Sports20 September, 20262 min read
Andros Townsend Says Pitch Roller Incident In Pattani Was Terrifying, Escapes Unscathed
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Townsend run over by pitch roller in Pattani during warm-up before Thai League 1 match. Townsend escaped serious injury after the incident.
Pitch roller pins Townsend
Andros Townsend described being run over by a pitch roller in Thailand as "terrifying" after the 35-year-old former England winger had his left leg briefly stuck under the vehicle during warm-up in Pattani. Townsend said he was lucky to escape with "a few \"bumps and bruises\"" and told Piers Morgan's Football Uncensored that he was able to fall onto the floor at the right time so "nothing snapped as the roller went over me." Townsend said he found it strange to see two rollers either side of the pitch during warm-up, and he said the next thing he saw was himself "literally underneath him" before he managed to walk away unscathed.
Townsend said the incident was "definitley not going to stop me from continuing" and said his teammates were surprised he continued warming up as they told him to go to the doctor. Townsend said he thought "either my left ankle was going to snap or my left knee is going to snap" before he was able to hobble away and recover within a few minutes.
Bench appearance in 3-0 win
Townsend was warming up for PT Prachuap's match against Pattani FC when a heavy pitch roller moved towards him and pinned his left leg, according to LatestLY's account of the Saturday incident. Townsend was deemed fit enough to be named on the substitutes' bench and made a late appearance in the 93rd minute as PT Prachuap won 3-0 over Pattani FC. Townsend tried to push the roller out of the way but his legs were run over before the person operating the machine came out of the driver's seat to help the player.
Townsend escaped with only a cut and bruising on one of his thighs, and he came off the bench in Prachuap's 3-0 win. Townsend joked about the incident on social media, first reposting a video on his Instagram Stories with the caption, "Just another day in Thai Football (he was fine!)."
Memes, injuries, and next steps
Townsend said he was concerned his ankle and left knee, which have both been operated on, would be damaged in the incident, and he said he thought he was "done" before he recovered. Townsend escaped injury after being run over by a pitch roller in the Thai Pro League and reposted a video on his social media that read "Just another day in Thai Football [he was fine!]." Townsend's side PT Prachuap won against Pattani 3-0 with Townsend featuring off the bench late on, and he added on his Instagram story: "It turns out Stoke away wasn't so bad after all."
Townsend later reposted a video on social media which was captioned, "Just another day in Thai Football [he was fine!]" and he later wrote on his own Instagram story, "It turns out Stoke away wasn't so bad after all. Townsend was expected to undergo further physical evaluations on his hip and thigh injuries over the coming days, while the club would look to ensure their star winger recovers fully before their next league fixture.