Manager Graham Alexander was pleased with many aspects of the 6-0 win at SV Austria Salzburg.
United ran out comfortable winners in their fourth friendly of pre-season, with Hakeeb Adelakun (two), Cameron Burgess, Kevin van Veen, Josh Morris and Paddy Madden on target.
It concluded the pre-season training camp in Austria and stands Scunthorpe in good stead for the new League One season, which starts in two weeks’ time when AFC Wimbledon visit Glanford Park.
The boss provided his reaction to iFollow Iron after the game.
ON THE WIN OVER SALZBURG…
GA: I was pleased with the goals and the scoreline. I thought it was a real good competitive game, and a real test for us. They showed great movement and passed the ball really well, and we had to be very disciplined. On the attacking side of it, we created good opportunities and could have scored more. We lost a bit of sharpness once the game resumed (following a 15-minute delay due to thunder and lightning) and we went back out, which was frustrating from our perspective because we wanted a full-on game. Overall, it’s been a tiring week for the players, they’ve acquitted themselves really well and it’s been a good seven days.
ON THE WEEK OVERALL…
GA: It’s important the players realise the process we’re going through and why we do it. It does help to build up not just the physical strength but the mental side of playing under pressure and playing fatigued, and with stress. You have to do all these things over 50 games a season, so it’s important that they realise that early on and do their work. The players have been excellent all week in their training and the games as well. We know going into the Sunderland home game on Wednesday it’ll be a tougher test over 90 minutes.
"Overall, it’s been a tiring week for the players, they’ve acquitted themselves really well and it’s been a good seven days."
ON GOALS BEING SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE SIDE…
GA: We have to have every weapon available. We need our scorers scoring, we have to score from set-pieces and we need to keep clean sheets. That’s the formula we’re looking for, so we’re really pleased with that. You can’t forget about the defensive side of the game. The players are getting to grips with the four new players in the group. They’re all finding the work challenging and doing it to the best of their abilities, and we’re trying to improve each week.
ON HOW FUNSO OJO PLAYED…
GA: It’s amazing really when he’s not played competitive football for eight weeks. He trained yesterday and to see his movement and ability on the ball was good. His general fitness is really good for this stage considering he’s only just joined us. We had it planned to take him off at half-time because we wanted to get him used to the swing of things. We didn’t want to get to a point where he breaks down. He and Sam Mantom played some lovely football, and worked extremely hard. It was a real good experience for us all. We thank everyone in Austria for the welcome and how they looked after us. It has been a fantastic trip for us all. We get back in the morning and look forward to continuing the preparation for the season.
ON WHY DUANE HOLMES WASN’T INVOLVED…
GA: He’s got a little twinge on his thigh. If it was a league game he’d probably be available, but we decided to be cautious. I expect to see him back on the training ground on Monday. Everyone has got through that game unscathed and we want a fit, competitive squad ready for when the season starts.
ON THE FINAL FRIENDLIES v SUNDERLAND AND LUTON…
GA: We know the quality we will face in the rest of the friendlies and it will give us a real gauge of where we are at. We’re looking forward to it. The season’s getting closer and the anticipation is growing by the day.
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