Terry Hawkridge was glad to get his first minutes of pre-season football as he played 90 minutes against his former club, Carlton Town, at the Bill Stokeld Stadium.
The Iron went on to win 5-1, with a double from Dave Syers, plus goals from Curtis Bateson, Callum Howe and Reece Monsanya, making it a convincing win for the Iron.Carlton did pull one back to make it 2-1, but the Iron went on to be comfortable winners.
Hawkridge was pleased to get 90 minutes and spoke about how it was good to be back at the club where he first started.
“It was great for me,” Hawkridge told The Iron Player.
“It was my first game today, I missed the other two with a little knee knock so to get 90 minutes under my belt and come back and play from where I came from is good.
“I thought it was a good workout. It’s 90 minutes under the belt for the lads and it’s the first 90 minutes of pre-season so I thought it went well.
“There’s a few faces I recognise, not many I’ve played with but there are a few faces. My family are around here and they came to watch the game today so obviously good to come back where I first started so I am just glad to get 90 minutes.”
The game was Hawkridge’s first opportunity to play alongside his new teammates, with Neal Bishop being the only new face at Carlton, and he was impressed by his fellow midfielder.
He said: “Bishop is great. He’s got a lot of experience. To bring that to our team is good and even today, he finds passes, he’s strong at tackling and I think he will be great for us.”
Another Iron side also played Lincoln City at Glanford Park at the same time and Hawkridge thinks it’s important for as many players to get 90 minutes as possible.
He continued: “I definitely think it’s important for players to get 90 minutes in pre-season. It’s a long season, there are so many games and you never know with niggles and knocks. If everyone is fit and ready, you never know if you are going to get picked. To get as many 90 minutes in pre-season as possible is good for everyone.”
Next up in pre-season for Scunthorpe is Huddersfield at Glanford Park and Hawkridge believes the step up in opposition is what the Iron need ahead of the new season.
He said: “Your tougher teams start to come as you get closer to the start of the season. You start to switch on more when you come up against the tougher teams. Obviously you are switched on for every game, but games like this, it’s more like the league starts, so yeah I’m looking forward to Huddersfield.”
See much more from Terry Hawkridge, and others, on The Iron Player.