Nathan Austin
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 15 February 1994 | ||
| Place of birth | Hertfordshire, England[1] | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Falkirk | ||
| Number | 16 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| East Wemyss District U15 | |||
| –2013 | Leven United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013–2016 | East Fife | 72 | (28) |
| 2016– | Falkirk | 2 | (0) |
| 2016 | → East Fife (loan) | 15 | (8) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 13 August 2016 (UTC). | |||
Nathan "Fash"[1] Austin (born 15 February 1994) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a forward for Scottish Championship side Falkirk. He was previously at East Fife, and signed for Falkirk in January 2016, remaining at Bayview Stadium on loan until the end of the 2015–16 season.
Career
Austin, born in Hertfordshire, England[1] moved to Scotland with his family in 2001 at the tender age of seven.[2] Whilst playing for youth side East Wemyss District under-15s, Austin came to the attention of the media after being subjected to racist abuse during matches for the side.[2] Initially it was reported that he was to quit football because of the abuse,[2] however he vowed to persevere after receiving support from the public[3] and then-SFA chief Gordon Smith.[4] Eventually Austin signed for amateur side Leven United, before moving on to Scottish League One side East Fife in July 2013.[5][6]
Austin made his debut for the Methil club in the Scottish Challenge Cup against Forfar Athletic, coming on as an 85th minute substitute for Scott McBride[7] and his first goal for the side came in a 1–0 defeat of Arbroath in January 2014.[8] His second season with the club saw him improve on the five goals he scored in his debut season, with the striker netting 14 times in competitive 38 matches, including a hat-trick against Threave Rovers in the Scottish Cup[9] and four in the league against Elgin City in a 3–5 victory.[10] His third season with East Fife started even more brightly, and by January 2016 Austin had scored 16 goals in 25 appearances, adding two further hat-tricks to his score-sheet against both Montrose[11] and Stirling Albion.[12] His performances attracted the attention of a number of top-tier sides, with Motherwell, Aberdeen and Dundee all reported as targeting Austin for a potential move.[6] Austin was eventually signed by Scottish Championship side Falkirk on 15 January 2016, with the player remaining at Bayview Stadium on loan for the remainder of the season as part of the deal.[13]
Austin continued to lead the line prolifically for the Fifers in the second half of the season; he scored one goal and assisted another the day after his transfer to Falkirk in a 4–2 win away to Annan Athletic,[14] and also scored the following week in a 3–1 away victory at East Stirling.[15] East Fife were to go on a great run of form towards the business end of the season, and eventually finished top of League Two, ensuring promotion to League One and giving Austin a league winners medal.[16][17]
Career statistics
- As of 1 May 2016[18]
| Club | Season | League | Scottish Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| East Fife | 2013–14 | Scottish League One | 22 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 29 | 5 |
| 2014–15 | Scottish League Two | 30 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 38 | 14 | |
| 2015–16 | 20 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 16 | ||
| Total | 72 | 28 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 2 | 92 | 35 | ||
| Falkirk | 2015–16 | Scottish Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| East Fife (loan) | 2015–16 | Scottish League Two | 15 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 8 |
| Career Total | 87 | 36 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 2 | 96 | 37 | ||
Honours
Leven United AFC Fosters Fife Amateur Cup winner 2012/13
Club
Personal life
Austin's younger brother Jordan is also a footballer and played alongside him at East Fife.[19]
References
- 1 2 3 "Team Squad 2015/16". eastfifefc.info. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
- 1 2 3 "Racist Abuse Set To Drive Young Scots Talent From Football". Daily Record. 22 March 2008. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
- ↑ "Race taunt teen Nathan Austin vows to play on and beat bigots". Daily Record. 24 March 2008. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
- ↑ "Race taunt footballer Nathan Austin told not to let bigots win during Hampden visit". Daily Record. 28 March 2008. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
- ↑ "New Signings for The Fife". eastfifefc.info. 26 July 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
- 1 2 "Reported Aberdeen, Dundee & Motherwell target Nathan Austin cool on future – but wants a crack at full-time football". Deadline News. 5 January 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
- ↑ "Forfar Athletic 2–1 East Fife". Scottish Professional Football League. 27 July 2013. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
- ↑ "East Fife 1–0 Arbroath". Scottish Professional Football League. 2 January 2014. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
- ↑ "East Fife 7–0 Threave Rovers". BBC Sport. 5 October 2014. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
- ↑ "Elgin 3–5 East Fife". BBC Sport. 3 March 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
- ↑ "Montrose 1–4 East Fife". BBC Sport. 26 September 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
- ↑ "Stirling 1–3 East Fife". BBC Sport. 26 December 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
- ↑ "Bairns seal deal for Nathan Austin". falkirkfc.co.uk. 15 January 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
- ↑ "Annan Athletic 2-4 East Fife; match report". BBC Sport. 16 January 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
- ↑ "East Stirlingshire 1-3 East Fife". BBC Sport. 23 January 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
- ↑ "Clyde 0-0 East Fife". BBC Sport. 17 April 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
- ↑ "East Fife Twitter". Twitter. 17 April 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
- ↑ Nathan Austin career statistics at Soccerbase
- ↑ "East Fife sign Kelly and Austin". Scottish Professional Football League. 8 January 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
