United boss Russ Wilcox is relishing the club’s return to league action at Glanford Park this weekend as they face Preston North End.
It will be another of Wilcox’s former clubs, with the Iron manager expecting another stern test from another team looking to get promoted from the division.“It will be a tough game,” he told The Iron Player.
“They’re a well drilled and well organised side with lots of experience throughout the team. They’ve got an experienced manager in Simon Grayson, who has experienced three promotions from this level into the Championship. Looking at the fixtures, it’s set to be a tough, tough start.”
He added: “They were in the play-offs last season and without putting any pressure on their side, they’ll be pushing towards the top two this season. If they don’t make the top two, I’d be very surprised if they weren’t in the top six.”
Neither side claimed maximum points on the opening weekend of the season, with the Lilywhites drawing 1-1 with Notts County, but the Scunthorpe manager was assured that there is no added pressure on the curtain raiser on the Glanford Park pitch.
“Every game is important,” Wilcox stated.
“Every single game. There’s three points available in every single game and we’ll be pushing to get the three points. I think it’s important to get off the mark. It’s a tough game against a strong team, but if we play like we did the other night at Blackburn and build from there, taking the confidence and belief into the game against Preston, we’ll be a strong match for them.
“At the end of the day, we can look at Preston’s strengths and weaknesses and identify those, but it is about us at the end of the day. If we can stamp our game on theirs and play with the same drive, vigour, desire and quality with the ball, there’s an opportunity to take the three points.”
See much more from Russ Wilcox, and others, on The Iron Player.