LEAGUE TWO, CELINA AND TWINE CAN TAKE A BOW
ANOTHER sensational EFL season is drawing to a close and it’s difficult to know where to start when picking out my highlights.
In fact, I’m going to cheat a little and say that almost the full League Two season is in my best bits.
The long-time 11-team promotion battle has been a staggering watch. Even as late as yesterday, there were five teams chasing the final automatic promotion spot.
Teams have been rising and falling like they were in a broken elevator all season. True, Forest Green broke away at the top and were out on their own for a long time, but even they were reeled in as Exeter went on a charge.
As a Swindon fan, I have given us no chance of making the play-offs on at least four separate occasions this season and yet, as I write this, the Robins sit in the playoff places.
It has not been good for my heart, but, by god, it has been exciting.
However, for the best individual moment of the season, I’m going to dip into League One.
It is impossible for me to look beyond Bersant Celina’s impudent chip for Ipswich against Crewe back in November.
You see a lot of goals from range in goal of the season contests, but what is more of a rarity is a goal of that level of technical skill.
From his first touch to kill a long ball dead to the way he doesn’t need to turn to get his shot away – and keeper Dave Richards’ desperate back-pedal to try to reach it - this goal went beyond art to another realm of beauty.
Trigger warning for Plymouth fans, but basically everything MK Dons star Scott Twine did this season is worthy of mention. Twenty goals and 13 assists is outrageous - and the quality with which he got each one of those is something which frankly does not belong in the third tier.
No goalkeeper is safe when Twine is on the field as his prowess from free-kicks and long-range efforts makes James Ward-Prowse look Sunday League.
There was never any doubt he would become the League One Player of the Season. A player with his passing range and ball-striking ability is a joy to watch – I just wish Swindon could have kept him…