New signing Neal Bishop took part in his first Iron training session on Thursday and now says he’s looking forward to gearing towards the opening game of the season.
Bishop penned a two-year-deal with United after leaving Championship side Blackpool at the end of the last campaign and brings with him a vast amount of experience to Glanford Park.
And with the first pre-season training session now stored, Bishop can’t wait to fully get back into the swing of things.
He told The Iron Player: “I enjoyed the time off but after five or six weeks, you’re ready to get back into it.
“With me coming to a new club as well, I had the extra incentive of wanting to come back and my first session was great.
“All the lads have welcomed the new lads in, it’s a great atmosphere and good to get underway.
“The balls were out which is always good because you always want to see that. Obviously the running was hard but it was always going to be.
“Unfortunately there are no short cuts to getting fit. I don’t think any professional enjoys pre-season but you’ve got to get through it and you’ve got to get fit.”
The 32-year-old admits it’s been easy to settle in so far and has praised the team spirit within the squad.
He’s now looking to get some game time over pre-season ahead of Scunthorpe’s League One campaign, beginning with the away game at Bottesford on Wednesday 16 July.
“I came in on Thursday morning and all the lads were chatting away, the banter is great and me and the other new lads have been more than welcomed in so it’s a great group and the team spirit seems really good,” he continued.
“Whenever you sign for a new club, you always look for that first day back in. I’ve been looking forward to getting back into it all week so it’s great.
“As player, you always look for that first game which is a week next Wednesday so obviously all the lads want to be involved in that.
“I know some of the lads from playing against them and it couldn’t be a better group. Myself and the other lads have found it really easy to settle in.”
The midfielder has been a regular for his club sides over the last few years, with playing experience in both the second and third tiers of English football.
Bishop hopes the club can push on and finish in the top half of the League One table this coming season and is looking to play as much as he can.
He added: “I don’t like making predictions but I think if we can finish in the top half, that must be classed as a good season.
“It’s a competitive league and you don’t know what other teams are going to do so it is really hard to call but first things first, you want to get to 50 points.
“Once you’ve got there you can re-evaluate where you want to be after that and I think that will probably be the target for 90% of this league.
“I think I’ve averaged over 40 games a season for the last five or six years and obviously coming to a new club is hard but I want to try and impress. Pre-season is all about getting fit and I’m hoping to be in the
team on 9 August.
“The gaffer has kept the bulk of the players that did well for him here last season and hopefully the momentum stays with that.
“A lot of the lads have played with each other for a long time so if we keep that momentum going into the season, we’ll see what happens.”
See much more from Neal Bishop on The Iron Player.