Goalkeeper Nick Townsend has admitted that strong competition to be the number one shot-stopper at Newport County has been an instrumental factor in his recent form with the club.
Townsend joined the Exiles in August 2018 after a three-year spell with Barnsley. Since his switch to South Wales, the 29-year-old has made over 150 appearances for County and admits he will continue fighting to keep his place in the starting XI.
Having faced past competition from the likes of Joe Day, Tom King and now Jonny Maxted for a starting berth this season, the No.1 believes that the high-level of competition has allowed him to bring the best out of himself in recent times.
“I feel like my own personal performances this season have been alright,” began Townsend.
“There are, of course, some games that I should have done better in, but overall I feel like I’ve done alright and kept my place in the team.
“I wanted to get game time which I’ve got this season and I just want to finish the season strongly.
“Anyone who comes into the team wants to play to keep the shirt and play as much as they can. It’s been hard for me over the last few seasons because we’ve had such a good array of goalkeepers come through the club.
“It’s been hard to keep a place in the starting eleven but it’s a big mental challenge for me now. It’s about keeping my mind mentally on it during games which I feel like I’ve been improving on week in, week out.
“It’s been a challenge this season but in a different way to the outfield boys. We come up against a lot of things like the long travelling to games, especially with the likes of Wimbledon, Barrow and Colchester over the last few weeks.
“It’s a mental change but something that all players have to get through. This is what makes you stronger as a player and as a team.”
Saturday’s trip to Blundell Park is start of the Exiles run-in as the League Two campaign edges closer to it's completion.
And after securing just two wins in their last seven league matches, Townsend has reiterated the need for a strong finish starting with tomorrow’s trip to Cleethorpes.
“I think it’s important that we finish the season strong,” added Townsend.
“Considering how the season started and the cup run that we’ve had, we don’t want to the season to just filter out. We want to finish the season as high as we possibly can.
“We can’t think about the past with the last few games, we’ve got to look forward. The injuries have been difficult but we can’t do anything about them.
“The lads that have come in have all done a job and I think if you'd have told us that we'd be in the position that we are now at the start of the season, we would have probably bitten your hand off."
He finished: “It’s going to be difficult tomorrow. We as a club have been in that position before and we know what it’s like and for the fans.
“It’s going to be similar to the Colchester game where we’re going to have to battle, go man for man and system for system.
“At the same time, we’re fighting for ourselves and our own causes so we need to focus on ourselves.
“It’s going to be a challenge and a proper battle but we’ve just got to play our own game."