Townsend's Euro inspiration

With our Europa League campaign set to start again in August, Andros Townsend has pinpointed last season’s early trip to Dinamo Tbilisi as a key turning point for him.

The 22-year-old winger marked his first appearance of the season with a fine first half goal in the first leg of our play-off round tie in Georgia last August, as we went on to record a comprehensive 8-0 aggregate win.

He subsequently established a regular place in our side and helped the England national team secure qualification for the World Cup, before injuries hampered his progress in the latter months of the campaign.

But as we anticipate a fresh European adventure in 2014-15, again starting in the play-off round in August, Andros has revealed how that early outing against Tbilisi gave him a solid base on which to build.

“The game against Dinamo Tbilisi in the Europa League was my chance,” he reflected.

“I got my opportunity, I scored a goal and got two assists. That showed I was good enough. I started the next game against Swansea, my first Premier League start for the Club, and the rest is history.”

By the end of the campaign, Andros had made 33 appearances in all competitions – and he says he’s ready to use that experience to his advantage in a bid to make an impact when the new season gets underway.

“I think I’ve progressed,” he added. “The more you play in the Premier League, the better you get. I’ve had to deal with teams doubling up on me, trying to frustrate me, but next season I hope to improve even more.”