Cardiff City has announced that goalkeeping coach Gavin Ward will leave the club this summer, ending a two-year tenure that saw the Bluebirds return to the Championship.

The 54-year-old has deep roots in South Wales, having made 59 appearances for Cardiff as a player between 1989 and 1993. During that spell, Ward helped the club secure the Division Three title and the Welsh Cup in the 1992/93 season before moving on to Leicester City.

After hanging up his gloves in 2011, Ward built an impressive coaching resume with stints at Shrewsbury Town, Nottingham Forest, and Queens Park Rangers. He returned to Cardiff in September 2024 as interim goalkeeping coach under then-manager Omer Riza.

When the club was relegated to League One last season, Ward's future looked uncertain. But the appointment of manager Barry-Murphy proved pivotal, with Ward retained as part of the backroom staff. The move paid off handsomely as Cardiff mounted an immediate promotion challenge.

The Bluebirds secured their return to the Championship at the first attempt, anchored by a formidable defense that kept 17 clean sheets. Much of that success came with goalkeeper Nathan Trott between the posts, though his future remains up in the air following the end of his loan spell. Cardiff remains hopeful of making that move permanent.

As the club now focuses on building on a successful campaign, Ward steps away, closing another chapter in his long association with Cardiff City. It's a departure that marks the end of an era for a man who has worn both the goalkeeper gloves and the coaching whistle for the Bluebirds.