Skilful Iron winger Yasin Ben El-Mhanni was pleased to get his first league start for the club in the 2-0 defeat to Luton Town on Boxing Day.
However, the 23-year-old winger was disappointed with the final result in that game and he is hoping Scunthorpe can return to winning ways when they face Wycombe on Saturday.
Speaking to iFollow Iron, Ben El-Mhanni reflected on the game against Hatters. He said: “We played some good football, especially in the first half when we managed to get at them and create a lot of chances.
“I think we got the better of them for the majority of the game, but when you go a goal down, things change.
“I should have put away my opportunity. However, hopefully there will be many more to come. At the end of the day, it’s about getting the three points and I hope we can get them this Saturday.”
After scoring on his Scunthorpe debut in the Checkatrade Trophy against Mansfield, the attacker was pleased to get another opportunity to shine in Stuart McCall’s side.
He continued: “It was great to be back playing again and get the opportunity to start, so I want to thank the gaffer and everyone at the club for getting behind me. I was delighted."
Ben El-Mhanni joined the Iron in October after leaving Premier League side Newcastle United in the summer and he feels as though his time with Scunthorpe so far has helped him improve as a player.
Talking about life at Glanford Park and what he has learnt since joining the club, the winger stated: “I feel as though I have definitely improved and become a better player since I have been here.
“Playing at this level of football helps to improve you a lot more as a player than playing in the reserves or non-league does. I feel like playing here at Scunthorpe is good for me and I think I still have lots more to improve on.”
Having a taste of league football is making the attacker hungry for more and he hopes he can go on to make many appearances for Scunthorpe.
He added: “I’d love a string of games, but I’ve got to work for it now. I’m working harder than ever before and I’m continuing to strive to do the correct things and be a team player so I can do what’s right for the team on the pitch.”
After starting the loss to Luton, Ben El-Mhanni will hope he can retain his place in the starting eleven for the match against Wycombe this weekend.
It’s been a tough few weeks for the Iron. As 2018 ends, the winger hopes Scunthorpe can bounce back in order to end the year on a high.
He went on to say: “It definitely will be nice to end the year on a high. I’m feeling positive for the game on Saturday, the team are on it and want to get going again, so I hope we can get the win.”
The Iron have also had a bit of sticky patch of late when it comes to scoring goals, but Ben El-Mhanni insists if the team can score one goal then the floodgates will open and they will be back firing once again.
He said: “Honestly, I think if we get a goal, and we go ahead in the game, we will get ourselves out of the situation we are in and start to progress again.
“We were scoring a lot of goals before this bit of a run we are on now, but we have to dig in to score again and I’m looking forward to Saturday.”
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