GRAHAM Ward’s attitude to being left out of the Worcester City team has won praise from manager Richard Dryden.

Ward has started 11 games this season but was dropped in favour of Rob Davies on the right of midfield for Sat-urday’s 2-2 draw at Hampton and Richmond.

It was a move that may have surprised a few fans given that Ward was named player-of-the-month by supporters for September.

However, Dryden felt Davies, who replaced Ward in the FA Cup replay against AFC Telford, had earned his place in the team and gave him his chance.

Ward, an unused sub in London, could have thrown his toys out of the pram and sulked on the bench. Instead, he got straight on the pitch after the Blue Square South clash and went through his own training regime.

Dryden reckons it is typical of the Irishman and he was pleased at Ward’s reaction to being replaced by Davies.

The City manager said: “Graham was out there running and working hard after the game. I didn’t ask him to do it, he’s done it himself. He’s disappointed that he’s not playing but he’ll work hard to get back in.”

There is currently competition for places in sections of the City squad, with another example being between goalkeepers Ben Hinchliffe and Jake Meredith.

Although summer signing Meredith is nearing full fitness, Preston-based Hinchliffe has earned the right to be City’s number one keeper.

The 21-year-old has made 13 appearances since being drafted in as an emergency replacement and shows no sign of letting up in his form.

Dryden said: “Ben has done great. Jake is getting fitter all the time but Ben’s done nothing wrong and at the moment he has got the number one spot without a shadow of a doubt.”

Meanwhile, the author behind the biography of City legend Gerry Hitchens has told of his experiences in compiling the book.

Simon Goodyear’s work charting the life of the former England international, who scored 34 times in 72 games for the St George’s Lane club, has recently been published.

During his research, Goodyear was shown a DVD of film captured by Hitchens on a cine camera during the 1962 World Cup finals in Chile.

He says it provided a fascinating insight into how international football has changed.