United skipper Cliff Byrne says the old match sharpness is coming back after his side beat Bottesford Town in their first game of pre-season on Saturday.

The Iron ran out 2-1 winners in their first match since the League One play-off final win over Millwall back in late May.

They have been back in training for just over a week now, and Byrne says things are shaping up nicely.

"It was a good run-out for us at Bottesford," the Irishman told Scunthorpe-United.co.uk.

"I think we got what we needed out of it, which was a good 45 minutes for each of the lads.

"It went well for us and this is all part of the build-up towards the big game when we play Cardiff City on the first day of the season.

"While it was good to get a positive result the most important thing was getting the fitness levels up.

"It looks like we came out of the game injury-free too, which we're very pleased with.

"It's important to integrate with the local area because without them and our supporters we wouldn't have a local football club.

"It's nice to get about the area and hopefully the fans can keep turning out. It's good for all parties.

"I think the Winterton friendly game on Tuesday will be approached in a similar way.

"The manager (Nigel Adkins) might tweak one or two things but we've got a battleplan for pre-season and it's gone along nicely so far.

"The gaffer has certain ideas in his mind and we'll adhere to them as best we can in pre-season.

"We've had a good week and a half and it's good to get some games in now.

"It's important to get these games under our belts though because we can shake off the rust and get our fitness up."

Meanwhile, the club captain was delighted to see United make four new signings this week, and he feels the arrival of Michael O'Connor, Josh Wright, club record buy Rob Jones and Adam Boyes will help set new standards at a club where competition for places was already strong.

"The gaffer has done his homework on what he's planned to bring in, and has managed to ring some quality into the squad," added the 26-year-old.

"They've settled in well and will become important members of the squad.

"It's important that we keep the team spirit and camaraderie that we showed last year because that's just as important as the skill side of things.

"You need new signings to keep up the competition in the squad. It's always healthy.

"In the Championship, you need a mixture of team spirit and quality. It's well and good having individuals but if you have no cohesion in your squad then you won't achieve anything.

"Hopefully we'll have the right mix this year, as we did last season."