Iron manager Graham Alexander has labelled the 1-0 victory over Coventry City as “a big three points.”
The win was secured when Josh Morris swept home Paddy Madden’s cross just after half-time to preserve United’s cushion at the top of the League One table.Even more impressive was that it brought an end to the host’s superb run of form in front of their own fans and Alexander was naturally delighted post-match.
He told The Iron PlayerHD: “It was an extremely hard game. Coventry are an excellent side and their record shows that.
“I think they were unbeaten in 15 games at home before today and we’ve been made to work hard for the win.
“It was a tough game but the real deciding factor was the goal from Josh Morris and we were delighted to get it because it was a big three points for us in a tough fixture.
“We’ve spoken recently about our delivery into the box and where we make our runs. It was a great ball in from Paddy (Madden) and Josh has committed to the run, got in the area and it’s a great finish.
“After that, Coventry really got going and committed bodies forward which opened up the game because I thought they defended in a way which made it very difficult for us before that.
“To a man, the players stood up to everything, stayed committed to keeping that clean sheet and it has won us the game.”
After recent knocks, it was perhaps a surprise to see Madden and Tom Hopper leading the line for Scunthorpe.
That was, in part, due to Kevin van Veen’s illness on the day of the game and Alexander was thrilled to see both of his frontmen play their part during the Ricoh Arena success.
“They were both at risk (Madden and Hopper) and we lost Kevin through sickness but I thought they both worked their socks off,” he continued.
“Kevin wanted to travel with us to support the team but he was in no condition to play a game.
“Paddy and Tom have come off from the last couple of games on the verge of injury so it was a risk but they’ve put themselves forward and I’m glad they did because they certainly played a part in a fantastic win.
“It’s different players each week setting the bar, dragging other players with them and showing the standard for everyone.
“You can’t look at anyone in that squad today and say that they haven’t given everything.
“They were delighted in the changing room afterwards because it was a hard-fought win.”
INJURED: David Mirfin limped off during the first half.
One slight downer for United was the injury suffered by David Mirfin, who was forced to leave proceedings just before the break.
The boss was however pleased to see Charlie Goode come on and impress in defence as Scunthorpe registered a solid display at the back, collecting another clean sheet in the process.
Alexander added: “He (Mirfin) felt some pain in the bottom of his foot and he knew he couldn’t carry on straight away.
“That’s the importance of the lads who aren’t in the team looing after themselves because Charlie came on and was superb.
“He slotted into that position, looked fit, looked strong, defended exceptionally well and played some great passes.
“There are others in the squad that do that too and it’s going to be needed over the next six months or so.
“I’m delighted for the players because they’ve worked extremely hard over the last few weeks and it’s a big three points for us.”
See much more from Graham Alexander, Josh Morris and Scott Wiseman on The Iron PlayerHD.
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