For a start you cannot be offside from a throw-in, so the attackers can crowd the six-yard box. But, also, because a free-kick starts with the ball on the ground it means it has to have a natural arc in order to get up and over the first defender.

From a throw-in the ball starts from six foot and it is the angle and trajectory of Delap's darts that make them so potent. It is unbelievable how he does it - his throws come in flat like an arrow.