Former England and Tottenham winger Andros Townsend escaped serious injury after being run over by a pitch roller before a Thai Premier League match on Saturday. The 35-year-old, who joined PT Prachuap from Kanchanaburi Power last month, was warming up with teammates at Pattani Province Stadium when the slow-moving vehicle approached from the touchline and caught his left leg between the roller and the turf.
Video footage shows the horror on the faces of nearby Prachuap players as the incident unfolded. The driver immediately leaped from his seat, and screams can be heard in the audio. Remarkably, Townsend got back to his feet and hobbled away, later coming off the bench in stoppage time to replace Jesper Nyholm during Prachuap's 3-0 victory over Pattani.
Townsend laughs off incident on Instagram
After the match, Townsend took to Instagram to joke about the episode, re-sharing a previous post titled 'WTF is Stoke away?' with the caption: 'Turns out Stoke away wasn’t so bad after all [laughing emoji].' He also reposted a video of the incident with the caption: 'Just another day in Thai football [laughing emoji] (He was fine!).'
The veteran winger, who won 13 caps for the Three Lions, has regularly worked as a pundit and co-commentator for ITV Sport, covering the 2022 World Cup, Euro 2024, and the 2026 World Cup this summer.
Prachuap's strong start to the season
Prachuap's win moved the club level on points at the top of the table alongside Uthai Thani, Rayong, Port FC, and Ayutthaya United after three games. Townsend will want to stay clear of pitch rollers ahead of Prachuap's next clash with Chiangrai United.
Explaining his surprise move to Thailand in 2025, Townsend told talkSPORT: 'Towards the back end of last season I was playing in Turkey and I hadn’t been paid a few month’s salary. The club said to me, “You can take your salary – but you’re never going to play for the club again”, so I took the salary.'
'I hadn’t played since March, got a bit frustrated, so in the summer I said to my agent that I didn’t care where I go, just take me somewhere nice, interesting and tropical. He came back with one or two options in Europe but for some reason my gut was just really interested about the option in Thailand.'
Townsend's career highlights
Townsend is best remembered for his time at Tottenham, where he rose through the academy to make 93 appearances in all competitions. He also represented Newcastle, Crystal Palace, Everton, and Luton Town before moving to Turkey to sign for Antalyaspor in 2024.
The incident serves as a stark reminder of the dangers on the pitch, but Townsend's quick recovery and lighthearted response underscore his resilience as he continues his career in the Thai league.
