Helen Ward insisted she couldn’t have hoped for a better conclusion to her illustrious playing career than last Saturday’s FA WNL play-off final victory (May 20), which sealed the Golden Girls’ immediate promotion back to the Barclays Women’s Championship.

The 37-year-old had announced that she would be hanging up her boots at the end of the 2022/23 season back in March, and immediately then set her sights on signing off in style.

Though an unused substitute in the Stadium MK showpiece against Nottingham Forest – that saw Poppy Wilson head the Hornets to glory – Ward more than played her part in the team’s success, topping the scoring chart with 18 goals in 25 appearances in all competitions throughout the campaign.

“I couldn’t have wished for a better end to the season and a final send-off, it’s been absolutely perfect,” Ward told BBC Radio Wales, after proudly lifting the coveted play-off final trophy aloft alongside Megan Chandler at full-time in Milton Keynes.

“It’s amazing, I’m just so proud, not just today but for the whole season. It would’ve been nice to have got on the pitch, but the opportunity didn’t come up and that’s just football.

“Today isn’t about me, it’s about Watford and what we’ve done as a club. I’ll take a 1-0 win and not getting on the pitch any day because it means my club is back in the Championship, where it deserves to be.

“I feel like I’ve done my part and I’ve enjoyed some incredible moments over the years. It’s been absolutely unbelievable.”

Having broken the record to become Wales’ all-time leading goalscorer and hit the net over 160 times in yellow across 22 seasons in senior women’s football, Ward explained how she used her experience to aid Watford’s progression from the FA WNL Southern Premier Division, particularly after the final-day heartbreak of relegation last term.

And though she admitted the thought of not having to prepare for a gruelling pre-season ahead of 2023/24 is a little strange, the former Arsenal, Chelsea and Reading striker is looking forward to keeping a close eye on the Golden Girls’ future fortunes from the other side of the white line.

She added: “You go through ups and downs as a player, and I’ve just been trying to use those experiences to help my teammates as we’ve got a fairly young squad.

“I’ve just tried to help them along the way when needed, but most of the time they’ve taken it upon their shoulders and they’ve dealt with everything that’s been thrown at them.

“We sort of put those demons of last year to bed [relegation], and to bounce back up at the first ask is amazing. I’m so proud of this club and everybody involved in it.

“I think things have been building up over the last couple of years [towards retirement], but particularly over the last couple of months since I announced it. But the thought of not turning up for the first day of pre-season in July is amazing!”