With Neal Bishop getting ever closer to a return to first team action, United manager Russ Wilcox has stated that he’s put his quest for cover in midfield on hold.
Bishop has missed Scunthorpe’s last three league games and hasn’t featured since the 2-0 loss at Bristol City, which initially left the club short in the middle of the park with long term injury absentee Dave Syers already missing.But with the summer signing looking set to be available for selection in the not too distant future, Wilcox admitted he may now not need to recruit an extra body.
He told The Iron Player: “It’s sort of been put on hold because we were worried about Neal Bishop but he trained fully on Tuesday and hopefully he’ll be ready for Saturday.
“Fingers crossed there’s no reaction there which would be great because he’s been superb for us in the early part of the season.
“He’s a key player for us so we’re obviously very disappointed he’s missed the last few games.
“If you look at our team on Saturday (against Leyton Orient), it was a small midfield and you’ve got to try and be competitive in both boxes and that means you need big players.
“We need bigger players back in the team, and by that I don’t just mean tall players but big presences out on the pitch, and he certainly fits that bill.”
Two players that have been vying for deals at United are Nicky Featherstone and Rory Fallon, both of whom are currently on trial at the club.
Wilcox has been impressed with the way the duo have performed in training and could soon make a decision about their futures in North Lincolnshire.
“I’ve been impressed with them both,” he continued.
“Nicky has come in from Walsall and he’s got good experience of League One football over the last couple of seasons.
“He’s been outstanding at retaining the ball in training which is something we’ve spoken about because in this division, you’ve got to be better with the ball.
“Rory Fallon is a big unit, he’s 6ft 3in and he’s impressed me with his hold up play in training as well.
“He’s linked up well, he’s got good technical ability and I think everybody knows what he’s like in the box.
“He’s scored some terrific headers in training and if they both continue to impress then there might be an opportunity to sign both players.”
Tuesday afternoon saw the Iron’s reserve side take part in their second match of the 2014-15 season as Mansfield Town visited Glanford Park.
And the boss knows that each of his players take every game seriously, whether it’s a first team or reserve clash, and wants the players to use any match as a chance to force their way into the side.
He added: “As a player you’ve got to go out there, whether it’s a first team or reserve team match game, and give it your all.
“Any player that produces good performances in reserve games will go straight into my thoughts for the first team match the following Saturday which I think goes without saying.
“The pleasing thing about the group is that we’ve stuck together. It’s not always easy even when you’re winning but it’s certainly easier as you can roll out the same team every week and everybody is bright and bubbly around the place.
“This is a testing period but I must say, the group and the staff have stayed strong.”
See much more from Russ Wilcox, and others, on The Iron Player.