For Scott Twine, on loan from Newport, loan periods were as much about gaining experience in life as it was about developing in the field.

It has been more than three years since the midfielder was first exposed to professional football when he made his senior debut for his hometown club Swindon on the last day of the 2016/17 season, and although ‘There have been sporadic appearances since, he has, so far, been unable to carve out a regular starting spot for himself at County Ground.

The 21-year-old didn’t settle for just playing a minor role, however, instead using the time to pursue his own development. After a temporary change to the South National League squad from Chippenham Town, he boldly crossed the Irish Sea to join Waterford.

“It was completely different for me because I have always lived at home. By moving to another country to live for the first time, I learned a lot,” he says. Air sports.

“When the offer came, initially, I wasn’t sure if it would be a good or a bad move, but I knew if football wasn’t for me, at least I would learn to live on my own. it turned out to be a good experience because i have always been in my comfort zone at home so moving to another country and working with different people i had never met before was awesome. “

Twine returned to her parent club after four months and made three late appearances at the start of the 2019/20 campaign, before playing just four minutes for the first team between August 24 and January 11. A second stint with Chippenham – although two divisions below – provided a brief respite before the coronavirus pandemic.

Shortly before the start of the 2020/21 season, as Swindon prepared to live a division above after winning the Sky Bet League Two title, Robins’ manager at the time, Richie Wellens allowed him to sign a one-season loan deal with Newport.

It was just the break he needed. Making his debut in an all-Welsh Carabao Cup encounter with Swansea, with 15 games in all competitions to his name, Twine has four goals and three assists to his name.

Gillette Football Special

The second of these not only helped Kevin Ellison, 41, scored his first goal for the club in a 1-0 win over Port Vale last weekend but it also kept the Exiles leading the league, three points behind their closest rivals Cheltenham and with a valuable game in hand.

“It feels good,” he continues. “This is the first time that I have played regularly in League Two, so I am very satisfied personally, and for the team as well, with the way it has gone so far.

“There is a winning mentality in training every day and no one is happy if they are on the losing team in mini-games in training or on a match day. training is treated like a game and that is exactly what it was at Swindon last year The practices were high intensity and everyone wanted to impress themselves and the manager to try to get into the squad, it is like that here.

“We also have a lot of depth in the squad so the competition for places is high which keeps everyone on their toes.”

There has been no contact with John Sheridan – who took office at Swindon on November 13 – but Twine explains that he is still focusing on Newport. There is a glint in his eyes as he brings the conversation back to the questions on the pitch; it is his childish pleasure of the game that shines through.

“I enjoy my football probably more than I have ever done before,” he adds. “I love to play soccer and when I play soccer I’m happy. I’ve always been like this since I was little and that’s all I ever wanted to do. There is nothing better than playing on a I was at Chippenham last season at the Southern Conference level, but I treated every game like it was a cup final.

“When I got to Newport I wanted to prove to myself more than anyone that I’m good enough to play consistently at this level. I still have a long way to go because it’s only been a few months, but I just want to keep playing, keep improving, keep training and hopefully keep winning games and scoring goals.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing the number of games to come over the next few weeks. A winning mentality is a very good thing to have at times like these. We are not going to win every game this season. so when we do drop points, we have to make sure we bounce back the next day in practice and work hard to make sure we win as many games as possible. “