Andros Townsend Recounts Terrifying Near-Miss With Pitch Roller in Thailand

Former Premier League player Andros Townsend has spoken out about a frightening incident in Thailand where he was struck by a pitch rolling machine during a halftime warm-up. The ex-England international, who joined Thai club PT Prachuap during the summer transfer window, was caught by the machinery as he prepared for the second half of a match against Pattani.

Footage of the event circulated widely on social media. Townsend, however, downplayed the severity of the incident on his Instagram story shortly after. Appearing on Piers Morgan's "Football Uncensored," Townsend admitted the experience was "terrifying" and that he feared significant injury.

"I didn't see it coming," Townsend stated. "It was at halftime, we were going out to warm up. I saw two rollers on either side of the pitch. The next I saw him was when I was literally underneath him and thankfully no serious damage. A couple of bumps and bruises but managed to walk away unscathed, luckily."

He described how the roller fell on him, and he was able to relieve some pressure by pushing it up with his arm before teammates assisted in lifting it off him. Townsend expressed disbelief watching the footage back, noting that his own children initially thought it was AI-generated.

"It's horrible to watch back and to see what could have been but, like I said, thankfully I was fortunate I did manage to fall onto the floor at the right time, so nothing snapped as the roller went over me," he said.

Townsend's teammates reacted with alarm, calling for a stretcher. Despite their concern and his own initial fear that his previously operated-on ankle or knee might have been severely damaged, Townsend insisted on continuing the warm-up and was able to play in the second half.

"It was quite heavy, but I was able to kind of lift [it], force it off me. So when it was completely on me, I was getting crushed a little bit," Townsend recounted. "But I was able to push it up, as you can see, as it falls on me, 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 but at that moment where it was crushing my left leg, it was quite terrifying, I must say."

Townsend, who previously played for clubs such as Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, Crystal Palace, and Everton, moved to Thailand after a brief stint with Turkish side Antalyaspor. He also worked as a co-commentator for ITV during the World Cup, where his unconventional diet, including raw steak, gained attention.