Former Premier League winger Andros Townsend was involved in a bizarre accident in Thailand on Saturday when he was run over by an out of control pitch roller.
Townsend, most famously of Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace during his Premier League days, was warming up before a match for Thai club PT Prachuap when the incident happened. A member of the pitch staff was driving the roller onto the field while the players were out practicing prior to kickoff. In trying to control a ball in one of the drills, Townsend inadvertently strayed into its path and ended up being mowed down when the machine couldn’t stop of turn.
Fortunately, the former England international was relatively unscathed and in good enough spirits to joke about it on social media. “It turns out Stoke away wasn't so bad after all,” he wrote on Instagram.
Crazy Scenes as Andros Townsend gets ran over by a Roller!
— Josh (@ayooo2772) September 19, 2026
Luckily he wasn’t badly hurt afterwards, could’ve ended soo much worse
Welcome to the Thai League pic.twitter.com/EGI2jGfK6r
The 35-year-old was hit and then went under the roller, which rode up on his left leg and had him briefly trapped. It could have been a really serious accident with horrendous consequences for Townsend, but luck was on his side.
A few light cuts and bruises on his left thigh appeared to be the extent of his injuries. Townsend did eventually play in the match, but only as a substitute in the final minute. He’d previously started both of Prachuap’s fixtures in Thai League 1 so far in 2026–27. His absence wasn’t felt, though, with three goals and a shutout enough to beat Pattani.
Townsend Extends Career After Leaving Premier League
Townsend has been in Thailand for just over a year. He left England in 2024 after 12 consecutive seasons as a Premier League player, following spells with Everton and Luton Town. The first stop on his journey abroad came in Türkiye with Antalyaspor, heading to Thailand to sign with Kanchanaburi Power at the start of 2025–26. The team was newly promoted at the time but soon suffered relegation from the top division and Townsend joined Prachuap instead.
In May 2026, Townsend was accused of waging a war on sunglasses, questioning the need for people to protect their eyes from the natural light of the sun. He urged his social media followers to “let your eyes do their job” after claiming exposing eyes to the sun makes the brain protect the body from UV. The U.K. Met Office says UV “significantly increases the risk of developing cataracts, a clouding of the eyes lens and the leading cause of blindness in the world.”
The following month, Townsend stunned social media users again by appearing to eat raw meat as part of his diet.
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