Alexander told Scunthorpe-United.co.uk: “Speaking with the Chairman over the summer, we were both desperate for a home game on the opening day of the season, because that hasn’t happened for a little while.
“With Bristol Rovers having two promotions on the trot, it’s obviously going to be a tough test for us and they’re very well supported - so it’ll be a good one for the first home game at Glanford Park. I reckon the crowd will be there in great numbers as well, which I’m sure the players will respond to."
The United boss stated the importance of carrying on the momentum which was generated towards the back end of the previous campaign, where the Iron put together a run of six successive victories.
“We won our last six games on the bounce, and you can see how the crowd responded to that. The following we had in the last away game at Sheffield United and in the game before that against Port Vale was absolutely fantastic,” he said.
“We spoke about keeping the momentum going into the new season, and that’s the target for us all - to get off to a good start."
After facing Rovers on the opening day, it’s then a visit to familiar surroundings for Alexander as he takes his players to Fleetwood - the club he left only last year.
However, despite his connections with the Cod Army, the 44-year-old insisted it’ll be all about those on the football pitch once the action gets underway.
“These games come up. When you’ve been in football as long as I have, you always go up against previous clubs, whether it’s as a player or a manager,” he explained.
“It’s one I looked for, I’m only human. However, it’ll be a game we concentrate on, and it’s about the players - it’s not about me going back there. It is interesting it’s come up so early in the season though.”
Tweets by @SUFCOfficial
