NEW goalkeeper Nick Townsend insists he’s not joined Newport County AFC to be a back-up to established number one Joe Day.

Townsend became the 10th new arrival at Rodney Parade this summer when he signed a two-year deal on Friday.

The club did not receive clearance for him to feature in Saturday’s League Two opener at Mansfield until just three hours before kick-off.

The 23-year-old duly took his place on the bench and was an unused substitute as County went down to a 3-0 defeat at Field Mill.

But Townsend is adamant that he is here to challenge Day, who has been the undisputed first choice since arriving at the club in 2014.

“I’ve come here to hopefully push Joe Day and I think it is a good opportunity for me as well coming back into the Football League,” said the former Birmingham City and Barnsley stopper.

“I feel like I’ve got a lot to prove coming into this football club – I want to push Joe Day obviously and also push myself at the same time.

“If I need to start, then I’m happy to start. At the end of the day, this is what I have been training for since the start of pre-season.”

But, given that Day has made nearly 200 appearances in all competitions since joining the Exiles in 2014, Townsend is happy to bide his time.

He told iFollowExiles: “I’m planning to just take things game by game. I just need to keep my level of performance going, concentrate in every match and training session to make sure everything is right.

“I’ve obviously looked at that [Day’s statistics] and they are very impressive.

“That could intimidate some people because he’s the number one goalkeeper but like I said, I’ve come here to push him and push myself most importantly.

“It’s going to take a lot of hard work at the end of the day [to become the club’s number one]. That’s hard-work on and off the pitch – all that really.

“I’m sure it’ll be a good competition between us, we’ll push each other on and off the pitch to make us better goalkeepers.”

South Wales Argus:

Standing at 5ft 11ins, Townsend (above) describes himself as a good shot stopper who is not afraid to embrace the modern trend for sweeper keepers.

“I’ve got to say that I am a good shot stopper, I can use my feet well to try and get the team going on a counter-attack,” he said.

“I’m not the tallest but I use my agility, strength and spring to get around that.

“I’d also like to say that I am now a vocal goalkeeper – I think it comes with age and playing more games.

“You’re not there as a goalkeeper to yell at your defence but if someone needs to be shouted at then you do it in the right way and help them learn from it. That comes with experience and I will try to do that on the pitch.

“When it comes to being a sweeper keeper, you just have to make sure that at the end of the day you protect your goal.

“If it has to go out for a throw-in then it has to go out for a throw-in. Don’t take any risks.

“That idea of a sweeper keeper is coming into the game massively and you have to decide when to play and when not to play. That’s a huge part of football these days.

“But, at the end of the day, a goalkeeper is there for one reason and that is to stop the goals going in.”