Чарли Остин назвал лучшим воспоминанием из карьеры в «Свиндон» победу над «Чарлтоном» в плей-офф

Charlie Austin said that his partnership with Billy Paynter just came naturally when they played together at Swindon Town. Austin is one of the best players to have played for Swindon in the 21st century, with his 60 goals from 133 appearances, only beaten by Sam Parkin’s 73 this side of 2000. Joining from Poole Town, the now-37-year-old was a sensation in his debut campaign, scoring against Carlisle United three minutes into his first start. His goals helped power Swindon into the playoffs, as he scored in the first leg of the playoffs against Charlton Athletic on the way to a Wembley final defeat to Millwall. The following season was far more difficult for the team, although Austin still struck 12 goals from 20 starts before handing in a transfer request and moving to Burnley in January 2011. Read more Town forward to get scan after dropping out of squad at the last minute The conversation that led to Middlemas' 'wonderstrike' against Port Vale Deadline day business sees Town cover all bases and create possible headaches After a long and successful career at a much higher level, including Premier League stints at Queen’s Park Rangers and Southampton, he eventually returned in 2023, netting 23 goals across two seasons. Asked by The Adver about his best memory from his time at Swindon when he was speaking to Play Nimbus about his new podcast, Chazkicksoff, Austin said it was difficult to beat that night at The Valley. He said: “My first spell at Swindon Town stands out. We lost the League One Play-Off final to Millwall, which was tough, but the memory that sticks with me most is beating Charlton in the Play-Off semi-final and winning on penalties. “The occasion, the drama, the pressure, everything about that night has stayed with me. League One was a tough division back then, and that made it even more special.“ Although neither was in the team at the start of that season, both Austin and his strike partner Billy Paynter ended the season with over 20 goals as they became one of the club’s best-ever duos. That relationship extends back to a reserve team game in October 2009, before Austin had gotten into the team, as both notched braces, and soon took that into Danny Wilson’s team. He said: “Sometimes the best partnerships just click. Billy Paynter and I played together in a reserve team game before my debut, beat Reading 4-1 at the Madejski Stadium, and both scored twice. “From there, it just worked naturally. We never spent hours working on it in training. The best partnerships are often the ones where you don't need to force anything because there's an understanding and connection between you.”