_(cropped).jpg) Austin warming up forSouthampton in 2017 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Charles Austin[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1989-07-05)5 July 1989 (age 36)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Hungerford,Berkshire, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[2] | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Hungerford Town | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2005 | Reading | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2006–2007 | Kintbury Rangers | 27 | (20) |
| 2007–2008 | Hungerford Town | 30 | (5) |
| 2008 | Thatcham Town | 0 | (0) |
| 2008–2009 | Poole Town | 42 | (48) |
| 2009–2011 | Swindon Town | 54 | (31) |
| 2011–2013 | Burnley | 82 | (41) |
| 2013–2016 | Queens Park Rangers | 82 | (45) |
| 2016–2019 | Southampton | 71 | (16) |
| 2019–2021 | West Bromwich Albion | 39 | (10) |
| 2021 | →Queens Park Rangers (loan) | 21 | (8) |
| 2021–2022 | Queens Park Rangers | 34 | (5) |
| 2022 | Brisbane Roar | 7 | (2) |
| 2022–2024 | Swindon Town | 66 | (21) |
| 2024–2025 | AFC Totton | 36 | (9) |
| 2025 | Basingstoke Town | 4 | (1) |
| 2025– | Hungerford Town | 3 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 16:44, 25 November 2025 (UTC) | |||
Charles Austin (born 5 July 1989) is an English professionalfootballer who plays as astriker forSouthern League Premier Division South clubHungerford Town.
Released from his contract byReading as a youth, Austin played non-league football up to May 2009, when he was signed bySwindon Town after a prolific season forPoole Town. After scoring 58 goals in 113 matches in theFootball League Championship forBurnley and Queens Park Rangers,[3] Austin made his debut in thePremier League during the2014–15 season, scoring 18 goals for relegatedQueens Park Rangers and receiving a call-up for theEngland national team.[4] He returned to the Premier League in January 2016 when he signed for Southampton, scoring the winning goal againstManchester United on his debut.
Born inHungerford,Berkshire,[2], and attending Sir William Romney's school inTetbury,Gloucestershire, Austin trained withReading's youth teams as a youngster but was released for being too small when he was 15.[5] He subsequently played for local teamKintbury Rangers and his hometown sideHungerford Town.[6] Austin departed Hungerford in 2008 and was briefly on the books ofThatcham Town but ultimately left without making any appearances for the club.
Moving with his family toBournemouth, he then switched to nearby semi-professionalWessex League Premier Division teamPoole Town while also working as abricklayer.[7] In the season of 2008–09, Austin scored 46 goals in 46 appearances for Poole in all competitions.[8]
Austin spent the pre-season of the2009–10 season ontrial withLeague Two clubBournemouth. Although Bournemouth's manager,Eddie Howe, was keen to sign the striker on a permanent deal, Bournemouth were unable to make a move for the striker due to a transfer embargo imposed on the club by theFootball League.[9] Austin continued to play for Poole Town, scoring 18 goals in 11 games at the beginning of the season.[10]
Austin was offered a trial atSwindon Town in September 2009 after Swindon Town's then chief scout Ken Ryder "stumbled across Charlie playing for Poole Town... and he scored four goals... and then the following week he scored three or four".[11] After being watched for three games by the Swindon Town scouting team, Austin was asked to go on a week-long trial at Swindon Town.[11] Austin impressed in his first reserve game against Swansea and scored a hat trick.[11] Immediately afterwards, he was signed by Danny Wilson for an undisclosed fee and given a contract until the end of the season.[12] He made his debut appearance for Swindon Town on 6 October in a 1–1 draw with Exeter in the2009–10 Football League Trophy, replacingBen Hutchinson as asubstitute in the 88th minute.[13][14] Austin made his Football League debut coming on in the 70th minute in the league match away atNorwich City on 24 October 2009 and on 21 November 2009, he scored his first professional goal in only the third minute of his full debut away atCarlisle United.[15] He scored again on his full home debut three days later againstHuddersfield Town, hitting the match-winner in the 59th minute for a 2–1 victory.[16]
