Andros Townsend run over by pitch roller in Thailand — then jokes 'Stoke away wasn't so bad after all'

Former England winger Andros Townsend has joked that playing Stoke away "wasn't so bad after all" after a bizarre incident in Thailand in which he was run over by a pitch roller before a match.

The 35-year-old, who has previously played for Tottenham, Luton and Crystal Palace and won 13 caps for England, currently plays for PT Prachuap in Thai League 1. He was warming up before a fixture at Pattani on Saturday night when a member of staff appeared to lose control of a heavy pitch roller, which crashed into the winger.

Townsend's left leg was briefly stuck under the vehicle, but he escaped unhurt and was able to feature off the bench late on as his side ran out 3-0 winners.

Clips of the incident quickly spread on social media, and Townsend made light of it on Instagram, referencing a recent post in which he had compared a sun-drenched Thai away trip with previous visits to Stoke's windswept Bet365 Stadium.

"It turns out Stoke away wasn't so bad after all. Swipe to see why," Townsend wrote on his Instagram story.

One post described the former England international as "The King of Memes in Thai League history", to which he replied "trust me" alongside four laughing emojis.