Andros Townsend collides with a heavy roller on the pitch: absurd incident for the former England player

We don't remember such a grotesque incident on a football field: stretchers falling with the injured person on top, ambulances stuck in the mud, crazy water sprinklers, we've seen all of this. But what happened to Andros Townsend during the warm-up before the match in Thailand is truly surreal and now we can smile for him, as fortunately there were no physical consequences for the 35-year-old striker, former England international (13 appearances and 3 goals), who after a long career in his homeland went to receive the last contracts of his career, first in Turkey, at Antalyaspor in the 2024/25 season, and then, since last year, in the Far East, first at Kanchanaburi Power and then, since this summer, at PT Prachuap.

Andros Townsend hit by a heavy roller on the pitch

Townsend escaped what at first seemed like a terrible fate that would have left his legs shattered – just look at the terrified reactions of teammates and opponents with their hands on their heads – when he was hit by a heavy roller at Tinsulanon Stadium, before PT Prachuap's match against Pattani FC.

As both teams were warming up before the start of the Thai Premier League match, the maintenance vehicle entered the pitch and headed straight for Townsend, who was lying on his back and unable to understand what was happening. The former Tottenham, Newcastle, Crystal Palace and Everton player attempted to kick the ball into the air near the touchline before being hit directly by the moving roller. The striker suffered minor injuries to his hip and thigh, but not enough to prevent him from sitting on the bench and entering the third minute of extra time in his team's 3-0 victory.

The English striker "escapes", without consequences: he is activated at the end

The video of the incident, which went viral on social media, shows the driver struggling to control the vehicle and desperately trying to change direction to avoid hitting the unfortunate person in front of him, but there was nothing he could do. Great fear for the driver and the cold feeling that he had done something very serious, before he breathed a sigh of relief when Townsend stood up with only a few small "bumps".

Now Andros - who was in the United States during the summer to follow the World Cup as an analyst for ITV - can focus on the season with PT Prachuap, who are fourth in the standings after the first three weeks of the championship.