Conor Townsend became Ipswich Town’s sixth summer signing last week. Stuart Watson takes a look at the left-back's career and qualities.
LEAVING HULL
Conor Townsend shares something with fellow new Ipswich Town signing Jacob Greaves. Not only are they both left-footed defenders, but both grew up just outside of Hull and came through the youth ranks at their hometown club.
Townsend had a brief spell in Leeds’ academy as a young boy, as well as a trial at Man City, before joining the Tigers at the age of eight. He worked his way through the age groups, turned professional under Nigel Pearson, but wasn’t quite able to break into the first team set-up.
Over the course of a four-year period (2011 to 2015) he had progressive loan spells away, playing under Paul Hurst at Grimsby (National League), Paul Cook at Chesterfield (League Two), a string of managers at Carlisle (League One), Jackie McNamara at Dundee United (Scottish Premier League) and Mark Robins at Scunthorpe (League One).
He says he improved physically playing in the lower leagues and grew as a person off the field.
HAPPY WITH HURST
Hull handed Townsend a new one-year deal in the summer of 2015 with a view to cashing in given Andy Robertson occupied the left-back slot for Steve Bruce’s freshly-relegated Championship club at that time. A move didn’t materialise though.
Reflecting on that period, Townsend said: “No one wanted to take me, I was training with the reserves – not even the first team – and for two or three months I fell out of love with the game. That’s the first time I had ever felt that way.
“But then Grimsby, who still had the manager (Paul Hurst) from my first time there, rang me up. I ‘ummed and ahhed’ about going back down to the Conference having worked my way up. Every year I’d gone up a level and that felt a little like I was back to square one. But I thought I’d go and play, see what happens.
“It’s mad how one little loan spell can change everything. It got me back enjoying my football.”
MADE OF IRON
With six months left of his contract to go, Townsend was allowed to join former loan club Scunthorpe United on a free transfer in January 2016.
He was reunited with manager Mark Robins at the League One club early in the winter transfer window only for the latter to be sacked 10 days later. Graham Alexander was appointed in the March and Iron finished the season with a bang to end up just outside the play-offs.
Townsend proved to be a key player for Scunthorpe over the next two seasons as a talented young side pushed for a return to the Championship. Finishes of third and fifth were followed by play-off semi-final defeats to eventual winners Millwall and Rotherham.
Off the back of that, Duane Holmes and Murray Wallace were snapped up by Championship duo Derby and Millwall respectively. Townsend also stepped up to the second-tier...
BAGGIES WIN THE RACE
Two of Townsend’s former loan bosses – Adkins and Hurst – tried to bring him to Hull and Ipswich respectively that summer. Chairman Peter Swann labelled the rejected bids – said to be in the region of £250-400k – as ‘rubbish’ and insisted 'there's a lot of teams wanting players cheap’.
In the end, it was Darren Moore’s West Brom, just down from the Premier League, that got the deal done for a reported £750k.
"As soon as I knew Albion were interested in me it was always the place I wanted to go,” said Townsend.
In his debut season at the Hawthorns, Townsend found his game-time limited due to the form of Kieran Gibbs. The Baggies, who controversially sacked Moore in March, finished fourth before losing to Aston Villa in the play-off semis.
Meanwhile, Hurst was sacked after 15 games and Ipswich were ultimately relegated. Jonas Knudsen, Myles Kenlock and January loan signing Callum Elder shared the left-back minutes that season. Hull, who signed Jordy de Wijs for the left-back slot, finished 13th.
'SURREAL’ TASTE OF PREMIER
Gibbs’ recurring hamstring problems opened the door for Townsend at the start of 2020. Then, after a long-awaited run of starts in January/February, the season was suspended due to Covid. Upon resumption, promotion was secured.
In the second game of the Premier League season, Gibbs was sent-off for slapping Everton’s James Rodriguez in the face during a 5-2 defeat. Townsend again took his chance and made the left-back role his own.
“He’s a very composed player, and he’s a player who doesn’t need a couple of games to get into the rhythm. When you put him in, he’s straight on it. He’s very confident, clever and intelligent. He has a top left foot and I’m very happy with him,” said boss Slaven Bilic. That's very encouraging to read from an Ipswich perspective given that one injury/suspension to Leif Davis could see him called upon at a moment's notice.
Bilic described Townsend’s knee injury in early December 2020 as ‘a big blow’ given his form. Sam Allardyce replaced the Croatian in the hot seat later that month and put Townsend back in the team as soon as he could.
The Baggies were relegated, but Townsend was a player who emerged from that campaign with a decent amount of credit. A highlight was a teasing cross for Mbaye Diagne’s headed goal that salvaged a point against Wolves in the Black Country derby.
