Austin v Tubbs debate goes to a replay

Who’s the better striker out of ex-Poole Town marksman Charlie Austin and former Salisbury City hotshot Matt Tubbs?

When Austin swivelled supremely to fire League One Swindon into a 66th-minute lead, the vote swung in favour of the Robins’ goal sensation.

But then Tubbs caught the eye with a gloriously struck 75th-minute leveller, prompting Steve Evans, manager of Blue Square Bet Premier outfit Crawley, to declare his man top of the shots.

“Charlie is a threat to everybody, but I think we’ve got somebody better – I think Matt Tubbs is better than Austin,”

he declared.

“The difference is Austin is still young (at 21) and Tubbs is 26.”

One man better qualified than most to comment on the relative strengths of the pair is Poole Town boss Tommy Killick.

He helped them both back up the career ladder after they had been released by Football League clubs.

It was during his time as assistant manager to Nick Holmes at Salisbury that Killick persuaded Tubbs on board after spells with AFC Bournemouth and Bolton Wanderers.

And though he little Suspected how good Austin would turn out to be when he signed him for Poole from Hungerford three summers ago, the former Reading trainee soon set the Wessex League alight with his prolific scoring exploits.

Asked which one of his two ‘discoveries’ he rates the highest, Killick said: “I don’t think it’s fair to compare them.

“They’re both strikers who score goals, but they’re different in their style of play and, in their own way, they’re both very effective.

“Charlie’s bigger, more powerful and much better in the air, whereas Tubbsy’s got very good feet.

“They’re similar in so far as they both started off young with a pro club and had to spend time in non-League to get back into the professional ranks.

“But in Charlie’s case, he’s been able to do it a lot quicker and at a higher level and, on the face it, he looks likely to play even higher than League One.

“With Tubbsy being the age he is, you’d have to say it’s unlikely he will make that sort progression unless he goes into the Football League with Crawley and gets up to a higher level from there.

“Tubbsy’s been a bit unfortunate.

A lot of League clubs were rumoured to be interested in him when he was at Salisbury. He even had a brief spell at Bournemouth, but a change of manager caused problems for him and it didn’t work out.

“But it looks as if Crawley have a decent chance of getting into the League and, if so, it will be fully deserved for Tubbsy.

I’m pleased he’s getting the recognition.

“With Charlie I think some people thought his first season at Swindon was a flash in the pan, but this year he’s proving it’s not.

“I don’t know enough about it to say how far he’s capable of going, but at the very least I would have thought there will be Championship clubs looking at him – and perhaps beyond that.

“What was always apparent with both of them was that they were hugely driven to do well.

“A lot of players released by League clubs resign themselves to playing non-League and just drift around. But both Charlie and Matt had hunger and ambition and were fiercely motivated.

“Tubbsy’s a lot stronger physically now and has a different physique to when he came to Salisbury. He knew he’d find it physically difficult and did something about it.

“As for Charlie, he went training with Bournemouth for several weeks for no pay when he was at Poole.

"He trained hard every day because he wanted to be a professional footballer and you could sense how determined he was to do well.”

Austin and Tubbs are due another shoot-out in Tuesday night’s replay at Swindon and, once again, Killick’s loyalties will be torn.

“It was a strange feeling watching the first game with Charlie on one side and Tubbsy on the other, wondering what was going to happen,”

he confessed.

“So for the game to end in a draw with both of them scoring – what an outcome that was!

“Lots of people know the pair of them from local non-League and to have them both attracting plaudits in the way they are is really good to see.”