Manager Graham Alexander was delighted for everyone at the club after the 1-0 away local derby win at Doncaster Rovers on Sunday afternoon.
United took all three points at the Keepmoat Stadium, following a 10th minute goal from Lee Novak.
The recent addition netted from a Josh Morris corner, as Scunthorpe moved up to sixth in League One.
After the game, Alexander provided his reaction to iFollow Iron.
ON THE WIN AT DONCASTER…
GA: I’m delighted with the players, and with the supporters. We were a quality outfit today, from the team to the backing we got. We played well in the first half and deserved the lead. Second half, they put us under a lot of pressure, but the players stood up to it fantastically well. It’s a great three points for us, because I’m not blind to the local rivalry. We had to play it down a little to make sure we were really clear about our jobs. After the game, we can look at that side of it, and it was fantastic to see the supporters go home with a smile on their face and the players feeling really good about themselves.
ON LEE NOVAK’S FIRST GOAL FOR THE CLUB…
GA: I’m sure it feels special to him. He was fantastic on the day and showed the full repertoire of what he’s about, and what he can bring to us. He is supported by lots of players with the same qualities and mentality, and that’s why he’s fitted in so well. It was a fantastic header and a great delivery again from Josh Morris. Fine margins in football separate games. We saw that on Tuesday (against Blackburn) when we didn’t get what we deserved. It was good to see we got what we deserved today. It’s a full team effort to win any game of football.
ON THE CLEAN SHEET…
GA: It had to be cool heads today. We didn’t want to give anything silly away, any cheap free-kicks or make any silly rash tackles. We played with good composure in our defensive play. We’re delighted with that, because Doncaster have some really good threats going forward and they put you under pressure, especially at home. We’re delighted with the work ethic of the players. They’ve absolutely left everything on the pitch and that’s what it takes to win games. We have to be respectful of the fact we were up against a good team and we had to make sure we worked hard in all areas of the pitch to protect our goal. We did that. We know when Matt Gilks is called upon, he has the quality to make the saves though. Everyone on the pitch today deserved that clean sheet and the three points.
ON THE SUPPORT…
GA: You know how much it means to everybody. I’ve played in these games, and scored my first ever goal in this game, so I know the importance of it to the supporters, to the board, the players and the staff. I’m delighted for everybody. It’s a really good day for everyone at the club, but it’s important we go again on Saturday and don’t waste this fantastic result by not following it up with a good performance next week. It’s brilliant support. We thought there might be a good following, but I didn’t expect that many. You could hear them all the game through and the more times we get that sort of backing home and away, the better the team responds. It goes hand in hand with that support and we need it as much as possible. We know our responsibilities to earn that support and I think they worked well in tandem today.
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