Kevin Austin

Kevin Austin
Personal information
Full nameKevin Levi Austin[1]
Date of birth12 February 1973[1]
Place of birthHackney, England
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[1]
Playing positionDefender
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1992–1993Saffron Walden Town8(0)
1993–1996Leyton Orient109(3)
1996–1999Lincoln City128(2)
1999–2001Barnsley3(0)
2000–2000Brentford (loan)3(0)
2001–2002Cambridge United6(0)
2001–2002Kettering Town3(0)
2002–2004Bristol Rovers56(0)
2004–2008Swansea City117(0)
2008–2010Chesterfield54(0)
2010–2011Darlington12(0)
2011→ Boston United (loan)14(0)
2011–2012Boston United25(0)
Total538(5)
National team
2000–20??Trinidad & Tobago7(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21:40, 17 October 2010 (UTC).

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 18 September 2008 (UTC)

Kevin Levi Austin (born 12 February 1973 in Hackney, London, UK) is an English born Trinidadian former professional footballer who played as a defender.

Club career

Leyton Orient

Austin began his career at Saffron Walden Town, before moving in August 1993 on a free transfer to Leyton Orient, for whom he made over 100 first-team appearances.

Lincoln City

He moved to Lincoln City in July 1996 for a fee of £30,000, again making more than 100 appearances. A firm favourite during his time at Sincil Bank, Kevin was recently voted number 56 in Lincoln's 100 league legends.

Barnsley

Austin moved to Barnsley in July 1999 on a Bosman free transfer but, in only his fifth match for Barnsley and ironically against Lincoln in the League Cup, he suffered a serious Achilles tendon injury that kept him out of action for the remainder of the season. He only made one further appearance for Barnsley; in a League Cup tie against Rotherham United in August 2000. Returning to fitness, Austin was loaned to Brentford and also linked up with Trinidad and Tobago, making his one and only appearance for the Warriors in a 1–0 World Cup qualifying win over Panama in Port of Spain in November 2000. However, he was then sidelined by a recurrence of his Achilles tendon injury picked up on international duty in the Cayman Islands. A proposed move to Oxford United fell through when he failed a medical and he was released by Barnsley in the summer of 2001.

Cambridge United

He linked up with his old manager John Beck at Cambridge United but continued to be bedevilled by injury and he agreed to cancel his contract with them in March 2002.

Kettering Town

He spent the remainder of the season with Kettering Town, making his debut against Folkstone on 30 March 2002 and going on to make three appearances.

Bristol Rovers

In the summer of 2002, Bristol Rovers appointed John Still as their assistant manager and Still, who had worked with Austin at Lincoln, invited him for pre-season training. Austin impressed sufficiently to earn a contract and he returned to both full fitness and regular first-team football, making a total of 61 appearances.

Swansea City

In June 2004, he moved across the Severn Bridge to Swansea City. Austin still resides in Bristol and in the 2006/07 season he travelled to Swansea with Adebayo Akinfenwa. He leaves more time over his journey now having missed making his home début game for Swansea against Cheltenham on 21 August 2004 when he was caught in a traffic jam on the M4. In all competitions, to the end of the 2007/08 season, Austin made 139 appearances for Swansea City (with a further eleven as substitute).

Chesterfield

Austin moved to League Two outfit Chesterfield in June 2008 on a two-year deal.

Darlington

Austin then joined Conference Premier side Darlington after his spell at Chesterfield.

Boston United

He went on loan to Conference North club Boston United, until the end of the season 2010–11. He joined Boston on a permanent deal after being released by Darlington following the end of the season. He left the club at the end of the season.[2]

International career

He was eligible to play for either England or Trinidad and Tobago at international level and chose to play for the latter against Panama in 2000.

Style of play

Austin is a centre-half who has also been used as a full-back. Standing at 6'1" (185 cm), he is an imposing figure who has been dubbed "The Doorman". In recent seasons, his size and advancing years have perhaps compromised his pace.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2009). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2009–10. Mainstream Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84596-474-0.
  2. "Pilgrims announce retained list". NonLeagueDaily.com. 30 April 2012. Retrieved 1 May 2012.

External links