The Iron got their League Two campaign underway in perfect fashion.
That was as goals from returning favourite Matt Sparrow and debutant Sam Winnall guided them to a 2-0 win over Mansfield Town on the opening day.Attention then switched to the Capital One Cup, with United drawn to play away at Championship outfit Barnsley in the first round. Having more than held their own against the Tykes for 120 minutes, the Iron cruelly left the competition courtesy of a tense penalty shoot-out which saw nine spot-kick’s missed.
Returning to league action, successive draws against Bristol Rovers and Dagenham & Redbridge preceded the trip to face AFC Wimbledon. After 45 minutes against the Dons, the Iron held a 2-0 advantage, only for a stunning comeback from the hosts to see them take all three points with a dramatic 3-2 win.
United rounded off the month with a 1-1 home draw against Newport which left them 14th in the table after five games.
Game of the month: Scunthorpe United 2-0 Mansfield Town
With a host of new additions to the squad, United began their League Two campaign at home to newly-promoted Mansfield Town with a renewed sense of optimism.
That positive mood was also boosted by the return to Glanford Park of Iron cult heroes Andy Dawson and Matt Sparrow, with the latter playing a vital role in lifting spirits when he smashed his side into the lead on the half-volley after half-an-hour.
Things got even better before the interval, when debutant Sam Winnall raced in ahead of Stags goalkeeper Alan Marriott to double United’s advantage on 41 minutes.
The Iron eased towards victory in the second period, although suffered a late scare when defender Eddie Nolan was dismissed for a second bookable offence after having a penalty awarded against him for handball.
Town were unable to capitalise however, with Louis Briscoe smashing the resultant spot-kick high and wide to ensure the Iron took maximum points with minimal fuss on the opening day.
Goal of the Month: Matt Sparrow (vs Mansfield Town)
It would be the first goal of the Iron’s season which clinched the award for August, with Matt Sparrow’s strike against Mansfield Town seeing the Iron favourite make the perfect start to life back at Glanford Park.
With half an hour on the clock, a determined burst through midfield from professional debutant Terry Hawkridge divided the Stags defence before he slipped the ball wide to fellow summer signing Andy Welsh on the left.
Welsh took his time before delivering a swirling cross into the box, with the experienced Deon Burton holding off his man and dummying the ball as it headed towards Sparrow on the far side of the area.
The midfielder needed no second invitation to try his luck; timing a half-volley impeccably to expertly slice the ball beyond the reach of Town goalkeeper Alan Marriott and get what would turn out to be a historic United season underway.