Andros Townsend reflects on how his Tottenham career ended

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Andros Townsend left Tottenham Hotspur in January 2016.

Crystal Palace winger Andros Townsend has told The Players’ Tribune that he regrets the way he left Tottenham Hotspur almost four years ago.

Townsend has been speaking about the highs and lows of his career, including the tragic death of his brother Kurtis and his own addiction to gambling as a young player.

It’s an important read for anybody wanting to understand the life of a footballer, helping to learn about the human side of the game rather than just the players you see on the pitch.

Another emotional moment for Townsend was leaving Tottenham, a club he still regards as ‘his’ club having come up through the ranks with Spurs.

Townsend joined Spurs at the age of eight, and ended up notching 11 goals in 93 games for Tottenham before his relationship with the club turned a little sour.

After a Europa League tie with Anderlecht, in which Townsend was left on the bench by Mauricio Pochettino, Townsend was seen shoving fitness coach Nathan Gardiner in a heated spat.

Pochettino banished Townsend to the Under-21’s before selling him to Newcastle United, where he stayed for a matter of months before returning to London with Crystal Palace, where he remains now.

Townsend has now admitted that he ‘really regrets’ his actions, as he was simply frustrated at how his career was going with Spurs, admitting he was devastated that his time with the club was coming to an end – and hopes that Spurs fans remember more about him than just his spat with Gardiner.

“The saddest part for me, and the one thing I truly regret, is the way things ended at Spurs,” said Townsend. “Obviously, I was so frustrated, sitting on the bench, not getting a run out. When you see your time is coming to an end at a club, it’s horrible. If you’re a competitor, it makes you so angry. But when it’s your club, and it’s clearly the end.… Personally, I was devastated.”

“So I ended up taking my frustrations out on our fitness coach after a match. I was an unused sub that night, and we got into a little dispute, and I pushed him. I really regret it, because Spurs will always be my club, and I don’t want the supporters to remember me from that image,” he added.