Stephen Ward has derby experience

Stephen Ward has warned Wolves' derby newcomers not to 'play the occasion' against Albion but stressed his team-mates must go the extra mile.

The Irishman is the veteran of five Black Country derbies and has tasted the pain of defeat as well as the sweet smell of victory.

Ironically, the one man guaranteed a place by Mick McCarthy in Sunday's line-up after his man of the match performance against Birmingham has not been beaten on the two occasions he started - the Jay Bothroyd-inspired 1-0 win in March 2007 and the 0-0 draw at the Hawthorns eight months later when Wayne Hennessey saved Zoltan Gera's penalty.

But, as a second-half substitute, he also remembers the pain of losing 3-0 in the FA Cup and then in the two-legged play-off semi-finals the same season.

"You have to be ready to go that extra mile in these games because, with the atmosphere and how passionate the fans are, it definitely rubs off on the players," said Ward.

"But I also think there needs to be a sense of calm among the players. You can't allow the atmosphere to take control of how we play the game.

"We can't be flying into tackles that might make it easy for them to play through us.

"We have to be as calm as we can but also ensure that everyone who goes into the game realises how massive the game is and how highly contested these matches are."

McCarthy said earlier in the week that those players who have experienced a derby — Ward is one of six who may figure in the Wolves team with Hennessey, Kevin Foley, George Elokobi, Matt Jarvis and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake - have a role in 'acclimatising' their newer team-mates to the Black Country showdown.

And the likeable Dubliner agrees.

"We've got to make sure everyone's on their toes," he said.

"The players that have played in them before will have to re-iterate a few times how big every kick in this game is.

"I don't think the others might realise how big the game is until they walk out on Sunday morning and feel the atmosphere and see how every ball is contested.

"Every touch is either a cheer or a boo from the fans, depending which side they're on. For a lot of the lads, it might be the first time they've played in one of these games and they'll see how much it means to the fans.

"So you have a word on the training pitch to remind them how frantic it's going to be.

"But they've all played in big games and Nenad Milijas has played in a World Cup - there's nothing bigger than that."

At the same time, it is a chance for players to become a lifelong derby hero.

"If one of them can pop up with the winner then I'm sure they'll remember this derby for as long as they live," he added.

"Players wonder why they're told by supporters on day one 'make sure you beat Albion' and a few of the foreign lads said 'is it a big game?'

"But I think they realise now and they certainly will on Sunday.

"We want to win it for the fans as much as we want to win it for ourselves. Ultimately, we're all in it together because we all want the club to be in the Premier League.

"And there's no better game for us to win and build on a good run than on Sunday."

Ward, who played in his first Black Country derby two days after signing from Bohemians, admits now the derby 'feeling' took him by surprise.

"I never knew how big it was until I was here," he said.

"There was so much hype around the game and, to me, it's one of the best games I've ever had the privilege of playing in.

"The atmosphere is fantastic and you can see how much it means to both sets of fans and that rubs off on the players.

"I don't think any one of our fans or theirs could say that when the fixtures came out, the first one they didn't look for was the first Black Country derby. It's a massive game and one I'm really looking forward to.

"You try to stay as calm as you can and think of it as any other game, but it's hard when you see fans around and they say 'make sure you beat Albion on Sunday'."