Hakeeb Adelakun hopes to continue having such positive impacts on games after scoring a vital last-minute equaliser against Colchester on Saturday.
With the Iron 2-1 down with three minutes to play, Mark Robins brought the winger on and, within seconds, he had brought his side level.“I’ve scored a few important goals so far and I’m just happy I can keep doing it,” said the 18-year-old.
“The ball came to me and I noticed I was one-on-one with the defender, so I showed him some quick feet and managed a shot at goal, which fortunately deflected past the goalkeeper.”
Adelakun’s dramatic leveller came just days after he set up Kyle Wootton’s last-ditch equaliser against Port Vale on Tuesday, again, having come off the bench. The midfielder spoke of the manager’s intentions in bringing him on for the last three minutes.
He said: “He told me to try and get the team something out of the game by doing what I do. It was devastating seeing Colchester take the lead from the bench. It has happened quite a bit this year and it’s something we’re hoping to get sorted out.”
Theo Robinson’s first half effort had given Scunthorpe the lead at the Weston Homes Community stadium, but the Iron conceded two goals in the final ten minutes.
“We’re doing a lot of attack versus defence situations in training to prevent this sort of thing from happening,” said Adelakun. “We create chances but we need to see out games.”
He went on to underline the importance of avoiding defeat against the Us: “It would have been great to get the three points but this draw could prove crucial at the end of the season. It’s been a long campaign so players are getting tired when trying to see out games. It’s good that we can bring on fresh legs to go up a gear.”
The former Scunthorpe academy player says he is progressing under Mark Robins, who has handed Adelakun 23 appearances since becoming manager of the claret and blue.
“The gaffer is throwing me in and trying to help me develop. He wants me to make a big impact off the bench, which I hope I am doing. It’s great that he is putting his trust in me,” he said.
When asked whether he sees himself starting the midweek fixture against Bradford, the youngster replied: “We’re trying to achieve safety as a team first, and then we shall see what happens.”