Iron manager Graham Alexander was delighted with his players’ performance in their comeback victory over Coventry City.
United rounded off the regular campaign with a 3-1 triumph against the Sky Blues at Glanford Park, and Alexander praised the character of the squad after falling behind early on.
Speaking to The Iron PlayerHD, Alexander said: “We wanted to win the game - that’s what we’ve worked hard all week to do.
“I thought the performance was good in the first half, and very good in the second. Coventry came with a freedom and caused us problems, especially on the attack, because they’ve got some good players.
“In the second half I thought we picked up the intensity of the game and put Coventry on the back foot, and scored three wonderful goals to win the game.
“I think the players have shown a fantastic commitment and dedication to their jobs, and a determination to win games and be successful.
“Over the course of 46 games it’s been there. With the dip we had, we found it within ourselves to dig ourselves out of it and win seven of our last nine games.”
Alexander applauded the quality of the three goals which we scored in the second period, and praised the impact of those who returned to the starting eleven.
“I thought the four lads who came in added to the intensity, and they all played very well - causing Coventry problems,” he stated.
“The execution and belief in the technique for all of them was superb.
“We’ve shown that all season. We’re one of the top scorers in the country, and quality like that shows why.”
He also paid tribute to goalkeeper Joe Anyon, whose superb full-stretch save preserved the Iron’s lead with the scoreline at 2-1.
“A brilliant save. Joe (Anyon) has had such a patient role to play this season, supporting Luke (Daniels), who had a fantastic campaign up until he got injured,” he declared.
“Joe’s picked up that mantle, and he’s done exceptionally well. It was a great save, because he wasn’t overworked today, so it was a case of his concentration being right and his reflexes being ready to make a save at a vital time for us.”
Attentions now turn to the play-offs, and a two-legged tie with Millwall. Alexander says the challenge posed by the Lions is sure to be difficult one, but he’s confident of achieving a positive outcome.
“Anyone we would have played in the play-offs was going to be a good team, and we’ve of course played them (Millwall) quite recently,” Alexander explained.
“I’ll be expecting two tough games, but I’ll be expecting to make it tough for Millwall as well.”
Jordan Clarke came back into the first team fold, and the Scunthorpe boss revealed the full-back was replaced due to fatigue rather than injury.
Fellow right-back Scott Wiseman missed out, with Alexander declaring the 31-year-old will be assessed ahead of Thursday’s away encounter at the Den.
“I think he (Jordan Clarke) was just feeling the affects of not playing for a while, and I don’t think there’s anything to be concerned about injury-wise with him,” he revealed.
“We wanted to give him a good chunk of the game, but we didn’t want to put him at too much risk.
“We’ll have to look how Scott (Wiseman) is in the next couple of days. The main group have got a recovery day tomorrow, but the injured lads will be looked after and we’ll see how he is.”
See much more from Graham Alexander and Neal Bishop on The Iron PlayerHD.