Andros Townsend avoids serious injury after being hit by pitch roller in Thailand

By
soccertonic
-
Andros Townsend Avoids Serious Injury After Being Hit By Pitch Roller In Thailand

Key Takeaways

  • Andros Townsend miraculously avoided serious injury after being hit and run over by a pitch roller during warm-ups for PT Prachuap.
  • Despite being trapped under the machinery, the 35-year-old was able to feature as a stoppage-time substitute in a 3-0 victory over Pattani FC.
  • Townsend explained that after unpaid wages at Antalyaspor, he told his agent: “I don’t care where I go, just take me somewhere nice, interesting and tropical.”

Bizarre pre-match incident in Thai League One

Former England winger Andros Townsend escaped serious harm following an alarming mishap involving pitch machinery ahead of PT Prachuap’s recent fixture. The 35-year-old was warming up with his teammates prior to their Thai League One meeting with Pattani FC when the unusual accident occurred.

Video circulating on social media showed the Prachuap squad carrying out their pre-match routine as a pitch roller, operated by a driver, moved across the turf. Townsend attempted an aerial backheel and collided with the moving vehicle, ending up underneath the machinery. Several teammates rushed to his aid immediately, with some visibly distressed by the collision.

Late appearance in comfortable victory

Despite being trapped beneath the equipment, the former Tottenham Hotspur, Crystal Palace and Luton Town attacker remarkably avoided severe injury. After starting the match on the bench, Townsend was introduced as a stoppage-time substitute as PT Prachuap sealed a comprehensive 3-0 victory against Pattani FC.

The win moved Prachuap up to second place in the Thai League One standings. Townsend was making his third outing for the club, having started the opening two matches against Rayong and Sukhothai following his arrival during the summer window.

The journey from Turkey to Thailand

The 13-cap England international initially moved to the Far East in 2025 with Thai second-tier club Kanchanaburi Power after departing Turkish team Antalyaspor. Reflecting on his career shift during an interview with talkSPORT, Townsend shared details surrounding his exit from Turkey.

“Towards the back end of last season, I was playing in Turkey, and I hadn’t been paid a few months’ salary,” Townsend explained. “The club said to me ‘you can take your salary – but you’re never going to play for the club again’ so I took the salary.”

Townsend was sidelined for several months after that dispute before choosing an unexpected destination for his next footballing chapter. “I hadn’t played since March, got a bit frustrated, so in the summer I said to Marlon [my agent] I don’t care where I go, just take me somewhere nice, interesting and tropical,” he said. “He came back with one or two options in Europe but for some reason my gut was just really interested about the option in Thailand.”