Tuesday night’s game between Bury and Scunthorpe – which United lost 2-1 – was far-from a pleasant return to his former club for Iron defender Tom Newey.
On the night, United’s hopes of surviving the drop from League One this season were dealt a severe blow by the Shakers, as their win cut Scunthorpe five points adrift of safety.Karl Hawley’s goal had capped a good first half for the Iron and had them 1-0 up at the break; yet they capitulated in the last twenty-five of the second, and conceded to Bury’s Jonson Clarke-Harris before Nicky Ajose tucked home the winner.
“It was bitterly disappointing,” Newey said of the evening to The Iron Player.
“I thought that in the first half we were good value for our 1-0 lead.
“Second half, they’ve scored a good free-kick, and we’ve been poor since that went in.
“They were in the ascendancy, and it only looked like one team were going to go on and win it.”
“We’d spoken at half time of coming out and putting the game to bed.
“But it’s been the story of our season.
“When we’ve dominated games, we haven’t taken advantage.”
The defender also cursed the fact that Scunthorpe seem to somewhat capitulate as a team after conceding in games, although he admitted that he was at a loss for knowing why this is.
“We don’t seem to respond well when we concede a goal,” he said.
“It’s a bit baffling for the management team, and for the players.
“But we need to hold our hands up, because over the course of the season, we haven’t been good enough.”
Reflecting on the wider repercussions of the match, Newey also assessed that the situation which United now find themselves within is “desperate”.
“It’s obviously desperate,” he acknowledged.
“But until it’s mathematically impossible (to survive) we just have to keep going.
“It’ll show who really wants to dig in and do it for themselves as well as for the football club.”
See much more from Tom Newey, Michael Collins and Brian Laws on The Iron Player.