Chief scout Lee Turnbull is delighted that United can look forward to competing in the third tier next season.
Turnbull has been reinstated to his scouting role at Glanford Park during the summer and will be working very closely with first team affairs during the 2014-2015 campaign.The Iron kick-off with an away match at Swindon on the opening day and whilst he knows it will be difficult, Turnbull predicts that the squad will all be working hard to make sure they’re in the team come 9 August.
“They’re all tough games but we’re delighted to be in League One,” he told The Iron Player.
“It was a real tough season in League Two last year and a lot of travelling as well and I think one of the advantages of this division is that there is less travelling but it’s a long journey to Swindon for the first game.
“Mark Cooper (Swindon manager) had a pretty good season with Swindon last year so it will be a difficult game down at the County Ground but I’m sure as soon as the players come back into pre-season they’ll be working really hard to try and make sure they’re in the team for that day.
“We played them at Glanford Park in our last game in League One and won although unfortunately we got relegated but it will be a beautiful day down in Wiltshire.
“The sun will be shining, there will be lots of Iron fans down there and let’s hope we can get off to a flying start.”
Blackburn then await Scunthorpe in the first round of the Capital One Cup before two home games against Preston and Fleetwood back at base.
Turnbull is wary of the threat that those clubs pose but believes the squad will be looking forward to every game in store during the course of the season.
He continued: “The Blackburn game will be fantastic. As a player, you want to be playing at these big stadiums, the pitch will be fantastic and hopefully there will be a good following again going across the Pennines.
“It’s a game that Blackburn I’m sure won’t be looking forward to, they’ll be looking at that and thinking it has banana skin written all over it so it’s a good one to get our teeth into after a difficult first league game down at Swindon.
“It gives us an opportunity to progress in the cup which is important financially for the football club and we’ll be looking forward to every game next season.
“The first home game against Preston is going to be a real tough one. They were beaten in the Play-Off semi-finals last season, Simon Grayson has got a really good squad there and I’m sure he’ll be looking to strengthen.
“They’re well supported and they’re a big football club at League One standard so that’s a great start for us at home and it will be a cracking atmosphere.
“Fleetwood have had a meteoric rise through the divisions over the past four or five years and I’m sure they’ll be pushing again.
“It was a great game here last season in front of the TV cameras and we’re just delighted to be in the division.
“Glanford Park is the place where we’re going to have to pick up our points and make it the fortress that it always has been over many spells during my long time here.”
There are several local derbies for United to look forward to over the course of the season with no less than five clubs within close range of North Lincolnshire.
And Turnbull believes that will be fantastic for supporters and hopes that a good start to the campaign will show a sign of things to come.
“The division has been quite kind to us in terms of travelling and there are a lot of games within an hour for our supporters to go to,” he added.
“The Christmas period looks fantastic – what a run of games that is.
“There are games against the likes of Bradford, who are another big club, Sheffield United, Barnsley and Rochdale who came up with us so it’s an exciting season ahead and if we can get off to a good start, I’m sure there will be a couple of full houses here at Christmas time.
“Then we play Doncaster on the last day of the season who will be up there, they’ll be strong and last time they were in League One they were fantastic.
“There are a few games that spring to mind like Sheffield United and Barnsley but for me, Doncaster is right up there at the top of the pile.
“That game, home and away, will definitely be one that we need to get a result out of, that’s for sure.”
See much more from Lee Turnbull on The Iron Player.