Charlie Austin sends “Baggies” message on anniversary of memorable West Brom v Birmingham clash | OneFootball

Charlie Austin has reflected on the three-year anniversary of his match-winning performance for West Bromwich Albion against local rivals Birmingham City.

The striker came off the bench to help the Baggies come from behind twice and beat the Blues 3-2 in a Championship game at St Andrew’s on the 14th of December 2019.

Grady Diangana had cancelled out Lukas Jutkiewicz’s opener before the break but Harlee Dean’s goal two minutes into the second half put the hosts back in the driving seat.

Enter Austin, who scored twice in eight minutes to turn the game on its head and ensure that all three points headed back across the West Midlands with the Baggies.

Highlights were posted on the Albion Twitter account on the three-year anniversary of ‘The Charlie Austin Game’ and the striker was quick to offer a response – highlighting the love he still has for the club.

Austin scored 11 goals in 45 appearances across a two-year spell with the Baggies – helping them win promotion back to the Premier League in 2019/20.

He moved to QPR permanently in July 2021 and then to A-League side Brisbane Roar last summer but announced this week he would be moving back to the UK for family reasons.

Quiz: Have any of these 25 ex-West Brom players ever played for a Yorkshire based team?

1 of 25

Ben Foster

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The Verdict

Austin didn’t come cheap from Southampton and may not have scored as many goals as the Baggies will have been hoping for but he produced some memorable performances in a West Brom shirt.

His match-winning display against Birmingham three years ago was certainly one of them and it seems he remembers it just as fondly as the fans do.

Austin’s response suggests that Albion still hold a place in his heart and you’d imagine he’d jump at the chance to return to The Hawthorns now he’s a free agent.

It’s hard to see such a move happening though as it would certainly be heart over head from the club’s perspective.