QPR striker Charlie Austin recalls the struggles from the earlier stages of his career as he prepares for England's international friendly against the Republic of Ireland on Sunday.

The 26-year old earned his first England call-up after scoring 18 goals for QPR in his debut season in the Premier League and is now eyeing his first international cap after transforming himself from a bricklayer into the English top flight's fourth-highest scorer.

"For 42-and-a-half hours, I think I got £341," he recalls prior to moving from Poole to Swindon Town in 2009.

"When I lived in Hungerford, it was wake up 5.30am, get to the van at 6am with eight other blokes, drive to Shinfield which is in Reading, 45 minutes away.

"Start at 7.30am to 4.30pm with two half-hour breaks and then home. Train Tuesday and Thursday and then play on Saturday.

"I had a mad day once when I moved to live in Bournemouth. I travelled to Basingstoke, which was an hour, cut the day short, got home, got changed, and had to get the ferry from Southampton to play Braydon away on a cold wet Tuesday night. Then get the last ferry back over at 11pm, home for 1am. Then the van was picking me up again at 5.45. It was all systems go."