Former Swindon Town striker Charlie Austin has signed for seventh-tier AFC Totton following his departure from the County Ground this summer.

Austin played in all 46 matches of Swindon's 2023/24 League Two campaign but will now be competing in the Southern League at Snows Stadium.

The 35-year-old was Town's top goal scorer last season and netted over 50 times in his two spells at the club, making him one of the best strikers of the club's modern era, but was one of 11 players to leave after last season, something he told the Adver he was not informed of prior to the retained list being announced.

Totton are yet to formally announce the signing themselves, but Austin spoke to the Southern Daily Echo about his new club.

He said: "I think it was more along the family lines, I know where I am physically and mentally.

"I just wanted to spend more time with family. I do football with my son, training midweek, and it’s something I didn’t want to miss out on."

Austin told the Adver earlier this summer that he intended to keep playing after his Swindon exit and explained how Totton's director of football James Beattie helped engineer the deal. 

He added: "Beatts got in touch with me - and I appreciate it wasn’t an easy deal to make, but the football club showed real patience with me to make it happen.

"I was very appreciative of that and now it’s about playing with a smile on my face and helping the football club.

"There isn’t much else to tell, he got in touch with me in May and asked me about my situation, what I was thinking of doing.

"I told him I still wanted to play in the Football League but it was about what opportunities would arise throughout the summer.

"I went on holiday and we stayed in contact, before it came to a point where he just asked me if I wanted to come down and train, they knew I had been training on my own.

"I said I wasn’t too sure but I went away on one last family holiday and the penny dropped, I just rang him and told him I wanted to do the deal.

"It was as simple as that, there’s no glitz or glamour in it but the patience the club has shown has been brilliant and I am really appreciative of that."