'As much as it means to us, it means the world to these people': Charlie Austin delighted for West Brom's backroom staff after Premier League promotion eased club's financial fears and says Slaven Bilic's current squad can hold their own in the top flight

• West Brom secured Premier League promotion on the final day of the season
• Charlie Austin was relieved for the backroom staff after their months of fear
• Reaching the top flight is worth about £170million, a huge prize for the Baggies
• Austin thinks the squad currently in place can hold their own in the top flight

The moment West Brom learned they had clinched promotion to the Premier League, Charlie Austin's thoughts turned immediately to the club employees who had spent much of the last four months fearing for their livelihoods.

Austin scored 11 goals in all competitions this season to help seal the second promotion of his career, as West Brom squeezed over the line with a 2-2 draw against Queens Park Rangers on the final day.

Reaching the top flight is worth about £170million but there is sober reality beyond those numbers. Having worked as a bricklayer until he turned professional in 2009 aged 20, Austin knows what life is like outside football and understands how the coronavirus pandemic has changed the lives of so many.

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Charlie Austin was ecstatic for West Brom's club staff after winning Premier League promotion

'You are talking about people's jobs,' Austin, now 31, told Sportsmail. 'Maybe we don't need an extra masseur if we don't go up.'Maybe we don't need an extra physio, maybe we don't need the chef next year or the same number of people in the ticket office. There were massive smiles on their faces at 10pm on Wednesday and that is what you want to do. They are hard-working people and they deserve this success.

'As much as promotion means to the players, it means the world to these people.

'For example, there's a lady called Jean who works in the players' canteen and due to Covid-19 I've not seen her since March. Win, lose or draw she was the same bubbly Jean with a big smile on her face every day. They are the people you want to celebrate with. We are a tight-knit club at West Brom and you get so much satisfaction from something like this.'

Austin said he was proud of how the players handled the pressure. 'The highs are fantastic but there are many lows in football and you come across those times no matter how good you are. I left Southampton with a sour taste but when I got to West Brom I said I'd come for one thing: to achieve promotion.

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West Brom squeezed over the line with a 2-2 draw against QPR on a dramatic final day

'In the Championship with West Brom, teams want to beat you and there is pressure. It speaks volumes for the players that we handled it. Brentford were chasing us but when you're chasing, there's nothing to lose. Brentford had one game of pressure, which was the Stoke game (they lost 1-0 and missed the chance to leapfrog West Brom). We had it for the whole year.'

Austin, who signed for £4m last summer and has proved himself a reliable top-flight goalscorer with QPR and Southampton, revealed he had ordered the Albion bench to keep quiet during the final crazy seconds on Wednesday.

Manager Slaven Bilic, his staff and the substitutes were trying to tell the team to be cautious after learning Barnsley had scored late to go 2-1 ahead at Brentford, meaning a point was enough - but they risked confusing the players on a remarkable night in the Championship.

Thankfully for Albion, no damage was done, even though they had to wait for the final whistle at Griffin Park to be sure. The players celebrated in the dressing room and at the team hotel and were urged to savour the moment by Gareth Barry, who has more Premier League appearances to his name than any other player.

Austin said: 'Gareth spoke in the changing room and said, "You've really got to enjoy these moments. You think they're going to come constantly, but they don't".

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Reaching the top flight is worth about £170million, a huge boost to the club's finances

'Throughout the season he was always giving little bits of advice. If you're not using Gareth's experience, then you're a fool. You have to use that knowledge and dive into his football brain. When he speaks, you listen.

'Towards the end of the QPR game the bench were shouting, "Barnsley are winning", but it doesn't take long to score a goal. So many instructions were being shouted by the bench and at a certain point I turned round and said, "Will you be quiet?" It was causing more confusion.

'You do miss the fans giving you that extra 10 to 15 per cent. I spoke to racing trainer Richard Hannon and said it was similar to when he had a winner at Royal Ascot. You need what the fans bring.

'We know what we need to do to stay in the Premier League. We've got some exciting young players and some who haven't played there before who are going to grasp this opportunity.

'I told those players that what's about to happen will change their lives. It's worldwide exposure. Maybe they will try to bring in a few additions but looking at our squad at the moment, I feel like we'll go in and hold our own.'