Neil Austin (footballer)

Neil Austin

Austin playing for Hartlepool United in 2013
Personal information
Full name	Neil Jeffrey Austin [1]
Date of birth	(1983-04-26) 26 April 1983 (age 41)
Place of birth	Barnsley, England
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) [1]
Position(s)	Defender
Youth career
1998–2000	Barnsley
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2000–2007	Barnsley	148	(0)
2002	→ Gateshead (loan) [2]	3	(0)
2007–2009	Darlington	62	(5)
2009–2015	Hartlepool United	223	(10)
2015–2018	Shaw Lane	46	(0)
2018–2019	Gainsborough Trinity	35	(0)
Total		517	(15)
International career
1999–2000	England U16	9	(0)
2000–2001	England U17	4	(0)
2002–2003	England U20	3	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:08, 13 July 2015 (UTC)

Neil Jeffrey Austin (born 26 April 1983) is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender.

He started his career at Barnsley, and spent time playing for Darlington and Hartlepool United in the Football League, and played at non-League level with Gateshead, Shaw Lane and Gainsborough Trinity. He also earned a combined 26 Youth international caps with England at U15 to U20 levels. ^[3]

Biography

Barnsley

Born in Barnsley, Austin came through the youth ranks with his local club Barnsley F.C., playing 165 first team games, including 25 games in the 2006–07 Championship season. He made his debut on 10 August 2002 against Swindon Town.

Despite struggling with an injury for a period of the 2005–06 season, Austin still managed to make 44 appearances for the reds helping them secure their return to the Football League Championship.

Darlington

In his first season at Darlington he played 29 games and scored 2 goals, his first was a mazy run from the edge of his own 18 yard box played a one – two then finished with aplomb. His season ended early though as he collected an injury that had plagued him the previous season.

In June 2008, Austin underwent an operation on his troublesome ankle which was successful. He scored his 1st goal of the season in Darlington's 6–0 away win at Macclesfield Town, it been a nice 25-yard drive. Live on Sky Austin netted a superb 25 yard free-kick against fellow promotion hopefuls Bradford City in Darlington's 2–1 victory. The tough tackling right back put Darlington's off field problems of administration to the side and went on to make 39 appearances scoring 3 goals and receiving 4 yellow cards in the 2008–09 season. Austin's superb form saw him voted in the League 2 Team of the Season.

Hartlepool United

In June 2009, he joined Darlington's arch rivals Hartlepool United ^[4] and won the Player and Players' Player of the Year Award at the end of his first season with Pools.

His long range goal against Southampton in a 3–2 away defeat, in March 2010, won the club's Goal of the Season award and, in December 2019, was one of twenty goals that were nominated for the club's Goal of the Decade award. ^[5]

An injury in early February 2011 saw Austin out injured until the final two games of the season with Steve Haslam replacing him at right-back. However, he regained his place next season and played every single minute of the 2012–13 campaign, ^{[6] [7]} the first Hartlepool player to do so since Tommy Miller in 1999–2000.

Shaw Lane

Following his release by Hartlepool in 2015, Austin signed for Shaw Lane. ^[8] He helped Shaw Lane win the Northern Premier League Division 1 South 2016–17 title, winning the Players Player of the Year award in the process.

Gainsborough Trinity

After 3 seasons with Shaw Lane, Austin joined Gainsborough Trinity following a successful trial. ^[9] He made a total of 39 appearances for Gainsborough and, following the conclusion of the 2018–19 season, retired from football.

Personal life

He is a qualified dual fuel engineer and has also coached football at grassroots level. ^[10]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Barnsley	2002–03 [11]	Second Division	34	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	35	0
	2003–04 [12]	Second Division	38	0	5	0	1	0	0	0	44	0
	2004–05 [13]	League One	15	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	15	0
	2005–06 [14]	League One	38	0	5	0	1	0	1	0	45	0
	2006–07 [15]	Championship	24	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	26	0
	Total		149	0	12	0	3	0	1	0	165	0
Darlington	2007–08 [16]	League Two	29	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	30	2
	2008–09 [17]	League Two	33	3	2	0	2	0	3	0	40	3
	Total		62	5	3	0	2	0	3	0	70	5
Hartlepool United	2009–10 [18]	League One	39	3	1	0	0	0	1	0	41	3
	2010–11 [19]	League One	24	2	4	0	0	0	2	0	30	2
	2011–12 [20]	League One	46	1	1	0	1	0	1	0	49	1
	2012–13 [21]	League One	39	2	1	0	1	0	1	0	42	2
	2013–14 [22]	League Two	29	0	3	0	1	1	3	0	36	1
	2014–15 [23]	League Two	46	2	2	0	1	1	1	0	50	3
	Total		223	10	12	0	4	2	9	0	248	12
Career total			434	15	27	0	9	2	13	0	483	17

Honours

Barnsley

• Football League One play-offs: 2006

Individual

• PFA Team of the Year: 2008–09 Football League Two ^[24]
• Hartlepool United Player of the Year: 2009–10 ^[25]
• Shaw Lane Players Player of the Year: 2016–17

References

1. Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2003). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2003/2004. Queen Anne Press. p. 30. ISBN   1-85291-651-6.
2. "Players A to Z 00-01 to 08–09". Unofficial Gateshead Football Club Statistics Database. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
3. https://uk.linkedin.com/in/neil-austin-253955103 ^{[ self-published source ]}
4. "Austin Completes Move To Pools". Vital Hartlepool. 10 June 2009. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 June 2009.
5. "Vote For Your Goal Of The Decade". Hartlepool United FC. 31 December 2019.
6. "Bionic man Neil Austin does not want to miss a minute for Hartlepool United". Sunderland Echo. 19 January 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
7. "Neil Austin will be fit to face Scunthorpe United". Hartlepool Mail. 29 August 2009. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
8. "Ex-Barnsley defender set to join Shaw Lane Aquaforce - Barnsley News and SportBarnsley News and Sport". Archived from the original on 7 November 2017.
9. "Neil Austin Joins Trinity | Latest Gainsborough Trinity News". Archived from the original on 23 July 2018.
10. "Masked man Neil relishing ten years late FA Cup run". Barnsley Chronicle. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
11. "Games played by Neil Austin in 2002/2003". Soccerbase. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
12. "Games played by Neil Austin in 2003/2004". Soccerbase. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
13. "Games played by Neil Austin in 2004/2005". Soccerbase. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
14. "Games played by Neil Austin in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
15. "Games played by Neil Austin in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
16. "Games played by Neil Austin in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
17. "Games played by Neil Austin in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
18. "Games played by Neil Austin in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
19. "Games played by Neil Austin in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
20. "Games played by Neil Austin in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
21. "Games played by Neil Austin in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
22. "Games played by Neil Austin in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
23. "Games played by Neil Austin in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
24. "Giggs earns prestigious PFA award". BBC Sport. 26 April 2009. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
25. "Neil Austin". inthemadcrowd.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2018.

External links

• England profile at TheFA
• Neil Austin at Soccerbase