New Iron manager Stuart McCall is looking forward to the first game of his tenure away at Accrington Stanley this Saturday.
The boss, who was appointed on Monday, has already made two new loan additions to the squad ahead of Friday’s loan transfer deadline, with goalkeeper Jak Alnwick and striker Ike Ugbo joining on loan from Rangers and Chelsea respectively.
Former Newcastle and Port Vale shotstopper Alnwick adds experienced competition for the goalkeeping jersey, after Rory Watson was ruled out until around January with a broken arm in last Saturday’s 2-2 home draw against Barnsley. Meanwhile, Ugbo adds a fresh and highly-rated option in attack.
“I wanted an experienced one really,” said McCall. “Jak ticked the boxes. I spoke to the people who have been working with him at Rangers and got all the background information on him, as we did with a lot of goalkeepers. He’s played at this level and knows the game. I think he’s desperate to come and play too, which is good.
“Ike was on the radar of the club, and I had a look at him and watched his clips. I also know his agent Steve Kabba from my time at Sheffield United and had a lengthy chat with him about Ike. I think it’s good that he’s been out at MK Dons and Barnsley. I don’t really think we want first time loan players at this time, because we have quite a youngish group as well. He will give us something different from what we’ve got as an attacking option, and I like to play two up front if we can.”
McCall reported no fresh major injury worries ahead of the trip to the Wham Stadium, although one player will be assessed prior to the fixture.
The manager continued: “We have a slight doubt with one, but we’re pretty sure he’s going to be okay. It’s a good position to be in.”
Assessing the trip to Accrington this weekend, McCall knows it will be a tough test against the division’s eighth-placed side, but one he’s looking forward to.
He continued: “John Coleman has done a fantastic job there. Every match brings its own challenges and that will be a difficult game. They’ve had two terrific away victories and are still to win at home but we know what we’re up against – a hard-working side that plays football. It’s the first game for me and naturally I’m looking forward to it.”
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