Andros Townsend Recounts 'Terrifying' Pitch Roller Incident in Thailand

Former England winger Andros Townsend has described the moment he was run over by a pitch roller in Thailand as "terrifying." The 35-year-old, who currently plays for PT Prachuap in Thai League 1, was warming up for a match in Pattani on Saturday when a member of staff reportedly lost control of a heavy pitch roller.

Townsend's left leg was briefly caught under the vehicle, but he emerged from the incident with what he described as a few "bumps and bruises." He later came off the bench in the 3-0 win. Speaking on Piers Morgan's Football Uncensored, Townsend expressed disbelief at the event and relief that serious injury was averted.

"Every time I see it, I'm cringing, I'm in disbelief," Townsend said. "It's horrible to watch back and to see what could have been, 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."

Townsend recalled noticing two rollers on either side of the pitch during the warm-up, which he found unusual. "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," he stated. "The next I saw him was when I was literally underneath him and thankfully no serious damage."

Despite a career marked by numerous injury setbacks, Townsend affirmed that this incident would not deter him. He mentioned his teammates were surprised he continued warming up and urged him to see a doctor. "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," he recounted. "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 expressed particular concern for his left ankle and knee, both of which have previously required surgery. "I thought, either my left ankle was going to snap or my left knee is going to snap. I thought I was done," he said. "I was very fortunate that I was able to hobble away and recover within a few minutes."

Following the incident, Townsend made light of the situation on Instagram, humorously referencing a previous post where he compared a sunny Thai trip with an away game at Stoke's Bet365 Stadium. He posted: "It turns out Stoke away wasn't so bad after all."