Gary Twigg facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gary Twigg | ||
| Date of birth | 19 March 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Glasgow, Scotland | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2000–2002 | Derby County | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2002–2005 | Derby County | 9 | (0) |
| 2003 | → Burton Albion (loan) | 4 | (1) |
| 2004 | → Bristol City (loan) | 8 | (0) |
| 2005–2007 | Airdrie United | 57 | (17) |
| 2007 | Oxford United | 9 | (3) |
| 2008 | Hamilton Academical | 3 | (0) |
| 2008–2009 | Brechin City | 23 | (12) |
| 2009–2012 | Shamrock Rovers | 119 | (81) |
| 2013–2016 | Portadown | 114 | (53) |
| 2016–2017 | Coleraine | 6 | (4) |
| Total | 392 | (178) | |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Gary Twigg, born on March 19, 1984, is a Scottish former professional football player. He was known for playing as a forward, which means he was usually trying to score goals for his team. Gary played for several clubs during his career, scoring many goals and winning important awards.
Contents
Gary Twigg's Football Journey
Starting at Derby County
Gary Twigg began his football career in 2000 with Derby County, an English club. He had trained in their youth system, which is where young players learn and develop their skills.
He made his first appearance for Derby when he was just 17 years old. This was in May 2002, during a Premier League match against Sunderland. That was his only game that season. In the next season (2002–03), he played in eight more games for the first team. Most of these times, he came on as a substitute. He even played as a left wing sometimes, showing he could play in different positions.
Loan to Burton Albion
In September 2003, Gary joined Burton Albion for a short time. This is called a loan, where a player temporarily plays for another team. He played four games for them.
Playing for Airdrie United
After leaving Derby County, Gary joined Airdrie United in August 2005. He stayed there for two years, playing in 65 league and cup matches. During his time at Airdrie, he scored 18 goals.
He was even named the Scottish Football League Player of the Month in December 2006. This was because he scored six goals in six games, helping Airdrie to have a great month with only one loss.
Time at Oxford United
On July 5, 2007, Gary signed a two-year contract with Oxford United. The chairman of Oxford United, Nick Merry, was happy about Gary joining. He said Gary was good at scoring and could play in different positions.
Gary made a memorable debut for Oxford United. He came on as a substitute in the first game of the 2007–08 season. In the final moments of the game, he won a penalty and scored it, helping Oxford win the match!
However, an ankle injury in October meant he had to miss seven weeks of playing. He returned in December but decided to leave the club at the end of that month. He wanted to move back to Scotland. He played 11 games for Oxford, scoring three goals.
Moving to Hamilton Academical
In January 2008, Gary signed an 18-month contract with Hamilton Academical. He only played in four games for them. He left the club in July 2008 after a disagreement with the manager. After that, he joined Brechin City.
Success at Shamrock Rovers
In February 2009, Gary followed his manager, Michael O'Neill, from Brechin to Shamrock Rovers in Ireland. He scored a goal in his very first game for them, which was a friendly match.
Gary made his official League of Ireland debut in March 2009. He also scored the first-ever goal in the new Tallaght Stadium for Shamrock Rovers. He finished the 2009 season as the top scorer in the League of Ireland with 24 goals!
His amazing performance earned him two big awards that year: the League of Ireland Player of the Month for September 2009, and the Player of the Year award. This award was voted for by other players across the league. He also won the club's Player of the Year award, voted by Shamrock Rovers fans.
In 2010, Gary continued his great form. He scored his 50th goal for the club in a game that helped Rovers win the 2010 League of Ireland title. This was their first league title in 16 years! Gary was again the top scorer in the League of Ireland, with 20 goals.
In 2011, he was once more Rovers' top league goalscorer, helping them win their 17th league title. Gary was also part of the Shamrock Rovers team that made history. They were the first Irish club to reach the group stages of the UEFA Europa League, a major European competition.
In October 2012, Shamrock Rovers announced that Gary would be leaving the club. He finished his time there as the top scorer for the third time in his four seasons. He scored a total of 88 goals in 160 games for Shamrock Rovers. His 81 league goals make him the eighth-highest goalscorer in the club's history.
Playing for Portadown
Gary signed a three-and-a-half-year deal with NIFL Premiership side Portadown on October 29, 2012. He scored a goal in his first game for Portadown in January 2013. He ended that season with six goals from 11 league games.
On September 7, 2013, Gary scored his first hat-trick (three goals in one game) for Portadown. This happened during a big 11–0 win against Ballinamallard United.
Joining Coleraine
In July 2016, Gary decided to sign for Coleraine. He had previously considered joining another team, but he chose Coleraine instead. He played for Coleraine until 2017.
Awards and Achievements
Team Trophies
- Shamrock Rovers
- League of Ireland Premier Division (2): 2010, 2011
- Setanta Sports Cup (1): 2011
Individual Awards
- PFAI Players' Player of the Year (1): 2009
- Shamrock Rovers Player of the Year (1): 2009
- NIFL Player of the Month (1): September 2013
