CHARLIE AUSTIN LOOKS BACK ON HIS LIFE IN NON-LEAGUE
CHARLIE Austin can still vividly visualise his first ever goal as a teenager in Non-League football. To this day, it still brings a big smile to his face.
The 32-year-old striker has bulged the net nearly 200 times in a glittering professional career with Swindon Town, Burnley, QPR, Southampton, West Bromwich Albion and QPR again (second spell).
It’s a glittering career which started at Kintbury Rangers Reserves way back in 2005 – and the former Premier League ace remembers it like it was yesterday
“I recall it so clearly,” he told The NLP. “We played Challow United reserves away and won 4-1. I was only 15 and came on as a substitute. I scored straight away and thought ‘This is mental!’ The feeling of notching that one goal meant everything to me at the time.”
Austin was then in the midst of rebuilding his fledgling career at one of his local teams after being released by the Reading FC youth set-up following a six-year involvement. He truly believes that time spent at Kintbury was a great character building experience.
“My uncle Darren Angell was manager of the reserve team,” said Austin. “So he asked me to play for him when I left Reading. He knew I was still at school but said ‘It’ll be good for you!’
“It definitely helped me develop as a footballer as I was playing against grown men. The following season, I stepped up to the Kintbury first team and I took to it like a duck to water.
“I forged a good relationship on the pitch with the other Kintbury striker Shaun Thorp. He guided me through matches and I just ended up growing in confidence.
“We played against teams like Bisley, Chalfont Wasps and Binfield. It was a brilliant learning curve for me as a young lad at Kintbury and I loved every moment.”
After becoming Kintbury’s joint top scorer in 2006-07 with 18 Hellenic League Division One East goals, Austin stepped up a level to play for nearby Hungerford Town in the Hellenic Premier. He appeared 34 times and scored 11 times for the Crusaders in 2007/08.
“By this stage, I had left school,” he recalled. “I was working for my dad five days a week in his brickworks company and being paid a couple of hundred quid. I wasn’t getting anything like that from football.
“I had done quite well at Kintbury and the ford boss Alan Clarke asked me if I would like to play some games there in pre-season. So I did and scored a few goals. Alan said he would sign me and pay me £30 a week. I was like: ‘Happy days! I’m 18 and getting £30 a week. Beer tokens innit!’
Flair player
“It was good fun. I was a local boy playing for the local team. But it was a transition period for me because I was out partying every Friday and Saturday night. I was just enjoying myself and I didn’t take that year playing for Hungerford too seriously if I am honest. It was all about just being an 18-yearold really.
“There were some very good footballers at Hungerford. Jamie Gosling was a joy to appear alongside. He was a flair player and the first person I had seen playing the Number 10 role in Non- League.
“I remember that we got to the FA Vase Quarter-Finals that season. We lost to Whitley Bay at home 1-0. That was the biggest match I played in with Hungerford and there were around 700 fans present. I’d never seen a Non- League game with so many people at it.’
‘ I was knocked all over the place at Kintbury when I was 15 or 16 with hard tackles flying in. I had to look after myself ‘
Charlie Austin
From there, Charlie joined Wessex League Premier Division Poole Town in 2008. He went on to grab a staggering 64 goals in all competitions from 57 appearances across 15-months.
“My family relocated to Bournemouth although I wanted to stay in Hungerford,” Austin continued. “But my dad asked me to move down for the summer. Anyway, Jason Braidwood – who was the Thatcham Town manager – got in touch with me.
“He said: ‘Chaz, there is a team near there called Poole Town and I’ve spoken to their manager. I think it would be good for you to play for them. They are in the Wessex League which is similar to the Hellenic Prem. Just go along and train with them to see how you get on.’
“So I trained once with Poole on the Thursday and the lads there said: ‘Oh we’re going out tonight if you fancy it?’ I didn’t know anyone in that area so I said: ‘Yeah, why not?!’ So we went out and I thought: ‘This is decent, this is!’ Then I played a pre-season friendly for Poole on the Saturday and scored twice. So they signed me.
“I began to take my football a lot more seriously. I stopped going out on Fridays. Maybe just on Saturday nights.
“I didn’t score in the opening game of the Wessex League season. My first goal was on the following Tuesday night against Christchurch, which was a two-yard tapin. Things just took off from there really.
“I think I scored 12 times in the first 10 matches. Stuart Brown up front was a good strike partner for me.
“Then a few Football League clubs started to make enquiries about me. Therefore Poole Town said: ‘Will you sign a contract?’
“I didn’t know what that meant back then. So I said: ‘No problem! It will give me an extra few quid.’ I was still working for my dad with a few tokens at the weekend from Poole Town and a goal bonus.
“I was scoring for fun. Tom Killick was the manager and his best mate Taffy Richardson was 40-odd and playing in midfield. They were both brilliant and really looked after me when I moved to the area.
“Poole won the Wessex League title with 116 points where we only lost two games. And we also had a good run in the FA Cup. We got through a few rounds before going down 3-1 at home to Frome. Then we beat Dorchester Town of the Conference South 2-0 in the Dorset Senior Cup Final.
“A few people started telling me: ‘You’re far too good for this league Charlie.’ But I didn’t realise the significance of it all.
“The summer arrived, I went on holiday and stuff like that, then I returned for pre-season at Poole Town. I had only been back from holiday for two days when we played AFC Bournemouth in a pre-season friendly.
“I ran their defender Jason Pearce all over the place and I scored a header. So that alerted the AFC Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe. Especially as I was playing locally on his doorstep.
Platform
“Two days later, I was invited in to Bournemouth to train. I worked under Eddie through the week and then went to play for Poole Town at the weekends. This carried on for six weeks where I was really able to boost my strength and fitness. It gave me a huge platform to progress. But Eddie couldn’t sign me as Bournemouth were under a transfer embargo.
“I scored 18 goals in the first 11 games of the 2009/10 season for Poole Town. I was so much fitter. Everything was coming more naturally and easy for me.
“There were offers coming in to sign me from other Non-League clubs but Poole turned them down. My gaffer Tom Killick said: ‘I need you to stay here a bit longer. Trust me, better things are coming for you.’
“I didn’t know anything that was going on behind the scenes. Then we played Bournemouth Poppies at home in the league and I scored two in the first 10 minutes.
Swindon Town boss Danny Wilson was there to watch me and I think he made his mind up straight away. Soon after in October 2009, I completed a transfer to the County Ground and my dream of becoming a professional baller had come true.” foot-
The rest is history! Bringing the story up to date, Austin is a huge component nt in QPR’s push for the Championship Play-offs this season. But he is adamant that those early days in Non-League will always keep his feet on the ground.
“For me, having a set-back at Reading when I was 15 and then coming up through Non-League was fantastic. I always say that I did it the best way.
“Although players like James Ward-Prowse who have progressed upwards at academies since they were very young would probably argue differently.
“I was knocked all over the place at Kintbury when I was just 15 and 16 with hard tackles flying in. So I had to learn how to look after myself and that was massive for me. I relished it!
“I have big admiration for the lads in Non-League for the way they combine their day jobs with training and matches. I still go to watch both Hungerford Town and Poole Town play whenever I can and I enjoy the matchday atmosphere.
“I am so grateful to Non- League as it gave me a hell of a grounding to go on and achieve what I have done so far in my career.”
