Iron youngster Kyle Wootton was delighted to be handed his first professional start against Rochdale, despite the disappointment of the result.
Wootton, who has been on the periphery of the first team for the majority of the season, was told he would be in the starting line-up by Mark Robins on Friday morning.“It was a great feeling for me,” he said.
“I’m thankful to the manager for giving me the opportunity and hopefully there are many more to come.
“On a personal level, I thought I put myself about and did alright. Obviously the result wasn’t what we wanted it to be but I enjoyed it.”
The 18-year-old added that playing for the club he’s been at since the age of ten was a “very proud moment”.
Scunthorpe sunk to defeat after goals from Michael Rose, Peter Vincetti and Ian Henderson. Wootton put the 3-1 loss down to players’ heads dropping after the Dale’s opener.
He said: “We didn’t turn up on Saturday. We’re a lot better than that and we all know it. Hopefully we can put it right on Tuesday night.”
Scunthorpe travel to Sheffield United midweek for their second clash against the Blades in the space of ten days. The striker described the tie as a “massive game” and is very keen to keep his place in the side.
“It’d be huge for me to play at Bramall Lane. Sheffield United are one of the biggest clubs in the league so it’s going to be tough. However, it’s really important to get the points so hopefully we can get something out of the game,” he said.
The Iron have ten matches left from now until the end of the season, with the club currently one point above the relegation zone. Wootton is confident United will survive the drop, saying everyone knows the fight ahead.
He added: “We all know we’re better than the performance against Rochdale so we will stay up. It’s important everyone is mentally right to push up that table,” he said. “We just need some consistency back.”
Wootton insists he will work hard to keep his place in Mark Robins' starting eleven, revealing it was probably “a really good week’s training” that earned him his place for the Rochdale game on Saturday.
The youngster said: “The manager has told me in the past to keep doing what I was doing and continue improving. I’m definitely hungry for more so I’ll carry on working hard from now until the end of the season.”
See much more from Kyle Wootton, Kevin van Veen and Mark Robins on The Iron Player.