Former ⁠England ⁠forward Townsend hit by pitch roller while warming up in Thai league

Former ⁠England ⁠forward Andros Townsend ​was nearly run over by ​a motorised ‌pitch roller while warming up with his Prachuap teammates at half-time during a Thai League 1 match on ​Saturday.

The ⁠35-year-old avoided serious injury and later made a brief appearance in the ‌match at Pattani.

The former Tottenham Hotspur player did not see the roller, driven by ⁠a ground staff member, coming towards him when he stepped out of the practice area to attempt a pass.

The roller knocked ​Townsend over and drove up his legs nearly to his ​waist before ‌the driver jumped off and tried to lift it off ​the ⁠player.

Townsend got back up and continued practicing, and came ⁠on as a late substitute while Prachuap cruised to a 3-0 victory.

"Turns out Stoke away ⁠wasn't so bad after all," ​Townsend later wrote on Instagram, joking about the English side Stoke City's reputation as a ‌tough place ⁠for visiting teams ​to play.