After forming a successful strike partnership withBilly Paynter and scoring 10 goals in 11 starts, Austin was rewarded with an extended two-and-a-half-year contract with the club in February 2010.[17] On 14 May 2010, Austin scored the first goal as Swindon took a narrow 2–1 advantage in the first leg of theLeague One play-off semi-final againstCharlton Athletic. In the second leg at Charlton, Swindon progressed to the final atWembley after a penalty shoot-out in which Austin scored. Swindon lost the final 1–0 againstMillwall; Austin found himself through on goal with an opportunity to equalise in the 72nd minute but shot wide after the ball bobbled on the Wembley turf as he struck the ball.[18] At the end of his first season as a professional, Austin had scored 20 goals in 32 starts.[19]
Despite suffering a dislocated shoulder in September, Austin scored another 17 goals in 27 games at the start of the 2010–11 season.[20] His form prompted severalChampionship clubs to make offers for him during the Januarytransfer window – all of which were rejected by Swindon.[21] Disappointed at Swindon's reluctance to sell, Austin subsequently stated he was eager to play at a higher level and handed in atransfer request.[21][22] Swindon accepted a bid fromIpswich Town just over a week later but they failed to agree personal terms with Austin andBurnley subsequently stepped in with an undisclosed fee which was also accepted.[23]
On 28 January 2011, Austin signed forBurnley on a three-and-a-half-year contract.[23] He made his Burnley debut on 1 February in a 1–0 loss away toDoncaster Rovers.[24] In his first full season with Burnley, Austin scored 16 goals in the Championship and finished the campaign as the club's top goalscorer in the league.
On 23 October 2012, Austin scored two goals in a 4–3 win overBristol City, and subsequently equalledRay Pointer's club record of scoring in eight consecutive appearances, which was achieved back during the1958–59 season.[25][26]
Two weeks later, on 6 November 2012, Austin broke another Burnley record as he became the quickest-ever player to reach 20 goals in a season after scoring in a 1–0 win overLeeds United — his 17th appearance of the season. The record was previously held byBert Freeman, who scored 20 goals in his first 19 matches for the club during the 1911–12 season. He also became only the second-ever Burnley player to score 20 goals before the end of November afterAndy Lochhead, who reached 20 goals in 25 games on 26 November 1966.[27][28]Austin managed to get his goal tally up to 23 goals by the end of the calendar year.
On 8 July 2013, a fee was agreed between Burnley andPremier League clubHull City for Austin.[29] However, on 9 July 2013, Austin failed his medical and Hull pulled out of the deal.[30]
Austin moved toQueens Park Rangers, on a three-year deal on 1 August 2013, for an undisclosed fee.[31] He scored his first goal for QPR in aLeague Cup tie againstExeter City on 6 August 2013.[32] On 14 September 2013, Austin scored his first league goal for QPR in a 1–0 win overBirmingham City atLoftus Road.[33] On 28 September 2013, he scored a penalty in a 2–0 win at home toMiddlesbrough. On 5 October 2013, he scored two goals including a penalty in a 2–0 win at home toBarnsley which increased his goal tally in the home and away season to 6.[34] He scored his 100th professional goal and his 18th of the season in a 3–2 win over Barnsley. His 20th goal of the 2013–14 season sent QPR to Wembley as his team beatWigan Athletic 2–1 on 12 May 2014.[35]
On 6 December 2014, Austin scored against former club Burnley in a 2–0 win, but was later sent off for a second booking.[36] Two weeks later, he scored his firstPremier League hat-trick in a 3–2 win overWest Bromwich Albion, bringing his league tally for the season up to 11.[37] With five goals in five games in December 2014, he was awarded thePremier League Player of the Month award, becoming only the second QPR player to do so.[38] By scoring a league hat-trick for QPR, Austin became the first Rangers player in more than ten years to achieve the feat, last performed byJamie Cureton on 28 September 2004.[39] On 24 May, Austin scored QPR's goal in a 5–1 final day defeat toLeicester City to finish the season as the fourth top goal scorer in the Premier League, with 18 goals.[40][41]
