Andros Townsend Survives Bizarre Incident with Pitch Roller in Thailand

Andros Townsend has survived Stoke away on a freezing Tuesday night. Now he can add something even stranger to the list: getting run over by a pitch roller in Thailand.

The former England winger, now with PT Prachuap in Thai League 1, was involved in a bizarre pre-match incident on Saturday at Pattani that quickly went viral. During the warm-up, Townsend was going through his routines when a member of the home staff appeared to lose control of a heavy pitch roller.

It headed straight for him.

The 35-year-old was knocked over and his left leg briefly became trapped under the machine, sparking alarm on the touchline and online once footage hit social media. Remarkably, he escaped serious injury and still came off the bench later in the game, playing a part in Prachuap’s 3-0 win.

Once the dust – and the concern – settled, Townsend did what he has increasingly become known for away from the pitch: he turned it into content.

The regular ITV pundit, who has previously poked fun at the old cliché about “a cold, windy night in Stoke” by contrasting it with his new life in Thailand, went back to that theme on Instagram. Posting about the incident on his story, he wrote: “It turns out Stoke away wasn’t so bad after all. Swipe to see why.”

The clip showed exactly that: the moment the roller clattered into him.

Thai fans, already enjoying the novelty of a former Premier League and England international in their league, quickly leaned into the humour. One post dubbed him “The King of Memes in Thai League history”. Townsend, staying on brand, replied in the comments: “trust me” followed by four laughing emojis.

From Stoke’s windswept stands to a runaway roller in Pattani, Townsend’s late-career adventure in Thailand is proving anything but dull.