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Billy Paynter was one of the EFL's top strikers when he made the move to Elland Road, but couldn't rediscover that form while in Yorkshire

For a period of 12 months, Billy Paynter was one of the most-feared strikers in the EFL, but that reputation soon came tumbling down after a move to Leeds United.

The one-man battering ram was leaving defences running scared during a goal-laden spell with Swindon Town in League One, where he netted 26 times in the 2009/10 campaign, alongside the similarly prolific Charlie Austin.

While his teammate went on to have an established career in the Championship and Premier League, Paynter failed to cut it when he made the move up to the second tier, with his switch to Elland Road not having the desired effect.

14 months on and he was out the door and on loan to Brighton and Hove Albion, having failed to produce the goods for a side looking to earn promotion to the top flight.

Billy Paynter’s remarkable Swindon Town season

Having only hit double figures in three of his first nine seasons as a professional footballer, everything seemed to click together for Paynter in the 09/10 campaign at the County Ground, with the goals coming as easy as they ever had throughout his career.

With Austin alongside him, Simon Ferry and Jonathan Douglas in midfield, as well as Jon-Paul McGovern, the Robins were a force to be reckoned with in the third tier that season, with Paynter the driving force behind their run to the playoffs with 26 league strikes.

Things even started slowly in that campaign, before a run of 17 goals in as many games between October and February saw the striker catch fire, and propel the Wiltshire outfit into the promotion picture.

With his physical presence up top, Paynter would so often reap the rewards from Town’s attacking play, with Leeds being one of his many victims in that campaign, with a brace in both fixtures against the Yorkshire outfit.

The first of those games really made the rest of the division stand up and take notice of Swindon, with Austin opening the scoring, before Paynter’s near-posy header double matters, before a spot-kick rounded off the 3-0 victory in front of their own fans.

It was the same scoreline in the return fixture at Elland Road just over two months later, with Paynter stealing the show with a well-taken volley and long-range piledriver to see Swindon replace Leeds in the top two with weeks of the season remaining.

It wasn’t to be for the Robins though, with a playoff final defeat to Millwall sealing their fate, while Leeds recovered to earn a return to the third tier, but not without taking their recent nemesis with them.

Billy Paynter fails to shine after Leeds United move

After seeing the striker single-handedly dismantle their side twice in the previous campaign, Untied were eager to make Paynter theirs as they made the step up to the Championship, but that magical season would soon prove to be a false dawn.

Whites boss Simon Grayson [pictured] was delighted with the signing at the time, and even highlighted those two games against Swindon as a key example of his ability.

The Leeds manager said at the time: “He proved his worth last season, scoring four goals against us in two games.

"He has matured as a player over the last couple of years and had a fantastic season last season.

"He works ever so hard, holds the ball up well and has proved he knows where the back of the net is.

"When we knew he was available we were desperate to get him. We feel he will be a good acquisition for the club and I'm delighted to have got him."

With Jermaine Beckford leaving the club weeks before to join Premier League side Everton, there was plenty of expectation on Paynter’s shoulders, but the frontman couldn’t rediscover his form after moving to Yorkshire.

With the likes of Luciano Becchio and Ross McCormack at the club fighting for a first-team spot, the former Swindon man always had his work cutout to prove himself in the second tier, with just 22 appearances that season, and only eight from the first whistle.

A solitary goal in a 2-1 win against Preston North End will be the only memory United fans will have of him in a white shirt during that campaign, with the striker scoring just as many goals at Elland Road before playing for Leeds than he did under their employment.

A goalless loan spell with fellow Championship side Brighton did nothing to enhance his reputation in the following campaign, before dropping down into his more comfortable surroundings of League One with Doncaster Rovers.

Once he was back where he felt most comfortable, the goals soon returned, with 13 goals for his new employers seeing them win the title and earn promotion to the Championship.

What may have looked like an astute move on paper backfired massively for both player and club during that time, with Paynter and Leeds likely regretting a move that didn’t benefit either party.