On 16 January 2016, Austin returned to the Premier League, joiningSouthampton on a four-and-a-half-year deal for a reported fee of £4 million.[42] He made his debut for the club a week later againstManchester United, coming on as a second-half substitute forSadio Mané, and scored a late winner, turning in a free-kick fromJames Ward-Prowse.[43]
He scored his first two goals of the 2016–17 season on 15 September in a 3–0 Europa League win overSparta Prague[44] and went on to score four goals in a week, with goals againstSwansea City in the Premier League[45] andCrystal Palace in the EFL Cup.[46] In Southampton's next Premier League fixture, atWest Ham United, managerClaude Puel inserted Austin in the starting lineup overShane Long, and Austin provided the first goal as well as an assist in the 3–0 victory.[47]
On 23 December, Austin scored the opening goal in the 24th minute of a 1–1 draw withHuddersfield Town. Shortly afterwards, he caught Huddersfield keeperJonas Lössl in the face with his boot. Late in the match, Austin went off with a hamstring injury which resulted in him being sidelined for several weeks.[48] The following day, the Football Association gave Austin a three-match suspension for violent conduct.[49]
Austin signed for Championship clubWest Bromwich Albion on 8 August 2019 on a two-year contract for a £4 million fee.[50] He scored on his debut for West Brom in anEFL Cup tie againstMillwall on 13 August 2019.[51] Austin scored his first league goal for West Brom on 5 October 2019 againstCardiff City in a 4–2 win.[52] Austin finished the 2019–20 season as the club's top scorer with 11 goals in all competitions, helping secure West Brom's return to the Premier league.
On 27 May 2021, it was announced that Charlie Austin would leave the club following the conclusion of his contract thus ending a 2-year stint at the club.[53]
On 9 January 2021, Austin rejoinedChampionship sideQueens Park Rangers on loan for the remainder of the 2020–21 season.[54] He made his debut on 12 January, scoring in a 2–0 victory atLuton Town.[55] On 2 June, Austin returned to QPR permanently, signing a two-year deal.[56] He scored his first goal since re-joining the club permanently with a last minute equaliser at home to Barnsley on 21 August. Austin left Queens Park Rangers at the end of the 2021–22 season after not making enough appearances to trigger a contract extension.[57]
On 27 June 2022 Austin signed a multi-year contract for A-League Men sideBrisbane Roar.[58] He made his debut in the Australia Cup against Heidelberg United and scored in the penalty shootout.[citation needed] On 14 December, Austin left Brisbane after requesting a mutual termination of his contract, citing "family related reasons".[59] Austin made 11 appearances and scored 4 goals for Brisbane Roar across all competitions.[60]
On 30 December 2022, Austin returned to Swindon Town on a contract until the end of the2022–23 season.[61] Austin scored four goals for Swindon in a 4–4 draw withRochdale in March 2023.[62] In May 2023, he signed a new one-year contract extension.[63] In May 2024, he was released by Swindon Town, alongside ten other players.[64]
In July 2024, Austin returned to non-league football to sign forSouthern League Premier Division sideAFC Totton.[65][66] On 4 July 2025, Austin departed the club after one season.[67][68]
In August 2025, Austin signed for Southern League Premier Division South sideBasingstoke Town.[69][70] He made his debut in a league match withWimborne Town on 9 August 2025, scoring his first goal for the club to wrap up a 2–0 win.[71] Having suffered an injury, he departed the club on 31 October 2025 following an approach fromHungerford Town.[72]
Austin made his league debut for Hungerford a week after joining the club, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 0–0 draw withWimborne Town on 8 November 2025.[73]
On 21 May 2015, Austin was called up for the first time to theEngland national football team for a friendly match against theRepublic of Ireland and aUEFA Euro 2016 qualifying match againstSlovenia. He andLeicester City forwardJamie Vardy were called up due to several other forwards being involved in theEuropean Under-21 Championship,[74] but Austin did not feature in either match.
