Iron manager Russ Wilcox has warned his side there will be no summer let-up ahead of next season’s League One campaign getting underway in August.
Having secured automatic promotion back to the third tier following relegation last year, the squad and staff are set to jet off on a deserved group holiday to celebrate the achievement.However, once the dust settles Wilcox expects his team to look after themselves appropriately, and told The Iron Player: “We always have a testing day in the middle of June to make sure people are up to speed.
“I don’t want the lads going away, switching off, and coming back out of shape. We’ve used that quite a few times, and it works well. If they come back on a certain date, and they’re up to speed, then their pre-season starts there.
“I’ll certainly be making sure we’re focused on that.”
Ensuring the squad is fully prepared for the rigours of a higher division is crucial to United’s hopes for next year, and Wilcox admitted: “League One is going to be a difficult league.
“Whenever you make a step up, there’s always going to be better quality in there. We need to be fitter, stronger, more organised, and more flexible regarding systems that teams play at that level.
“We need to work harder, and to have better shape without the ball, so there’s lots of things to work on. At this moment in time though, we just want to enjoy this period.”
Before leaving Scunthorpe for warmer climes, those associated with the club will first be involved in a Civic reception in the town on Wednesday, and Wilcox added: “Again, it’s a reward for the supporters.
“Hopefully they’ll come out in their thousands, and it will be a nice, sunny day. It will be nice to show our appreciation as a group to the supporters.”
See much more from Russ Wilcox on The Iron Player.