Reflecting on a season in which he started games at the likes of Man United, Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal, he said: “It was a really surreal time playing in the Premier League without crowds.”
With 25 top-flight appearances to his name (all starts), Townsend becomes Ipswich’s second most experienced Premier League player (2,235 minutes) behind Ben Johnson (3,649 mins), and just ahead of Axel Tuanzebe (1,401 mins).
‘CONOR CARLOS’
Townsend started out as a left-winger in youth football before being moved back because, “I don’t think I was ever really quick enough.”
He’s always retained an attacking instinct from left-back though, saying: “It’s a really demanding position now, it’s a lot more attacking than it used to be. Getting forward just suits me more as a player.”
At the start of the 2021/22 season, playing in a wing-back role under new boss Valérien Ismaël, he produced assists in draws against Bournemouth and Millwall (both high crosses for headed finishes). A Man of the Match display in a 1-0 home win against Birmingham followed and West Brom fans playfully started making comparisons with Brazilian icon Roberto Carlos on social media.
“I think my form at the moment is certainly up there in terms of playing the best football of my career,” he said. “I set a standard for myself in the Premier League last season and I feel like I’ve just carried on from there.
“It makes me laugh when I see the ‘Conor Carlos’ name thrown around on social media. It’s obviously tongue-in-cheek. I think I need to score more goals before we start mentioning Roberto Carlos and I in the same sentence!”
A new four-year contract was soon signed. Townsend started 43 games that season as West Brom, who replaced Ismaël with Steve Bruce in February, finished 10th.
Townsend, whose arrowed finish from the edge of the box had knocked West Ham out of the FA Cup in January 2020, did finally score his first West Brom league goal in January 2023, side-footing high into the net at the far post to seal a 3-2 comeback win at Luton. Further goals followed against Watford (a scrambled finish at a corner) and Norwich (a bending free-kick into the top corner).
He has 13 goals and 37 assists to his name over 408 career appearances.
LEADERSHIP QUALITIES
Townsend was a mainstay for West Brom over the last two seasons as Carlos Corberan’s men finished ninth and fifth in the Championship.
He was part of a defence that conceded only 47 goals in 46 league games last season (only Leicester and Leeds had a better record). He was also a member of the club’s ‘leadership group’ alongside Jed Wallace, Kyle Bartley, Alex Palmer and Matt Phillips and stood in as temporary captain on several occasions.
Ipswich needed to add some low maintenance, standard-setting, experienced squad players to the group following the exits of Kayden Jackson, Janoi Donacien, Dominic Ball and Lewis Travis.
Blues boss Kieran McKenna has always been keen to point out how important those type of players are to developing the culture at the club.
LOVER NOT A FIGHTER!
Townsend has picked up, on average, three bookings a season for the last eight seasons. That’s something he’s had to work at.
He was given his marching orders for a flailing elbow at Chesterfield and dismissed for two bookings in the space of three minutes at Carlisle.
“When I was younger I had a lot more of an edge, but it did boil over,” he admits. “I was getting booked quite a bit and I had to reign it in. I thought, ‘I can’t keep getting sent off.’ I’m not sure what was causing that streak in me because I’m a lover, not a fighter!
“I think when I was younger I was just trying to prove myself in men’s football and that I could live up to the physical challenge of it. It’s pretty brainless if you get sent off though.
“Don’t forget I played a bit of rugby growing up - I actually prefer watching Rugby League than football. All my brothers played rugby and my best mate was England captain at Under-16s level.”
STU’S VERDICT
The first thing to say is that this is not a signing to be underwhelmed by. Stop and think for a minute. Ipswich Town are now paying £500k to sign a back-up left-back. That would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.
There’s no doubt that Town needed more depth in this position. It’s remarkable, really, that Leif Davis was able to churn out 43 starts last season given the amount of ground he covers every game. Fingers crossed he can do that again, but it’s certainly prudent to have proper back-up. Townsend, an always ready player whose game is a good mix of attack and defence, is certainly that.
Even if he does not end up playing much this season, Townsend's experience and leadership qualities could be valuable off the field. The father of two seems the type of humble/grounded personality who will throw himself into the community side of the club too.
Thinking further ahead, there’s a chance (and I obviously hope neither of these things happen) that Ipswich could be relegated this season and that the club will have to cash in on Davis next summer given, as it stands, he is effectively contracted until 2026. Townsend, who turns 32 next March, would be a ready-made top-end Championship replacement.
Not every signing can set the pulse racing. For me, this deal represents a really smart bit of business.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel