Andros Townsend escapes serious injury after pitch roller runs over him in Thailand

Andros Townsend escaped serious injury after being run over by a pitch roller during the half-time warm-up of PT Prachuap’s Thai League 1 match against Pattani on Saturday, with the 35-year-old later coming off the bench to help his side to a 3-0 victory.

A member of ground staff lost control of the heavy machine as Townsend warmed up, trapping his left leg underneath it. Teammates rushed to help lift the roller off him, and the former England international was able to squeeze free before continuing his warm-up — to the astonishment of those around him.

“It was quite terrifying, I must say,” Townsend told Piers Morgan’s Football Uncensored. “I was getting crushed a little bit. I was able to get my left arm up and relieve some of the pressure, and then I was able to get my team-mates around me who were able to lift it, and I was able to squeeze out.”

Townsend, who previously played for Tottenham, Crystal Palace and Luton before moving to Thailand, said the incident triggered immediate fears over two joints he has previously had surgery on. “It was up my ankle which I’ve had operated on, it was up my left knee which I’ve had operated on. I thought, either my left ankle’s going to snap or my left knee’s going to snap. I thought I was done.”

He admitted he had been surprised to see the rollers on the touchline at all. “I remember thinking to myself, ‘I’ve never seen that before in my career, what are they doing?’ But we got called to warm-up. Didn’t think anything of it. The next I saw him was when I was literally underneath him.”

Despite teammates urging him to seek medical attention, Townsend pressed on. “I’ve been around the block, I’ve had my setbacks, I’ve had my injury issues — a roller’s definitely not going to stop me from continuing, that’s for sure,” he said. He walked away with only minor bumps and bruises, describing his escape as a matter of fortunate timing. “I did manage to fall onto the floor at the right time, so nothing snapped as the roller went over me and I’m here today to laugh about it and to tell the story.”