[West Bromwich Albion via Getty Images] West Bromwich Albion's Championship opener at Norwich City on Saturday will bring back some happy memories for Conor Townsend, who made his Baggies debut against the Canaries in August 2018. Eight years on, the 33-year-old left-back has returned to Albion after two seasons at Ipswich Town and he is poised to make the first league appearance of his second stint at The Hawthorns against the same opposition. The 2018 fixture at Carrow Road ended in a 4-3 win for Albion, with Harvey Barnes and Hal Robson-Kanu adding to two earlier goals scored by Jay Rodriguez. Townsend told BBC Radio WM: "It was a good game. I came on at half-time, I think Kieran Gibbs pulled his groin. "It was a red-hot day and I think Norwich won the league that year. "They're good memories and hopefully I can get my second league debut there on Saturday."
Return after 16-month absence 'amazing' - Townsend
Last season, Norwich improved significantly following the appointment of boss Philippe Clement and finished ninth, eight points off the play-offs. "They started poorly and then towards the end of the season they had that momentum going," added Townsend, who was injured for the whole of last season and therefore did not play a part in Ipswich's promotion-winning campaign. "There's probably an argument that if they'd had another three or four weeks, they'd have been in the play-offs and would have been one of the favourites to go up."