A stylish footballer with a wiry frame, Hull City loanee Scott Twine is not the sort of footballer who you would think would not particularly relish the physical side of football.

Let alone the muck-and-nettles of the non-league scene, where the game is often a battle and the cultured stuff often goes out of the window.

Wiltshire-born Twine may have made his name at MK Dons, where he was named as the League One player of the year in 2021-22.

Hull City loanee Scott Twine, in action in the game with Bristol City earlier this season. Photo by George Wood/Getty Images.

But his time at the start of his career below the league pyramid at Chippenham Town, alongside a spell across the Irish Sea at Waterford, has also made an impression upon him.

It toughened him up, in many respects.

Twine said: "I have been around a little bit and played a lot of games to say I am fairly young. I am getting on a bit now!

"I feel like being in Conference South really helped me become physically stronger in being able to take a tackle and help me mentally as well.

"Knowing you have to put your all into every game because if you don't, you are going to get found out at that level.

"You need to be at 100 per cent and at it and I feel like I have taken things from every level I have been at. Playing for everything there and it made me man up in a way."

Character-building also came into the equation for Twine last season when he had to watch on as his Clarets team-mates made light work of the Championship and broke its back last autumn and winter en route to promotion. He made just 18 appearances all season.

His opening season at Turf Moor was still not wasted and valuable to some degree and an education and as a strong core of senior players looked out for him and made him feel part of it alongside Liam Rosenior, Craig Bellamy and the Burnley coaching team.

On his opening campaign in East Lancashire, he added: "It was tough being injured. No player likes being injured and it was my first ever proper injury.

"To be out for four months or so was tough. But the dressing room made me feel a part of it when I was there.

"I was still enjoying myself, but wanted to be out there helping the team and couldn't do that. The team were flying."

Hull City loanee and Burnley winger Scott Twine on how his time in non-league circles proved to be the making of him