Iron manager Russ Wilcox has expressed his delight following the 3-1 pre-season victory over a Leicester City X1 at Glanford Park.
Miguel Llera, Lyle Taylor and Sean McAllister netted for United after Jacob Blyth had put the Foxes ahead from the spot in what was Scunthorpe’s final friendly fixture of the summer.Wilcox was pleased with how his team responded to going a goal down and felt the game was just what the squad needed.
He told The Iron Player: “I’m delighted with how the game went, it’s just what we needed.
“It’s exactly what we wanted, high energy, high tempo and they pressed us right from the start.
“They’ve got some good quality players and I thought it was a terrific game.
“I was really pleased with our response after going 1-0 down and some of our football in the second half was a pleasure to watch.”
The boss has previously highlighted the need for good performances primarily in United’s pre-season matches and stated that the way the team played gives him food for thought ahead of the League One curtain raiser at Swindon in just seven days’ time.
An experimental 4-3-3 formation was also used in the second period and Wilcox admitted that he could now implement that style during the upcoming campaign.
“I was happy with all aspects of the performance, with the ball and without it,” he continued.
“You’ve got to be good without the ball and you’ve got to be able to press and work hard to get the ball back.
“I thought we passed it and moved it well and it’s given me massive food for thought.
“I changed the system around at half-time and went 4-3-3 and it worked, it got us playing.
“The good thing now is that we can be flexible during games and we know that we can throw that system out there even if it’s only for a ten or twenty minute period.”
Jennison Myrie-Williams and Paddy Madden were both withdrawn from proceedings at the interval but Wilcox reasoned that both were substituted as precautionary measures.
And with the new season drawing ever closer, he is pleased to report that David Mirfin remains the only player set to miss the start of the campaign.
He added: “Dave Mirfin is the only casualty of pre-season and fingers crossed everyone else is fine.
“Jennison Myrie-Williams had a little bit of tightness in his groin today but that’s all it is.
“He wanted to stay on but I decided to take him off because he’s been outstanding and I didn’t want it to develop into an injury.
“Paddy took a whack to his head and ankle which is why he went off and that gave me an opportunity to have a look at a different system so it shows the quality that I have in the squad.
“Today has shown me that it’s going to be difficult to choose an eleven next week at Swindon and that it’s going to be difficult to choose a bench next week as well.
“Everybody is pushing each other hard, pushing each other on and everybody wants that shirt so it’s good to see.”
See much more from Russ Wilcox, Lyle Taylor and Sean McAllister on The Iron Player.