I played alongside three England stars…now I’m desperate to keep a clean sheet against Man Utd and spring FA Cup shock

NEWPORT keeper Nick Townsend is dreaming of keeping a clean sheet against Manchester United.

But he insists if he keeps Erik ten Hag’s superstars at bay with a wonder show, it is unlikely to top a save he made at MALDON & TIPTREE.

And asked if keeping United out will be the highlight of his career so far, he said: “No, keeping a clean sheet against Birmingham will always beat that!”

The lifelong Blues fan, who came through the ranks at St Andrew’s, shut them out in a 2-0 Championship win while at Barnsley in 2018.

And he rates a fingertip save over the bar he made against the non-leaguers in the FA Cup from Stephane Ngamvoulou in 2019 as one that will take some stopping – even though he has the likes of Marcus Rashford, Scott McTominay and Bruno Fernandes to contend with at Rodney Parade on Sunday.

He told SunSport: “It’ll be nice if I can add to my showreel of saves but even against United I'll struggle to beat the one I made at Maldon & Tiptree!

"I also made a great one against Doncaster the other week. But I have a feeling I might be in for a busy afternoon!”

Townsend hopes honing his skills with England keepers Joe Hart, Jack Butland and Ben Foster will stand him in good stead.

The Newport stopper rubbed shoulders with the Three Lions trio at various points during his time coming through the ranks at Birmingham.

He said: “I was 17 months younger than Butland but when I was about 13-14 we started working together on Tuesday nights. He looked after me.

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“But while I was at Birmingham we always had good keepers – there was Ben and Joe of course.

“Yet, because I was a similar age to Jack, I worked with him the most.

“His attitude and approach to everything was always spot on. It was just little things he did that I noticed, like how we cleaned his boots and gloves – it was done to perfection.

“He was dedicated to everything he did, which is what you need to be a keeper. All the one per cent extra details in attitude can be the difference between saving a shot or not. He has a superb mindset and was on it 24/7.

“And when I saw him progress the way he did, it motivated me because I could see a pathway to becoming a good keeper myself.”

Having the chance to work with and train alongside experienced top keepers such as Hart and Foster was also a huge confidence booster for Townsend at St Andrew’s.

Hart was at the club on loan for the 2009-10 season from Manchester City with the Blues in the Premier League – while Foster replaced him the following season with the club still in the top flight.

And Townsend said: “Joe was as mad as a hatter – but his whole ability was quite fresh in terms of keeping.

"He brought a new style to how goalies were, with his agility. You could tell he was a leader and full of character with all those when I came through.

“He’s still doing it at Celtic while Jack is at their Old Firm rivals . They were both great.

“The maddest of the lot was definitely Ben. He was so funny. I was a bit shy back then so didn’t get involved but he literally poked fun at everything. But for a youngster he was a great person to talk to.

“Yet when the pressure was on, he produced a top-drawer performance when we beat Arsenal in the League Cup final in 2011.” 

But today Townsend has the daunting task of trying to keep quiet some of the biggest names in football.

And he said: “United may have some great players but they’re just blokes like us and can make mistakes.

"They’ll be under pressure and I’m sure we’ll get chances. We’re all buzzing and can’t wait to test ourselves on the same stage as Manchester United.”

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