeovil Town
Jed has been fantastic this season. He’s kept us in games throughout the campaign, pulling off save after save. He’s been a consistent calming presence on the pitch and I dread to think where we’d be if we hadn’t had him with us for the season.
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Is Jed Ward a contender for Yeovil’s Player of the Season?
If he doesn’t win it he can feel hard done by. He has won the majority of the Gloverscast man of the match polls and although Luke McCormick and James Daly have been excellent, they’ve missed big chunks of the season through injury where Jed hasn’t.
(Image: Steve Flynn/PPAUK)
Can you tell me about Jed Ward’s penalty shootout heroics in the FA Trophy?
I can’t recall having a such confidence when faced with penalties as a supporter. His shootout performances we’re brilliant and he did give credit to the analysts but make no mistake, without his heroics we could have exited the Trophy at the first hurdle.
Where do you see Jed Ward playing his football next season?
I’d love to see him back with us, but he’s clearly ready for a step up. Based on what we’ve seen of him I’d say he’s ready for League Two. He plays and carries himself well beyond his years that you forget he’s only 22.
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What do you think Jed Ward needs to improve on?
It’s hard to say, we’ve not seen any major flaws at all. He’s had four different managers at Yeovil Town this season each with different ideas.
Since Billy Rowley took over, Ward has been encouraged to be a modern keeper, coming out and taking the ball from defenders and passing the ball out. If there’s one thing you could say to improve on it would be his longer distribution in those moments to beat the press.
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