Andros Darryl Townsend (born 16 July 1991) is an English footballer who plays as a winger for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and for the England national team. A product of the Spurs academy, Townsend had loan spells with nine different clubs before gaining a regular first team place for Spurs in the 2013–14 season.
He has represented England at under-16, under-17, under-19, under-21 and senior level. On 11 October 2013, he scored on his senior debut for England in a 4–1 victory against Montenegro.
Early career and loans
Townsend joined the Tottenham Hotspur academy at the age of eight.[3] In March 2009, he went on loan to Yeovil Town,[4] making his football league debut against Milton Keynes Dons alongside fellow Spurs academy player Jonathan Obika.[5] He made ten appearances and scored one goal for Yeovil as they avoided relegation.[6] Then in August 2009, he went on a month's loan to Leyton Orient.[7]
On 22 August he scored, having run 70 yards past three Yeovil players
and side-stepping another before blasting past the goalkeeper.[8] At the end of August, Townsend's loan at Orient was extended until 31 December, after which he returned to White Hart Lane.[9]
On 14 January 2010, Townsend was signed on loan by the Milton Keynes
Dons until the end of the season. He was recalled by Tottenham after two
months due to injuries.[10]
On 12 August 2010, Townsend signed on a season-long loan for Ipswich Town.[11] He made his debut for Ipswich against Burnley two days later and on 4 December scored his first goal for Ipswich with a header against Swansea City. The loan spell was ended weeks later when Harry Redknapp recalled him because he had not been playing regularly enough.[12]
On 9 January 2011, Townsend marked his Spurs debut by scoring and being voted Man of the Match in a third round FA Cup tie at White Hart Lane against Charlton Athletic.[13]
On 20 January 2011, Townsend joined Watford on loan until the end of the season,[14] making his debut two days later away at Cardiff City. Watford terminated the loan on 23 February, just one month into the loan.[15]
On 7 March, Townsend signed a loan deal to take him to Millwall until the end of the season.[16] He scored an equalising goal against Coventry City from 20 yards out, but the game was later lost 2–1. In April, Townsend made two assists in Millwall's 3–2 victory over Leeds United; after the game he said he would be happy to stay at the club beyond his loan spell.[17] His form for Milwall resulted in an upturn of form for the side who narrowly missed out on the playoffs.
In the 2011–12 season, Townsend was a regular in the Spurs first team for their UEFA Europa League campaign, making six appearances in the competition. On 15 December 2011, Townsend scored his second goal for Spurs, against Shamrock Rovers, curling in a shot from outside the box.[18] In December 2011, Townsend was linked with a loan move to Queens Park Rangers.[19] On 23 December, he signed a new contract at Spurs taking him up until the end of the 2016 season.[20]
On 1 January 2012, Townsend joined Leeds United on loan until the end of the season.[21] He made his debut for the club the next day in their 2–1 victory against Burnley, where he received the man of the match award,[22] and scored his first Leeds goal in their 3–2 win against Doncaster Rovers on 18 February.[23] On 23 February, Townsend returned to Tottenham, his agent saying he was unhappy at Leeds.[24]
The following day, Townsend joined Championship club Birmingham City on a youth loan until the end of the season.[25] He went straight into the starting eleven for Birmingham's next match, a 2–1 defeat at home to Nottingham Forest.[26]
On 26 September 2012, Townsend scored a fine individual goal for Spurs in a 3–0 victory against Carlisle United in the third round of the League Cup.[27]
On 31 January 2013, Townsend and Tottenham team-mate Jermaine Jenas joined Queens Park Rangers, Townsend on loan, Jenas on a permanent deal; they linked up with former Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp.[28] Townsend made his debut two days later against Norwich City in a goalless draw where he was named man of the match.[29] He scored his first goal for the club on 9 March, with a dipping volley from outside the penalty area in a 3–1 win at home to Sunderland,[30] and scored again in the next game, against Aston Villa.[31]
First team breakthrough at Tottenham
Townsend started the 2013–14 season well,[citation needed] playing in victories over Crystal Palace, Swansea City and Dinamo Tbilisi; he scored and made two assists in the latter.[32] He scored his first Premier League goal for Spurs away at Aston Villa on 20 October 2013, in a game which the Spurs won 2-0.[33]
International
Townsend represented England at under-16, under-17 and under-19 level. He played three times for the under-16s between 2006 and 2007, making his debut in a 1–1 draw away with Wales on 20 October 2006 and his last appearance in a 2–0 away loss to Germany in April 2007.[34] He scored twice on his under-17 debut, in a 6–1 win over Northern Ireland in August 2007,[35] and went on to make six appearances, the last in a 0–0 draw with Portugal on 5 February 2008.[34]
Townsend received his first call up to the England under-21 team in October 2012 for the Euro 2013 play-off matches against Serbia.[36] He made his debut in the first leg as a 65th-minute substitute for Liverpool's Raheem Sterling.[37]
In May 2013, Townsend was charged by the Football Association over alleged breaches of its rules on betting. He subsequently withdrew from England's squad for the Euro 2013 finals.[38]
Townsend received his first call-up to the senior England squad in September 2013, for the World Cup qualifiers against Moldova and Ukraine.[39] He made his senior debut in the starting eleven against Montenegro
on 11 October. He was involved in England's first goal in a 4–1 win,
scored the third with a "low swerving finish" from outside the penalty
area after 78 minutes, and was named man of the match.[40]
Personal life
Townsend is of Cypriot and Jamaican descent.[41] He is from Chingford, and a lifetime Tottenham fan.[3] He attended Rush Croft Sports College.[6]
When he was 10 years old, his older brother Kurtis was killed in a car crash at the age of 18.[3]
Andros Townsend was filmed singing the song Stand By Me by Ben E. King with the rest of the Tottenham youth players in the dressing room, which became a popular internet video
 Townsend playing for Watford in 2011 |
|||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Andros Darryl Townsend | ||
| Date of birth | 16 July 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | Leytonstone, London, England[1] | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in)[2] | ||
| Playing position | Winger | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Tottenham Hotspur | ||
| Number | 17 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2000–2009 | Tottenham Hotspur | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2009– | Tottenham Hotspur | 18 | (1) |
| 2009 | → Yeovil Town (loan) | 10 | (1) |
| 2009 | → Leyton Orient (loan) | 22 | (2) |
| 2010 | → Milton Keynes Dons (loan) | 9 | (2) |
| 2010 | → Ipswich Town (loan) | 13 | (1) |
| 2011 | → Watford (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 2011 | → Millwall (loan) | 11 | (2) |
| 2012 | → Leeds United (loan) | 6 | (1) |
| 2012 | → Birmingham City (loan) | 15 | (0) |
| 2013 | → Queens Park Rangers (loan) | 12 | (2) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2006–2007 | England U16 | 3 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | England U17 | 6 | (2) |
| 2009–2010 | England U19 | 6 | (0) |
| 2012–2013 | England U21 | 3 | (0) |
| 2013– | England | 4 | (1) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17:53, 8 December 2013 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 17:53, 8 December 2013 (UTC) | |||
