Former England international Andros Townsend escaped serious injury after being hit and run over by a motorized pitch roller during a warm-up in Thailand.
The 25-year-old PT Prachuap player was participating in a drill with his teammates on Saturday, September 19, ahead of their Thai championship match against Pattani, when a stadium worker drove the heavy maintenance machine directly into him.
Footage of the surreal accident quickly went viral across social media platforms, showing the moment the groundskeeper struck the footballer and knocked him onto the grass.
The heavy roller continued forward after the collision, running completely over Townsend up to his waist before the driver managed to stop the vehicle. The worker then attempted to free the player while teammates watched the scene in shock.
Miracle recovery and victory
Despite being trapped under the machinery, Townsend stood up and resumed his warm-up. Medical staff examined the winger, who escaped with only a minor injury to his thigh.
Townsend was cleared to play and entered the match during the final minutes of the contest. His team PT Prachuap went on to win the game 3-0 against Pattani.
Following the victory, Townsend joked on Instagram that the trip to Stoke was not so bad after all, referencing a long-running joke in English football about Stoke City's reputation as a difficult venue for visiting teams.
Career background and move to Thailand
Townsend built his reputation during a lengthy career in the English Premier League before moving to Southeast Asia. The winger earned 13 caps for the England national team between 2013 and 2016.
At club level, Townsend made his name with Premier League sides Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace. Developed in Tottenham's youth academy, he made more than 90 appearances for the North London club before moving to Crystal Palace in 2016, where he spent five seasons as a regular starter.
His move to PT Prachuap brought him to Thai League 1, the top tier of professional football in Thailand. The club is based in Prachuap Khiri Khan province and competes against teams from across the country.
Groundskeeping machinery on matchdays
Motorized turf rollers are standard maintenance equipment used at sports grounds to flatten grass surfaces and repair divots prior to kickoff.
While grounds staff routinely prepare pitch surfaces ahead of matches, heavy machinery operating alongside players during active pre-match drills remains an extraordinary sight in professional football.
