For a period of 12 months, Billy Paynter was one of the most-feared strikers in the EFL, but that reputation soon came tumbling down after a move to Leeds United.
During a goal-filled stint at Swindon Town in League One, when he scored 26 goals in the 2009–10 season alongside the equally prolific Charlie Austin, the one-man battering ram was sending defences reeling.
Paynter struggled in the second division after moving to Elland Road, while his teammate, who went on to have a successful career in the Championship and Premier League, was not as successful.
After failing to deliver results for a team aiming to get promoted to the top flight, he was let go and sent on loan to Brighton and Hove Albion after 14 months.
Billy Paynter’s remarkable Swindon Town season
After only scoring more than ten goals in three of his first nine professional football seasons, Paynter’s 09/10 season at the County Ground saw everything come together and the goals come as easily as they had ever done for him.
With Austin by his side, Simon Ferry, Jonathan Douglas, and Jon-Paul McGovern in the middle of the pitch, the Robins were a formidable team in the third division that season. Paynter’s 26 league goals were the main factor in their playoff run.
Even though the season had a difficult start, the striker’s 17 goals in as many games from October to February saw him take off and put the Wiltshire team in the running for promotion.
Paynter’s physical presence up top allowed him to frequently benefit from Town’s aggressive style. Leeds was one of his many victims during that year, as he scored braces in both of the team’s meetings with the Yorkshire club.
Austin opened the score in the first of those games, which really made the rest of the division take notice of Swindon. Paynter’s almost-posy header doubled the score, and a spot-kick completed the 3-0 triumph in front of their own supporters.
| Billy Paynter’s Swindon Town, Leeds United league game comparison (FBRef) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Swindon Town | Leeds United | |
| Appearances | 120 | 27 |
| Starts | 112 | 10 |
| Goals | 45 | 3 |
| Assists | 17 | 1 |
| Goal contribution/90 | 0.62 | 0.38 |
It was the same scoreline in the return fixture at Elland Road just over two months later, with Paynter stealing the show with a well-taken volley and long-range piledriver to see Swindon replace Leeds in the top two with weeks of the season remaining.
It wasn’t to be for the Robins though, with a playoff final defeat to Millwall sealing their fate, while Leeds recovered to earn a return to the third tier, but not without taking their recent nemesis with them.
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