Austin and his wife Bianca Austin (née Parker) have a daughter, born in August 2012 to a surrogate.[75][76]
Austin was found guilty of assault in 2013 after he punched a man who had accused him of taking drugs in a Swindon nightclub toilet cubicle.[77] He was fined £1,801 and ordered to pay £1,320 in costs.[77][78]
In 2024, Austin was diagnosed with combinedADHD. As a professional footballer he was unable to take appropriate medication as these were on theWorld Anti-Doping Agency prohibited list.[79]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Kintbury Rangers | 2006–07[80] | Hellenic League Division One East | 27 | 20 | 0 | 0 | — | 1[c] | 1 | 28 | 21 | |
| Hungerford Town | 2007–08[81] | Hellenic League Premier Division | 30 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | 7[d] | 6 | 37 | 11 | |
| Poole Town | 2008–09[82] | Wessex League Premier Division | 34 | 34 | 4 | 4 | — | 8[e] | 8 | 46 | 46 | |
| 2009–10[83] | Wessex League Premier Division | 8 | 14 | 3 | 4 | — | 0 | 0 | 11 | 18 | ||
| Total | 42 | 48 | 7 | 8 | — | 8 | 8 | 57 | 64 | |||
| Swindon Town | 2009–10[84] | League One | 33 | 19 | — | — | 5[f] | 1 | 38 | 20 | ||
| 2010–11[85] | League One | 21 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2[g] | 2 | 27 | 17 | |
| Total | 54 | 31 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 65 | 37 | ||
| Burnley | 2010–11[85] | Championship | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | |||
| 2011–12[86] | Championship | 41 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | 46 | 17 | ||
| 2012–13[87] | Championship | 37 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | — | 40 | 28 | ||
| Total | 82 | 41 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 4 | — | 90 | 45 | |||
| Queens Park Rangers | 2013–14[88] | Championship | 31 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3[h] | 2 | 37 | 20 |
| 2014–15[89] | Premier League | 35 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 36 | 18 | ||
| 2015–16[90] | Championship | 16 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 16 | 10 | ||
| Total | 82 | 45 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 89 | 48 | ||
| Southampton | 2015–16[90] | Premier League | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 7 | 1 | |
| 2016–17[91] | Premier League | 15 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5[i] | 2 | 21 | 9 | |
| 2017–18[92] | Premier League | 24 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 26 | 7 | ||
| 2018–19[93] | Premier League | 25 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 27 | 3 | ||
| Total | 71 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 81 | 20 | ||
| West Bromwich Albion | 2019–20[94] | Championship | 34 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 38 | 11 | |
| 2020–21[95] | Premier League | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | ||
| Total | 39 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | 45 | 11 | |||
| Queens Park Rangers | 2020–21[95] | Championship | 21 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 21 | 8 | |
| 2021–22[96] | Championship | 34 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | — | 38 | 7 | ||
| Total | 55 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | — | 59 | 15 | |||
| Brisbane Roar | 2022–23[97] | A-League Men | 7 | 2 | 4 | 2 | — | — | 11 | 4 | ||
| Swindon Town | 2022–23[97] | League Two | 20 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 20 | 9 | |
| 2023–24[98] | League Two | 46 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 14 | |
| Total | 66 | 21 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 68 | 23 | ||
| AFC Totton | 2024–25[99] | Southern League Premier Division South | 36 | 9 | 1 | 0 | — | 7[j] | 4 | 44 | 13 | |
| Basingstoke Town | 2025–26[99] | Southern League Premier Division South | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | |
| Hungerford Town | 2025–26[99] | Southern League Premier Division South | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Career total | 598 | 262 | 26 | 15 | 19 | 10 | 38 | 26 | 681 | 313 | ||
Queens Park Rangers
Southampton
AFC Totton
Individual
