The M180 derby would be the opening game in October for the Iron, as Doncaster headed to town.
United took the lead through Rory Fallon 24 minutes in, but were unable to hold that advantage for very long, as James Coppinger’s spin and shot from inside the box flew past Bobby Olejnik five minutes later.And Doncaster then went on to take the lead early in the second half through Nathan Tyson, and held on to take the three points back on their short journey home.
After the victory over Chesterfield a month before, the Iron took on Notts County in the second round of the Johnstone’s Paint trophy. The Glanford Park faithful saw their team take the lead through Paddy Madden’s 14th minute strike, but two goals in ten minutes for County, the first coming with 23 minutes on the clock, meant United were left facing another defeat.
And so it was to be another loss, and one which led to a change in the backroom staff, as Russ Wilcox and his assistant manager John Schofield left the club, with Mark Robins and Ned Kelly coming in, in their place. But before all of the formalities were sorted with Robins, the Iron had to face a trip to Gillingham in League One – so Andy Dawson was placed in temporary charge for the game.
Considering the form United were in, the result which followed was a welcome relief. A first half goal from top scorer Paddy Madden was followed up by two second half strikes from Neal Bishop and Gary McSheffrey, and the Iron had their first away league victory of the season, winning 3-0.
Robins was officially installed as manager before Scunthorpe’s next game against Colchester United at Glanford Park, and Dawson reverted back to his previous player-coach role.
Rory Fallon would give United a first half lead, before ex-Scunthorpe loanee Freddie Sears equalised just over ten minutes later. The scoreline would stay that way, and Robins would pick up a point in his first game in charge.
Looking to make it two away wins on the bounce, and Robins first in charge for the Iron, they headed to Port Vale. Neal Bishop’s fourth minute strike would give the Iron a confidence boosting early lead, but they were pegged back soon after.
Then, the home side took the lead with 20 minutes left to play, before Jennison Myrie-Williams was sent off for receiving two yellow cards, as things went from bad to worse for the Iron. But Scunthorpe showed their character, and despite having one less man they levelled on 79 minutes through a Lyle Taylor header, and held on for an impressive point.
To finish the month, United hosted Notts County once more and sadly for the Iron faithful it would be the same end result, but with a different scoreline. It was a game Scunthorpe dominated, creating numerous top quality chances – but failing to make the most of them would prove pivotal, as Bobby Olejnik rushed out to stop the oncoming Stephen McLoughlin, but brought him down in the process.
The penalty was dispatched by Zeli Ismail, and Mark Robins was dealt his first defeat while in charge, but with many positives to take from the game.
Although United sat bottom of the league on 12 points after this game, the end to the month performances, and excluding the Notts County game, the results too, had improved massively under Robins’ stewardship – and the United fans were beginning to believe that he was the man to take us away from the League One drop zone in the coming months.