Football has produced plenty of strange injuries over the years, but few look as frightening on video as what happened to Andros Townsend in Thailand on Saturday. The former England international escaped serious injury after being struck and briefly run over by a pitch roller during a warm-up. He then came off the bench to play in the match.
What happened to Andros Townsend
The incident came before PT Prachuap’s Thai League 1 trip to Pattani FC. Townsend was in a passing circle with his teammates at Tinsulanon Stadium when he appeared to chase the ball into the path of a pitch roller driven by a staff member.
He had moved outside the area where the players were passing and tried an aerial backheel, but stepped into the path of the vehicle. The footage shows him jumping for the ball as the roller drives towards him. The machine then appears to hit him and roll over him as he lies on his side.
Some reports place the warm-up at half-time and others before kick-off. Townsend wasn’t in the starting XI, so it was most likely a substitutes’ warm-up.
The luckiest detail is where the roller stopped. It came to rest around his hip area, which prevented anything more serious. His left leg was pinned underneath it. The driver quickly jumped out and tried to lift the machine off him.
His teammates rushed to help, and some looked away in shock. A few seconds later Townsend was out from under the roller and back on his feet.
Townsend plays on
Nobody expected what came next. Townsend wasn’t named in Prachuap’s starting line-up, but he did come off the bench in second-half stoppage time. He replaced Jesper Nyholm in the 93rd minute. By then the game was decided. Prachuap led 3-0 through goals from Saharat Kanyaroj, Taoua Ferreira and Edgar Mendez.
Reports differ on how much damage was done. Most describe the injuries as minor. Goal.com says he suffered hip and thigh damage and is expected to undergo further physical evaluations. No club statement had been reported when this was published, so the full picture may only emerge once he’s been checked over in the coming days.
His reaction on Instagram
Townsend also responded online. He reposted clips on Instagram, one captioned “Just another day in Thai Football (he was fine!)”. The humour suggests he took it in good spirits.
How Townsend ended up in Thailand
Townsend is 35, so the move to Thai football is a long way from where his career began. He came through Tottenham’s academy and later played in the Premier League for Newcastle United, Crystal Palace, Everton and Luton Town. He left for Turkey’s Antalyaspor in 2024.
He has been open about why he moved again. In a 2025 talkSPORT interview he said he had gone unpaid for months in Turkey. The club offered him his salary on condition that he never played for them again, and he took the money. He told his agent he didn’t care where he went, as long as it was somewhere interesting and tropical.
He joined Kanchanaburi Power in the Thai second division in 2025, then signed for PT Prachuap in the summer. Saturday’s game was his third appearance for his new club.
A reminder about pitch safety
Stadium staff often work on the pitch around players before games, so mistakes like this are a risk in any league. Nobody has said whether the club or league will review its warm-up procedures. For now Townsend’s escape is the main story, and PT Prachuap will hope he is back in training soon.
