NEWPORT County AFC goalkeeper Nick Townsend has returned to the Antigua and Barbuda squad after stopping his international career to preserve his starting berth with the Exiles.
The 29-year-old will compete in the upcoming Concacaf Qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Antigua and Barbuda, ranked 142nd in the FIFA world rankings, will host Bermuda on June 5 before traveling three days later to face the Cayman Islands.
Townsend will be making his return to international football after missing the Concacaf Nations League games against Puerto Rico and Guyana in November.
The West Midlander remained with the Exiles, starting against Bristol Rovers in the EFL Trophy and against Mansfield and Stockport in League Two.
Townsend had a strong campaign to establish himself as first choice, making 52 appearances in all competitions.
He will face a new challenge for the starting berth next season after experienced stopper Jonny Maxted left County after one season and six appearances.
Joe Day has also been released after spending the season on loan, first with Woking and then with Yeovil, helping the latter win the National League South title.
Related: Newport County braced for life on the road in League Two
NEWPORT County AFC fans could have been forgiven for viewing last Sunday’s League Two play-off final as determining whether they would be trapped on the M25 or M6 next season.
As it turns out, Crewe’s Gresty Road will be on the Exiles’ itinerary, while the danger posed by Gatwick traffic on the route to Crawley may be postponed for at least one season.
Graham Coughlan’s squad is once again facing a number of lengthy excursions in League Two, the largest of which returns. Carlisle’s relegation from the third tier means that Brunton Park, a 562-mile round trip, will be added to the satnav again.
That is balanced out by Cheltenham going down to take over from relegated Forest Green Rovers as the shortest trip of 112 miles, just ahead of Swindon.
If the Dragons’ Boxing Day match against Cardiff is a rematch of this season’s encounter at the Arms Park, will County go to Whaddon Road on December 26?
County will travel 8,045 miles for league away games, which is similar to a return journey to Kansas City.
It is once again a relatively northern division, with 14 clubs above the midlands, whilst Bromley and Wimbledon have London transport concerns, and Gillingham and Colchester are long trips from Kent and Essex.
There are three safe non-stop drives: Cheltenham, Swindon, and Walsall. The county’s fixture list will be released at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, June 26, with the season beginning on the weekend of August 8 and concluding on the weekend of May 3.
The new Sky Sports broadcast arrangement will have an influence on the schedule, causing some interruption to the customary Saturday 3pm time.
The broadcaster has promised that all TV images for August and September matches will be completed within seven days of the fixture announcement date.
By the start of the season, they will have made their picks up to the end of the third round of the FA Cup, whereas Sky will have made their selections from January to the first weekend of March prior to November 1.
