Express & Star

Conor Townsend back at West Brom and eager for more

He has tasted a sample of life in the Premier League after scoring his first Albion goal in the win at West Ham.

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Conor Townsend of West Bromwich Albion celebrates after scoring a goal to make it 0-1.

But just four years ago life was very different for Conor Townsend – with the defender happy to admit he’d fallen out of love with the beautiful game.

Born and breed in Yorkshire, Townsend came through the youth ranks at Hull and went on to enjoy successful loan stints at Grimsby, Chesterfield, Carlisle and Dundee.

But aged 22, Townsend found himself at a loose end.

Despite being in and around the first-team, Townsend struggled to get playing time at Hull with the club splashing the cash in a bid to stay in the Premier League.

And despite having enjoyed successful spells in League Two, League One and the Scottish Premier League, there weren’t too many clubs knocking on the door to sign Townsend on loan.

“I’d worked my way up, gone Conference, League Two, League One and SPL and felt I’d done well and then I got to the point where I was 22 and struggling to get a loan,” the defender said.

“I was in and around it at Hull, but I was never really that close (to the first-team).

“So I dropped right back down and joined Grimsby again.

“To be honest I just wanted to start enjoying my football.

“I wouldn’t say I was in a dark place, but I did feel like I didn’t want to play football anymore, nobody wants me and I’m not enjoying it.

“It was difficult but I took the leap and dropped right back down to the Conference.

“The standard of football isn’t great there but I loved it, I was back playing and back in amongst it.

“It turned it around and I’ve gone on from there.”

Townsend is now part of an Albion side battling to get into the Premier League.

But while they currently sit top of the Championship, they travel to take on Cardiff tonight having failed to win in their last six league outings.

On Saturday, though, they comfortably beat Premier League West Ham to secure a place in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

And Townsend says that win has helped lift the mood in the camp ahead of the clash against the Bluebirds.

“We have got confidence in ourselves that we have the players to win the league, or at the very least win promotion,” the 26-year-old continued.

“That has always been our aim.

“West Ham reminded us that we can do it, that we have got the squad and players to do it. Now we just need to crack on in the league.

“I think over the course of a season you are going to get a bad patch of results.

“Ideally we wouldn’t have had one.

“But over the course of a season you are bound to get one and we are all working really hard to turn it around.

“Sometimes when things aren’t going for you, they just aren’t going for you.

“Now we need to turn in a performance like we did at West Ham.

“We know we can do it, we just need to turn up and do it.”

Townsend admitted he was delighted to net his first Baggies goal in the win at West Ham.

Typically for a defender, though, he was just as thrilled with the team’s overall performance and a clean sheet.

“It’s nice to get a goal and to contribute,” Townsend continued.

“It seemed like I had more time than I thought.

“I took a touch and things seemed to open up so I just thought ‘why not?’ and it’s gone in.

“But I thought the defensive performance from the team, especially when we went down to 10 men, was really good.

“It was nice to get the winner but the performance was most important.

“We know we have got the players and the ability in the dressing room to do that.”

Townsend admits the win at the London Stadium has made him even more determined to reach the Premier League.

“It gives us a goal for next season, we want to be winning games at grounds like that every week.”