Andros Townsend has revealed that he once lost £46,000 in one night gambling on his phone and how FA intervention “saved him as a human”.

During his early 20s, while out on loan at Birmingham from Tottenham, the now Crystal Palace player staked 15 times his weekly wage on one game.

His gambling problem spiralled out of control until the FA found out and stepped in.

Initially facing a 12-month ban, Townsend was fined £18,000 and given a suspended ban by the FA — and the punishments served to steer his life back on track. “I can remember exactly where I was when I had my first bet,” he told the Players’ Tribune.

“I was bored in a random hotel room the night before a match and I saw an advert on the telly for an app with a free bet.

“I downloaded the app and had a little bet to pass the time.

“I remember when I was at Birmingham, it was the night before our play-off semi-final game.

“This was the biggest match of our season and I couldn’t fall asleep. I kept checking my phone, placing more bets. That night, I lost £46,000 on a single match. I think I was on about £3,000 a week at the time.

“That was rock bottom for me. Because you feel absolutely empty.

“You’re supposed to be focused on football, the thing that you love, and the only thing you can think of is, ‘How can I get my money back?’

“It didn’t stop until I got caught. And thank God that I got caught. When I was charged by the FA and facing a ban from football, it snapped me back to reality.

“I was facing a 12-month ban and I really feared for my whole career. When the thing that you love in life can be taken away from you, it changes your perspective.

“I’m so thankful that the FA realised there wasn’t anything malicious going on and that I was just a stupid kid who made a mistake.

“They suspended most of the sentence and I went to get counselling for my gambling addiction. And that not only saved my football career, it also probably saved me as a human being.”

Townsend, 28, who has made 14 appearances for high-flying Palace this season, also revealed how he regretted his decline at boyhood club Tottenham and how his departure came to a head when he clashed with fitness coach Nathan Gardiner.

“The saddest part for me, and the one thing I truly regret, is the way things ended at Spurs,” he added.

“Obviously, I was so frustrated, sitting on the bench, not getting a run out.

“I ended up taking my frustrations out on our fitness coach after a match.

“I was an unused substitute that night and we got into a little dispute and I pushed him.

“I really regret it, because Spurs will always be my club, and I don’t want the supporters to remember me from that image.”