Andros Townsend Survives Bizarre Incident in Thailand

Andros Townsend has survived wet Wednesday nights at Stoke. Now he can add something far stranger to the list.

The former England winger was bizarrely run over by a pitch roller in Thailand – and still ended the night on the winning side.

Townsend, now 35 and playing for PT Prachuap in Thai League 1, was going through his warm-up before a match at Pattani on Saturday when chaos suddenly broke out on the touchline. A member of staff appeared to lose control of a heavy pitch roller, which veered towards the players.

In the scramble that followed, Townsend’s left leg was briefly caught underneath the machine. It was the sort of incident that makes you wince on first viewing.

Somehow, he walked away unhurt.

After treatment and checks, Townsend was able to take his place on the bench and came on late in the game, as PT Prachuap wrapped up a 3-0 victory.

The 13-cap England international later chose humour over horror. On Instagram, he joked that playing away at Stoke “wasn't so bad after all” – a nod to a recent post where he had compared the sun-drenched Thai trip to his old visits to the Bet365 Stadium.

From cold, wind and rain in the Premier League to dodging pitch rollers in Thai League 1, Townsend’s late-career journey has taken another surreal turn.