Former England winger Andros Townsend was able to see the funny side after being caught in a bizarre incident involving a pitch roller before a match in Thailand.
The 35-year-old, who now plays for Thai League 1 side PT Prachuap, was warming up ahead of Saturday’s fixture away to Pattani when a member of the ground staff appeared to lose control of the heavy vehicle.
Footage showed the roller moving towards the players before Townsend’s left leg briefly became trapped beneath it.
Thankfully, the former Tottenham Hotspur, Crystal Palace, Everton and Luton Town forward escaped without injury. He later came off the bench as PT Prachuap recorded a convincing 3–0 victory.
Townsend jokes about famous trip to Stoke
Townsend later made light of the alarming moment on Instagram, joking: “It turns out Stoke away wasn’t so bad after all. Swipe to see why.”
The comment referred to an earlier social media post in which he compared a sunny away trip in Thailand with the traditionally cold and challenging experience of visiting Stoke City’s Bet365 Stadium.
His latest away day, however, delivered the kind of pre-match drama that even the most experienced footballer could hardly have expected.
Townsend won 13 senior caps for England and enjoyed a long career in English football before moving to Thailand in 2025, initially joining Kanchanaburi Power. He now represents PT Prachuap in the country’s top division.
Despite the frightening nature of the incident, his appearance later in the game offered welcome reassurance that he had avoided serious harm.
The unusual scenes have since attracted widespread attention online, with Townsend’s typically good-humoured response helping turn a potentially dangerous episode into one of the weekend’s most extraordinary football stories.
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