Ashley Ward is relishing the prospect of playing in the Premiership again with Bradford City.

The lure of top flight football was a major factor in the 29-year-old striker's decision to leave First Division Blackburn Rovers for Valley Parade in a £1.5million deal.

It is nine days since City agreed the fee with Blackburn, but since then the player has been negotiating with his club on the issue of severance pay - money due to him under his contract if he left without asking for a transfer.

There was also a hiccup on Thursday night when Ward appeared to reject City's offer of personal terms after a meeting with chairman Geoffrey Richmond and manager Chris Hutchings.

However, Ward said: "After the meeting I asked for time to think about it overnight. I did and decided I wanted to come here.

"I was on the phone to the chairman before 9am because I knew the deal would have to be done quickly for me to be involved with the team at Liverpool today."

He added: "The club did well to survive in the Premiership last season and I watched the last match on TV when they beat Liverpool to stay up. What a difference winning that last game meant to Bradford City because it means the club can build again in the top division.

"Since then they have brought in new players. It is great to sign people like Dan Petrescu and Benito Carbone and the other new boys are good solid signings with Premiership experience.

"I want to progress as a player, Bradford is a big city and the club want to progress."

Manchester-born Ward joined Blackburn at Christmas 1998 from Barnsley in a £4.5m deal, but things did not work out at Ewood Park.

He said: "I signed for Blackburn when Brian Kidd was manager because I thought they were going to be a force in the Premiership for a number of years.

"Although they were then bottom of the table, I thought they were the best club to join, but they went down at the end of that season and since I joined them I have played under three different managers.

"I spoke to Graeme Souness in the summer and he said I wasn't one of the players he was wanting to sell, but when Bradford came in for me it was too good an opportunity to turn down. The Premiership is the place to be."

Hutchings said: "I am delighted to get him. It has dragged on a little bit, but we have got our man in the end."

lStriker Dean Saunders, needing one cap to break the record for an outfield player, was named in the Wales squad for their World Cup qualifying match against Belarus in Minsk on Saturday, September 2.

Defender Andy O'Brien is in the Republic of Ireland Under-21 squad to meet Holland in the European Championship qualifier at Nijmegen the day before.