EMMET MALONEtalks to Ireland's left-back who is looking forward to Poland after a wretched Premier season

THERE ARE, of course, many contenders for the title “first rule in football”, and while in Dublin yesterday Roy Keane nominated “never underestimate yourselves” as his personal choice.

Not too far away at the Aviva Stadium, where he was launching the FAI’s latest round of summer soccer schools, Stephen Ward was endorsing the former Manchester United legend’s ‘rule’.

When asked who he reckoned would win Euro 2012, he briefly mentioned the Republic of Ireland before reluctantly conceding it may not come to pass, instead plumping for the Netherlands.

Ward, it turns out, is a natural choice to champion the summer schools, which are for the next three years to be sponsored by e-flow, the barrier-free tolling people. As a young boy he attended the schools himself and yesterday seemed to have nothing but positive memories of his experiences, insisting that they provided an enjoyable and educational alternative to “kicking a ball against a wall”.

It is no surprise that Ward’s parents, like many others, were supportive of their son’s desire to improve himself as a footballer, although it came as a bit of a land to learn the Dubliner skipped the odd fifth-year exam in 2002 to follow the boys in green on the telly at the World Cup finals in Japan and South Korea.

Giovanni Trapattoni and his squad of players would doubtless advise youngsters against forsaking their education in order to cheer the team on in Poland next month. However, none of them will be looking forward to the tournament quite as much as Ward, who will head to Poznan and Gdansk having endured a wretched season at club level with his relegated Wolverhampton Wanderers side.

“First and foremost, I think if we can get out of the group, then it would be a fantastic achievement. But if we can get out of that, then anything can happen, it all depends on who gets out of the other groups,” says Ward.

“As I’ve said before, we’re a strong squad with a really, really experienced top manager; the way he has us playing and sets us up I think we can be a match for anyone. We just need to make sure that we’re still in contention going into that last game. If so then I feel we have a great chance of qualifying and going on to the next phase.”

Results, though, on the domestic front have been poor and morale, as a result, low. The only consolation being that while most of his team-mates will be left with little to do over the summer except contemplate life in the Championship, the four Irish Wolves players will be taking part in a major tournament.

After which, if things go well, some may have other avenues opening up for them. “Yeah, there is speculation about players leaving,” he acknowledges, “but a lot of us are still in contract and we feel that we have a bit of a debt to Wolves.”

However, some other unofficial rule of the game are “footballers want to play at the highest level”, “clubs don’t like paying Premier league wages to Championship players” and “new managers want to put their own stamp on a squad”. All three are likely to apply at Molineux over the coming months.

“It’s something I don’t really talk about at the minute,” insists Ward, “because the season isn’t even finished. I would never talk about leaving unless they came to me and said someone had put in an offer.

“For the moment, I’m happy there. I’m living there. I’m disappointed but if we can keep the core of the squad together we can come straight back up.”

Strong showings in Poland and hopefully Ukraine may provide options, especially for the likes of Stephen Hunt and Kevin Foley, who have been a little more peripheral at the club this year because of injuries.

Unlike Ward and Kevin Doyle neither of them are certain of making Trapattoni’s squad next Monday, but both seem likely to make the cut and Ward is confident that, when push comes to shove, all four will be on the plane bound for Poland.

“I think we’re all a bit nervous,” he says. “Although myself and Doyler have played a bit you still want that squad to come out and see your name in it. But I think Hunty will definitely be in it and so will Foley from what I feel anyway. It’s at the manager’s discretion but they’ve been great servants.

“Hunty plays all the time and Foles has done well as well. It would be really nice if all four of us get in and will be a boost after relegation. I feel we’ll all be there.”