Where ex-West Brom star Charlie Austin is playing now may surprise you | OneFootball

Former West Brom striker Charlie Austin is now playing in non-league.

West Bromwich Albion have had a plethora of good goalscorers throughout the years and EFL legend Charlie Austin was certainly one of them.

Currently, the Baggies boast attacking options like Josh Maja and Daryl Dike, but if you turn the clock back a few years, it was the former Queens Park Rangers man who was at their disposal.

Signing from Southampton for a fee of £4 million, the experienced striker entered the Hawthorns looking to show the Championship what he was about once again.

While he wasn't guaranteed a starting role, with Slaven Bilic often preferring Hal Robson Kanu, when he entered the field he was a real threat to defenders.

In the COVID-affected 2019-20 season, he scored a solid 10 goals in 34 appearances, and when looking at his goals per minutes ratio, he averaged a strike every 151 minutes. This helped secure a return to Premier League football, with the Baggies pipping Brentford to second place by a meagre two points.

The following year saw his presence diminish in the side and, having made just seven appearances in six months, he departed for his beloved QPR.

Charlie Austin now plays in non-league

After enjoying a spell back at Loftus Road, Austin moved on to Australian side Brisbane Roar before returning to England to reunite with Swindon Town, where he continued to showcase his knack for finding the back of the net.

However, in the summer, he departed the County Ground as he claimed the Robins' future "is on a knife edge" under the current owners.

This prompted the attacker to find another move, and it was Hampshire's AFC Totton who picked him up. This move came about largely thanks to former Southampton player James Beattie, who, as Director of Football at Totton, played a key role in persuading the 35-year-old to join the Stags.

Speaking about joining the club, Austin said: “James Beattie got in touch with me in May and asked me the situation.

"We stayed in contact and he invited me to come and train with the club. I wasn't too sure at first but then, while I was on holiday with the kids, the penny sort of dropped and I rang him and said look, let’s do the deal.

“I know I can bring a lot of experience, having played in all four divisions of the professional league."

Beattie's club play in the Southern Premier Division South, which is the seventh tier of English football. Other teams in this division include Gloucester City, Swindon Supermarine, and Bracknell Town.

This season, the Stags are looking to get promoted and currently sit just a few points behind league leaders Merthyr Town.

Austin is enjoying his time on the South Coast

Having netted over 120 goals in England's top two tiers, it must feel very different for Austin to be playing at a level he hasn't experienced since the early days of his career.

However, he has taken it in his stride and has already scored a number of crucial goals for Totton. In total, his current tally stands at seven and with well over half the season to play, it would be no surprise to see him add to this substantially.

If he helps get them promoted, then next season he could have the chance to play in the National League South, a division he has yet to play in.

A natural goalscorer, it's clear that all his former clubs will be rooting for him, hoping he can extend his footballing career and continue to make an impact at every level he plays.