Iron assistant manager Ned Kelly says the squad are focused on the job at hand ahead of the FA Cup replay match at Worcester.
United drew the second round tie at Glanford Park 1-1, against the Vanarama Conference North side and they will have to be on their game to get past City at Aggborough.“Worcester are a very resilient team,” Kelly told The Iron Player.
“They are organised, extremely committed and determined. (Manager) Carl Heeley has done a very good job there.
“I said before the game that we had seen a lot of them and I was impressed with their general organisation. They produced a good performance and it’s going to be a very difficult game.”
The Glanford Park clash was a feisty affair and Kelly was understanding with their approach.
He said: “Maybe a few of the tackles would not have been allowed in a league game but that’s FA Cup football, we had no complaints about the challenges, they were tough tackling but fair.”
A 2-1 win over Crewe at the weekend saw the Iron lifted out of the relegation zone for the first time this season and the assistant manager says he is confident the team can adapt to the style of play on the night.
“We have a group of players at the club who know how to play a different game,” he stated.
“Firstly we will be concentrating on our game and what we are doing. We know how they play and they will be fresh after their game was postponed at the weekend.
“It’s a big tie for both of us because whoever wins goes into the third round.
“We need to move the ball quickly. We had a great result at the weekend against Crewe but we moved it a bit slowly. We want to create as many chances as possible.”
The 7.45pm kick-off is being screened live on BT Sport and Kelly does not think the Iron players will be fazed by national coverage and they will focus on the game plan set up by Mark Robins and his coaching team.
“Our players have been on the TV before, you get used to it, it is part and parcel of being a professional player,” he added.
“It will be slightly different for them as a group, a few will have been on TV but I do not think it will affect either of the groups.
“We’re looking to be as positive as possible.
“We went into the first game hoping to win it and if you cannot win, you make sure you do not lose, which happened for us.
“We will focus on the job in hand and give them the respect that they deserve. We have improved since we came in a couple of months ago.”
The Claret and Blue will again be backed by a loyal group of travelling supporters and Kelly praised the Scunthorpe United faithful: “[They have] been brilliant since we have been here, we have had a lot of away games and we have had good numbers and it’s always appreciated.”
See much more from Ned Kelly and Terry Hawkridge on The Iron Player.