Austin sets 20-goal target for next season
Charlie Austin speaks about his return to action after a five-month spell on the sidelines.
Austin returned for the Saints against Stoke City in the season finale where a Peter Crouch header saw the visitors win 1-0 at St. Marys.
"It felt good. Five-and-a-half months is a long time. I've put a lot of hard work in with the medical staff to get back on the pitch and I really enjoyed it.
"I didn't realise how much I missed it. I was delighted to be out there, I've come off injury free and now hopefully I can go and have a good summer and be back ready for next year.
"I've worked hard over the five months. It's been an annoying injury, but you have to get it right and hopefully I've got it done now and it's gone out the way and I can just keep pushing on.
"Not being involved in the run to the [EFL Cup] final was tough, it was mentally tough for me and Virgil as well. We were both injured at the wrong time. No one likes to be injured, but we both had big injuries and have been out for a long time.
"You have to keep your spirits up, because it's a team game, and you don't want to come into work all doom and gloom. So my spirits are high.
"Unfortunately, we didn't come away with the win [against Stoke], but I've come away and I'm fit and I can go away now and have a good break with my family and come back ready to go in pre-season and hit the ground running."
"It felt good. Five-and-a-half months is a long time. I've put a lot of hard work in with the medical staff to get back on the pitch and I really enjoyed it.
"I didn't realise how much I missed it. I was delighted to be out there, I've come off injury free and now hopefully I can go and have a good summer and be back ready for next year.
"I've worked hard over the five months. It's been an annoying injury, but you have to get it right and hopefully I've got it done now and it's gone out the way and I can just keep pushing on.
"Not being involved in the run to the [EFL Cup] final was tough, it was mentally tough for me and Virgil as well. We were both injured at the wrong time. No one likes to be injured, but we both had big injuries and have been out for a long time.
"You have to keep your spirits up, because it's a team game, and you don't want to come into work all doom and gloom. So my spirits are high.
"Unfortunately, we didn't come away with the win [against Stoke], but I've come away and I'm fit and I can go away now and have a good break with my family and come back ready to go in pre-season and hit the ground running."
Austin was in a great run of form for Saints before his injury struck and he has already set a target to aim for 20 goals next season.
"I was on a roll with nine goals by the start of December and I really thought I was going to get to 20," he said.
"I was playing some really good football. But next year I'm going to give it another good go and try to get to 20 as quickly as I can – that will be the aim."
"I was on a roll with nine goals by the start of December and I really thought I was going to get to 20," he said.
"I was playing some really good football. But next year I'm going to give it another good go and try to get to 20 as quickly as I can – that will be the aim."
Reflecting on Southampton's eighth-placed finish Austin said: "The club needs to appreciate how well the lads have done throughout the season.
"Stoke was our 53rd game of the season, we finished eighth in the Premier League, we played in the Europa League and we had a cup run and got to a final. We've got to be happy with that.
"You look at the top six and they've been solid this year and rightly so they've gone away with it. But we'll regroup over the summer, come back pre-season and have a right good go in one, if not two, of the cups and have a good go for Europe next year."
"Stoke was our 53rd game of the season, we finished eighth in the Premier League, we played in the Europa League and we had a cup run and got to a final. We've got to be happy with that.
"You look at the top six and they've been solid this year and rightly so they've gone away with it. But we'll regroup over the summer, come back pre-season and have a right good go in one, if not two, of the cups and have a good go for Europe next year."
Having returned to the #SaintsFC starting line-up against #SCFC, @chazaustin10 is now looking ahead to next season: https://t.co/pVseetaQOG— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) May 22, 2017
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