Ward shocked to score

Tranmere keeper Gavin Ward has admitted he was shocked to score on Saturday.

The veteran keeper was the toast of Prenton Park on Saturday, as his free kick from the edge of his own box skipped off the wet turf and ended up in the top corner of the Leyton Orient net.

Opposing keeper Glenn Morris was left with egg on his face, as his despairing touch made the ball live and allowed Ward to get his name on the scoresheet for the first time in his career - at the age of 36.

Ward admits he felt sorry for his opposite number and decided not to overdo his celebrations.

"I was a bit shocked and was thinking about their keeper and how I would feel, so I thought it would be out of order if I over celebrated," Ward told Sky Sports News.

"I just put my hands up in the air and my team-mates came to me and started going crazy."

Ward took the decision to console Morris after the game.

"Obviously I went to their keeper at the end of the game and consoled him a little bit," he added. "I just said it was one of those things, a fluke goal.

"It is once in a million and I told him to keep his head up."

Ward admits he was initially unsure if his effort would count.

"It has just taken off on the wet surface and I have just seen the keeper take off for it, he has touched it and it has ended up in the net," stated Ward.

"I looked at the referee straight away, he looked at the linesman who started running back so then I realised it was a goal because their keeper touched it."