FAVOURITE son Charlie Austin wants Poole Town to put one in the eye to the football authorities who once barred the club’s progress.

Austin could be among the crowd tonight when the Dolphins host Hungerford Town in the Southern League Division One South & West play-offs.

The 22-year-old earned a dream move to the Football League after his goalscoring exploits with Poole had initially alerted former Cherries boss Eddie Howe.

However, despite training with Howe’s squad, Austin was unable to sign for Cherries due to a transfer embargo, allowing Swindon to swoop for his signature.

And after netting 37 times in 65 appearances for the Robins, Austin was reunited with Howe when the striker became his first signing after taking over at Burnley in January 2011.

Austin, who hit 17 goals during an injury-plagued first season in the Championship, was instrumental in Poole’s first Wessex League title in 2009.

But despite plundering 46 goals, the striker and his team-mates were left deflated when the club was denied promotion to the Southern League due to ground-grading issues.

Austin, who was born in Hungerford and played for the Crusaders as a teenager, told the Daily Echo: “I want Poole to go as high as possible. If they had been allowed to go up in my first season, they would probably have already gone higher.

“For one reason or another, they decided to kill the club three years ago. I know the ground wasn’t the best but they did everything they could. If they had gone up then, they probably would at least be in the Southern Premier now.”

“The board of directors has worked tirelessly for the club and I am sure they will one day be hoping to reach the Conference. I believe that is where they belong. I just hope they can win the play-offs and take the next step. The club deserves success.”

Austin, whose reported £1.2m move to Burnley is understood to have seen Poole profit to the tune of around £200,000, says he owes a debt of gratitude to Dolphins boss Tom Killick.

“Tom has played a big part in where I am now,” said Austin, whose grandfather Alistair is a regular at Tatnam. “He is a great manager and knows his players better than anyone.

“He put me on a contract when I was there and I remember kicking up a fuss when he wouldn’t let me go to Totton. He told me to trust him because he said something big was going to happen for me.

“I told him I wanted to play as high as I could and as quickly as I could. I never thought I would get to where I am now and just wanted to go as high as I could in non-league. Tom told me I could go higher and to just bide my time.

“I have also got a lot of respect for Taffy (Richardson) because he talked through a lot of things with me. I will never forget what Poole did for me and I really hope they keep progressing through the leagues.”