Andros Townsend calls Thailand pitch roller scare 'terrifying'

Andros Townsend has called the moment a pitch roller ran over him in Thailand “terrifying”.

The 35-year-old winger walked away with only bumps and bruises. He then came off the bench, entering as a substitute, late on in a 3-0 win, according to BBC.

Townsend previously played for Tottenham, Luton and Crystal Palace. He won 13 caps, 13 international appearances, for England and now plays for PT Prachuap in Thai League 1.

The incident happened while he was warming up for a match in Pattani on Saturday. A member of staff appeared to lose control of a heavy pitch roller during the warm-up.

Townsend had been attempting an aerial backheel. He landed in the path of the vehicle, which appeared to have its driver looking away at the time, according to footage described by Yahoo Sports.

The roller knocked him over and drove up his legs nearly to his waist, Reuters reported. His left leg was briefly stuck underneath.

The driver jumped off and tried to lift the roller off him. Townsend said he feared his left ankle or left knee would snap. Both joints have previously been operated on.

His team-mates were stunned that he carried on warming up. Townsend said they told him to go and see the doctor.

He kept going. Then he played his part in the win.

Townsend spoke about the incident for the first time on Piers Morgan's Football Uncensored. He later joked on Instagram: “It turns out Stoke away wasn't so bad after all.”

What makes this stand out is how ordinary the build-up was. A warm-up kick, a mistimed landing, a vehicle in the wrong place. For a player who has known loud away ends and long injury rehabs, it became another story to tell and laugh about afterwards.