POOLE Town vice-chairman Chris Reeves has offered a vote of thanks to Cherries boss Eddie Howe for his part in nurturing Swindon-bound Charlie Austin.

The prolific striker is next week expected to complete a dream move to the League One outfit in a deal which could potentially net the Dolphins in excess of £50,000.

Austin will head to Wiltshire on Monday where he will meet Robins boss Danny Wilson to discuss personal terms after the two clubs reached agreement on a transfer package on Thursday.

Wilson moved for Austin after the Swindon-born 20-year-old’s chances of earning a contract with Cherries had been dashed by the club’s ongoing transfer embargo.

Austin, who scored in a pre-season friendly against Cherries in July after training with Howe’s squad at the end of last season, was invited back and spent a further seven weeks with the club.

The former Reading trainee, whose uncle Darren Angell was once on the books of Portsmouth, was initially recommended to Howe by Steve Cuss who heads Cherries’ community sports trust and is also on the coaching staff at Poole.

However, although Howe had been keen to sign Austin, his chances of bringing the rising star to Court">Dean Court bit the dust after the Football League last month blocked Cherries’ latest attempt to have the embargo lifted. Dolphins director Reeves told the Daily Echo: “Due to our close relationship with AFC Bournemouth, particularly through Steve Cuss, we would have been delighted to have been able to sort out something with them.

“Charlie really enjoyed his time with Bournemouth and it is absolutely certain that the training he did while he was there developed him and brought him on tremendously as a player. Everybody involved (with his move to Swindon) have got Eddie Howe and Bournemouth to thank for that.”

Westbourne-based Austin, who will swap the building trade to embark on a career in the professional game, is set to move up no fewer than six rungs of the football ladder.