Set-piece specialist earns his rewards

SCOTT Twine was a promising cricketer as a boy, but from the moment he saw Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo blast that legendary dipping free-kick beyond David James in the Portsmouth goal, his mind was made up.

- By Chris Dunlavy

Aged eight, and already playing two years above his age group, Twine decided that not only would he become a professional footballer, he'd be the best free-kick taker in the world.

Seventeen years on, the first objective has been firmly accomplished. And the second? Global data is sketchy, but he is certainly the most prolific in England.

Since the start of the 2019-20 campaign, the attacking midfielder has scored 15 direct free-kicks for Swindon, Newport, MK Dons, Burnley, Hull and his current club Bristol City. That's more than any other player in the top four tiers of English football.

“It’s like a superpower,” said Noel Hunt, the former Reading striker who was assistant to Richie Wellens during Twine's formative years at the County Ground. “You’d watch him after training and it was top corner, top corner, top corner. He hardly ever missed.”

Vincent Kompany recalled Twine scoring his first goal for Burnley with a trademark dipping effort against West Brom in January 2023.

“One of the players behind me was moaning, saying it should have been a penalty,” said the Belgian. “I turned round and said to him ‘For Twiney, it is a penalty’. He’s just so good.”