Kevin Austin (footballer)

Trinidad and Tobago football player and manager

Kevin Levi Austin (12 February 1973 – 23 November 2018) was a professional footballer and manager. As a player he was a defender from 1992, until 2012. He notably played over 100 league matches each for Leyton Orient, Lincoln City and Swansea City. He also played in the English Football League for Barnsley, Brentford, Cambridge United, Bristol Rovers and Chesterfield. He also played Non League football for Saffron Walden Town, Kettering Town, Darlington and Boston United. Born in England, he was capped seven times by the Trinidad and Tobago national team.

Austin began his career at non League Saffron Walden Town before joining Leyton Orient in August 1993 for a fee of £1000, for whom he made 119 League and cup appearances in three seasons, scoring four goals.

He moved to Lincoln City in July 1996, for a fee of £30,000, making 146 appearances. A firm favourite during his time at Sincil Bank, Kevin was voted number 56 in Lincoln's 100 league legends in June 2007.

Austin moved to Barnsley in July 1999 on a Bosman free transfer, but in only his fifth match for Barnsley and ironically against Lincoln in the League Cup, he suffered a serious Achilles tendon injury that kept him out of action for the remainder of the season. Returning to fitness, Austin was loaned to Brentford and also linked up with Trinidad and Tobago, making his one and only appearance for the Warriors in a 1–0 2002 World Cup qualifying win over Panama in Port of Spain in November 2000.

In the summer of 2002, Bristol Rovers appointed John Still as their assistant manager and Still, who had worked with Austin at Lincoln, invited him for pre season training. Austin impressed sufficiently to earn a contract and he returned to both full fitness and regular first team football, making a total of 61 appearances. In all competitions, to the end of the 2007/08 season, Austin made 139 appearances for Swansea City (with a further eleven as substitute).

Austin then joined Conference Premier side Darlington after his spell at Chesterfield.

He went on loan to Conference North club Boston United, until the end of the season 2010–11. He joined Boston on a permanent deal after being released by Darlington following the end of the season.

He was eligible to play for either England or Trinidad and Tobago at international level and chose to play for the latter against Panama in 2000.

Austin was a centre half who was also utilised as a full back. Standing at 6'1", he was an imposing figure, dubbed "The Doorman".

Austin was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in April 2017. He died on 23 November 2018, aged 45.