Townsend hit by pitch roller while warming up in Thai league

Sept 20 - 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. REUTERS