FORMER City striker Lawrence Whelan "Polly" Ward has died at the age of 91.

Ward spent six years at Valley Parade just after World War Two, and after a spell at King's Lynn, he had four seasons leading the line for Bradford (Park Avenue) too.

The diminutive Ward was just 5ft 3in, and struggled to break into the game initially, rejected by Leeds, Hull, Halifax and Avenue as a teenager.

But he was snapped up by City manager David Steele, who previously had him on schoolboy forms at Huddersfield, in November 1948.

He made his first-team debut for the Bantams just weeks later, on Christmas Day against Oldham.

Ward went on to hit 42 goals during his 156 appearances for City, with 37 of those coming in Division Three North and the other five in the FA Cup.

The little striker was the club's top scorer in the 1951-52 season, with 12 goals to his name.

He left City to join King's Lynn in August 1954, but only left Bradford for a year, coming back to the city to play for Avenue.

The club played alongside the Bantams in Division Three North when Ward arrived, but while City stayed in the third tier following a league reorganisation in 1958, Avenue were demoted to Division Four.

Ward had a respectable goalscoring record for Avenue, netting 31 times in 108 league appearances.

He left at the age of 30 to return to non-league football with Nelson.