SWINDON Town striker Charlie Austin says he still does not know where he will be playing football next season but admits he does owe chairman Clem Morfuni a spot of loyalty after the Australian brokered his January move back home.

Austin agreed a short-term contract at the club where he began his professional career over a decade ago around the turn of the year.

The 33-year-old scored on his second debut for the club, against Grimsby Town, and has plundered seven goals since – including a memorable four-strike stint against Rochdale on Saturday.

In doing so, the Hungerford-born striker joined former Arsenal forward Andrey Arshavin in an exclusive club that no one wants to join – players who have netted four goals in a game but not ending up on the winning side.

Asked post-match whether his hot start had triggered any thoughts of extending his time in Wiltshire, Austin said: “‘I don’t know’ is the honest answer.

“I’m very close with the chairman, and I’m very appreciative to him that he gave me the opportunity to come back.

“So is there something that I owe him? Yes, of course. But I’m 34 in the summer and I want to play, I want to score goals, I want to continue playing.

“Do I need to repay him something? Yes, a bit of loyalty to him. But that’s not a foregone conclusion.

“I need to sit down and weigh up my options. That’s not saying yes, that’s not saying no.”

Personal achievements aside, Austin remains desperate to fire Swindon to promotion in his second spell.

Town have something of a small mountain to climb if they are to make the League Two play-offs this term, but even if it proves to be mission impossible, Austin did not rule out coming back to have another crack in 2023-24.

He said: “I’m very pleased for the chairman to have given me the opportunity to come back.

“Would I liked it to have gone a lot better than how it’s gone so far? Yes, but there’s 10 games to go still and I don’t want the season to fizzle out.

“I’m here to push for one reason, and that’s to try and get us promoted. That’s what I came back for.

“What will happen in the summer is, I’ll sit down with the chairman and discuss what things look like going forward. But for the time being, I’m happy here just trying to score goals.

“Ultimately, my head isn’t swivelling to go somewhere else. I need to push the club forward, and that’s what I’m here for.”