Iron manager Graham Alexander believes the 1-1 draw with Oxford United was a fair outcome for both sides.
Duane Holmes opened the scoring with a glancing header before Phil Edwards equalised just after the break to ensure a share of the spoils.Admitting his side weren’t at their best, Alexander revealed he was happy enough to have registered another point towards the divisional tally.
He told The Iron PlayerHD: “I’m pleased we took a point because we weren’t at our best.
“I thought the early goal in the second-half knocked us out of our stride a bit and it was difficult for us to recover from that.
“Oxford played well and kept us pinned in for periods of the second-half.
“I was comfortable at half-time as we seemed to be in control but that early goal changed the complexion of the game.
“We never grasped it (the momentum) back until the last 10 minutes when we had a little spell.
“Over the 90 minutes, I thought it was a fair result.”
Whilst happy to see playmaker Duane Holmes on the scoresheet, Alexander went on to reiterate his disappointment; especially given the fact Oxford’s goal arrived from a set piece.
Still full of praise for the effort his players have put in to this stage, the manager urged his players to remain positive.
“It’s great for Duane to score and it put us in a good position,” he continued.
“But goals change games and their equaliser certainly did that. We had to defend a lot.
“Their goal came from a set piece which obviously we’re disappointed about but I know we can play better. The players know that as well.
“They are really disappointed in their performance in the second-half rather than the result but I’ve told them they’ve got to keep their chins up.
“They’ve been fantastic up to this point, we’ve had a good points return recently and they deserve credit for that.
“I told them it’s not always going to go your way but it’s important that you take things from the game and show resilience.”
The Glanford Park draw saw Scunthorpe extend their unbeaten run on home soil to a club-record 22 games, beating an achievement that was set during the club’s first ever league season.
Keen to highlight positives to come out of the fixture, Alexander also issued an update on captain Stephen Dawson’s injury, which kept him out of the U’s clash.
He added: “I didn’t think we defended as well as we have done in previous games and we had to rely on Luke (Daniels) too many times today.
“In the second-half we didn’t defend as well as we can and we certainly didn’t play as well as we can on the ball so all in all we’re delighted to take a point from the game.
“It’s another point onto our tally which is important and the players are in a good place. They’ve been fantastic for us this season.
“The unbeaten run is a fantastic achievement, credit to the players. They’ve worked extremely hard over a long period so every credit to every player who has participated in those games.
“Stephen Dawson has ankle ligament damage and we’re hoping he’ll be available for the next league game or the one after.”
See much more from Graham Alexander, Duane Holmes and Murray Wallace on The Iron PlayerHD.
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