Charlie Austin targets Swindon Town promotion to League One

Charlie Austin, who played for the Robins between 2009 and 2011, officially returned to Town on Friday.

The striker most recently played for Brisbane Roar in Australia after making the international move in the summer, but decided to terminate his contract and move back to the UK.

He now joins Scott Lindsey’s side until the end of the campaign, with the team currently sitting in fifth place in the League Two table.

Having played for several Premier League and Championship clubs between his two stints at Swindon, Austin has amassed hundreds of goals, becoming known for his prowess in front of the net.

During his last spell at Swindon, Austin managed to net 37 goals in 65 games in all competitions, becoming a fan favourite and providing an early sign of what was to come in his footballing career.

There is a lot of excitement amongst the Swindon fan base over the transfer because many believe Austin can help the club win promotion to League One. He shares that dream.

"May is a long way away and I think the club’s goal is promotion. I’d be silly to sit here and tell you that it wasn’t.

Austin is hopeful that Swindon could go up to the higher division via the automatic places rather than having to endure the play-offs.

“Of course you’d like to go up automatically and take the risk out of the play-offs,” he said.

“I have been through both and when you don’t win the play-offs, it’s a disaster, but obviously when you do win it, it’s a great way to go up, it really is.

“If you get into those three places to go up automatically, it takes all the risk out of doing it.”

With a Town side that has only scored five goals in their last eight games in all competitions, it seems the perfect time for Austin to return to the County Ground and help the promotion push.

The Robins are next in action on Sunday when they travel to Colchester for a League Two encounter as they look to continue climbing the table.