WITH their Premier League futures on the line, the stakes could hardly be higher for Newcastle United’s players as they prepare for the final three games of the season. Yet for one member of Rafael Benitez’s starting line-up, the prospect of three potential relegation deciders is still far more appealing than what he was forced to endure in the first half of the campaign.

Last autumn, Andros Townsend would have given anything to be lining up against Crystal Palace in front of more than 50,000 fans. Instead, the England international was playing in front of the stereotypical one-man-and-his-dog for Tottenham reserves.

Ostracised by Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino, and seemingly with little chance of resurrecting his career with his North London employers, Townsend concedes he did not know when his fortunes would improve.

A January move to Newcastle represented a lifeline, and while things have not gone to plan from a team perspective since the 24-year-old completed his £12m switch to the North-East, he still finds himself back on the biggest stage in the country as the season approaches its end.

The spectre of relegation continues to loom large, with Newcastle a point adrift of Norwich City and Sunderland ahead of tomorrow’s game with a Palace side led by former Magpies boss Alan Pardew, but for Townsend at least, things could be much less appealing.

“Before Christmas, for two or three months I was in the Under-21s for Spurs playing at non-league grounds on Monday nights,” said the winger, who has established himself as a permanent fixture in Benitez’s first-choice starting line-up.

“So I’m loving playing in the Premier League and I’m loving playing at big stadiums and showing people what I can do again. Obviously, it's a difficult situation I’ve gone into, but I’m loving being back in the Premier League.”

Ensuring he will still be involved in the top-flight next season is Townsend’s key task in the next three games, and having claimed five points from their last three matches, Newcastle’s players have given themselves a fighting chance of avoiding the drop.

Their next two outings pit them against Palace and Aston Villa, and it is surely imperative they claim all six points if they are going to haul themselves out of the bottom three and remain above the cut-off point until the end of the season.

Anything less than two victories will leave Newcastle in serious trouble, but Townsend is confident home advantage will prove a telling factor tomorrow.

The Magpies have lost just one of their last seven home games, and last weekend’s FA Cup semi-final victory over Watford means Crystal Palace could well provide compliant opposition.

“We’re always confident,” said Townsend. “We’re a confident bunch of boys, especially at St James’ Park where we know we're a match for anyone.

“We've shown this season we're a match for anyone at home. Palace are a good side, but we're going to go into the game full of confidence and hoping to get another three points.”

If Newcastle are to emerge victorious, they will have to reproduce some of the flowing attacking that swept them to their recent 3-0 win over Swansea.

Townsend scored Newcastle’s final goal that day, and the Londoner boasts three goals in his last eight games, with his threat when cutting in from the flank providing a key part of his side’s attacking arsenal.

“I’ve been happy with the amount of goals and assists I've been able to contribute to this team,” he said. “I know the hard work starts now. We've got three games left, and if we're going to stay up, not just me, but the whole front four are going to need to contribute with goals and assists.”