Midfielder Matt Sparrow has spoken of his delight at re-signing for the club on Thursday morning.
The 31-year-old spent the first 11 years of his career with United before leaving for Brighton in 2010 and has penned a two-year-deal with the option of a further year in the club's favour.Sparrow can’t wait to get started with life back at Glanford Park and was visibly jubilant upon his return.
He told The Iron Player: “I’m delighted to be back and really looking forward to the challenge this season.
“It’s taken a while to sort one or two things out but I’ve put pen to paper now and I can’t wait to get back playing again.
“I spoke to the chairman and the gaffer last week and came out of it feeling really positive about their plans here.
“I like the chairman’s ambitions for the club so that was a key factor in my decision to come back.
“I had some good years under the gaffer and Russ (Wilcox) during my time here before so that was obviously another influential factor.
“Russ gets the best out of players and obviously the gaffer’s record speaks for itself so I’m predicting a successful season ahead for us.”
Sparrow spent time in the Iron’s youth team before signing professionally for United in 1999 and went on to enjoy 11 years in claret and blue.
He scored 41 goals in 396 games during that time and still speaks of Glanford Park “like a second home.”
He continued: “Driving into the club this morning, it felt like I’d never been away.
“Not an awful lot has changed during the last three years and I’ve had so many calls from people wishing me good luck so it’s great to be back.
“The fans have always been fantastic with me so hopefully I can repay them for their support by having a good couple of seasons here.
“It’s been really pleasing and encouraging for me to see that the fans are so delighted to have me back.”
With three promotions under his belt from his previous spell with Scunthorpe and another to add to his CV during his time at Brighton, Sparrow will be bringing a winning mentality into the United dressing room come August.
And with a handful of other experienced heads in and around the club, Sparrow has one target in mind.
“The gaffer has signed some really good players who know what it takes to get promoted so that’s definitely the aim for us this season," he added.
“Every player wants to be challenging towards the top of the table and I think we’ve got a great chance of getting promoted this season if we can all stick together.
“It certainly helps when you’ve got players that have done it all before and it’s always good to have a nice blend of older and younger players.
“Anything other than the Play-Offs at least for us this season will be a disappointment so hopefully we can achieve that.
“It’s going to be a really tough battle because that’s what League Two is all about so we’ve just got to roll our sleeves up and get the job done.”
With pre-season training already underway for the United squad, Sparrow is looking forward to rebuilding his fitness before the start of the new campaign on 3rd August.
He stated: “I need to get myself in the best possible shape over the next few weeks, ready for the first league game against Mansfield.
“I’ve just got to knuckle down now, get myself fit and fight for my place in the team.”
See much more from Matt Sparrow on The Iron Player.