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Townsend's England Triumph
Written by Newcastle Utd
Andros Townsend became the first Magpies player to receive a senior England cap in almost six years on Friday night
By Tom Easterby - Newcastle United Club Reporter
Andros Townsend became the first Newcastle United player to receive a senior cap for England in almost six years when he came on as a second half substitute in the Three Lions' 2-1 win over Australia on Friday night.
The 24-year-old entered the fray in place of Raheem Sterling with just under quarter of an hour remaining in the friendly at Sunderland's Stadium of Light.
In doing so, the winger became the first Magpies player to represent England since Andy Carroll was capped in a friendly against France back in November 2010.
Townsend had been named on a strong bench, which also included Wayne Rooney, Harry Kane and Dele Alli, by manager Roy Hodgson, who opted to start with an attacking midfield trio comprising Manchester City's Sterling and Liverpool's Adam Lallana and Jordan Henderson.
The Three Lions - and debutant frontman Marcus Rashford - made a superb start to their final friendly before Hodgson announces his 23-man squad for Euro 2016 early next week. With just 139 seconds on the clock, Rashford volleyed home Sterling's deflected cross emphatically to give the hosts the lead and open his account for his country at senior level.
The teenager - England's youngest ever debutant goalscorer - could have had another shortly afterwards when Sterling played him in, but he was unable to adjust his feet and get a shot away.
Ten minutes into the second half, Rooney - on as a substitute in place of Lallana - doubled England's advantage, firing past Matt Ryan after Sterling's lofted pass from the left had given him a sight of goal.
An Eric Dier own goal gave the Socceroos hope just before Townsend was introduced, but Hodgson's side held on to claim their second win in six days.
United's Townsend - who collected his 11th international cap on Friday - showed his quality in flashes despite having limited time to impress, beating his man and laying on a shooting opportunity for Rooney before starting another England attack by playing in Henderson down the right, though that foray forward came to nothing.
He will now hope to be part of Hodgson's 23-man squad for Euro 2016, which is submitted on Tuesday.