Interim manager Nick Daws says he and the players cannot wait for kick-off, as United get ready for a showdown with play-off rivals Plymouth Argyle on Tuesday night (7.45pm kick-off).
With two games of the season remaining, a victory over the Pilgrims would secure a play-off place for Scunthorpe.
Buoyed by three wins and clean sheets in a row, Daws’ side are unbeaten in six games and looking forward to taking on Derek Adams’ Pilgrims, who secured an important 2-1 home win over Rotherham in the closing stages on Saturday.
Ahead of the game, Daws spoke to iFollow Iron and discussed the match’s importance, injury news and the importance of the home fans.
ON THE FIXTURE…
ND: I think we’re all really looking forward to it. It’s a fantastic game live on Sky and the perfect scenario for us really. If you want two games to finish your regular season, you want big games and I think that’s what we’ve got against teams who will bring good support (Plymouth and Bradford). We’re massively looking forward to it, the lads are ready and well prepared. We cannot wait for 7.45pm really. I think the occasion will be really good and hopefully we’ll get good support and a few more numbers on the gate, and they’ll cheer us on to victory.
ON PREPARATIONS…
ND: All we’ve done all the time is make sure the players are ready and prepared. They’re in a fantastic place and are really confident. They’re looking forward to the game and that’s why they’re at Scunthorpe United. We want big games here and we want as many big matches between now and the end of the season as we possibly can. Tuesday’s is the first and we have to approach the game in the right way, which we will to try and win it, and whatever happens happens. Both sides will be committed to win because for both of us the win is huge. A point just takes it to the weekend, and I don’t think that’s what Plymouth would want. They’ll want to win here and we certainly want to. I think it will be a fantastic occasion in a really good environment - night games always spice things up a little bit too.
ON THE CHALLENGE PLYMOUTH WILL POSE…
ND: We’ve stood up well to any challenge that’s been put in our way in the last five games. This, in some ways, becomes in its own right a play-off game. Anything that’s gone before will not have the slightest bit of bearing on the game, because there will be two committed teams well prepared and full of confidence striving to get the upper hand. We’ll make sure we’re ready and hopefully we’ll come away with a victory. I felt when the game was allocated to this stage of the season that it would be a big game at the time. It’s got that feel of a cup tie and generally that brings a more exciting atmosphere. The cameras being here will increase that and should give the players a stage to perform and show the quality that they have. If the Oxford game is any indication of how our players react in that environment then it’s a positive one. Plymouth have played in some big games over the past couple of years too. I can’t wait for the game to start. It will be a drag leading up to it, because we want to be out there on the touchline ready and raring to go. It can’t come quick enough for me and the players. We could just see in training on Monday that they were ready for the game. They have a fantastic ability, a great work ethic and have stuck together through thick and thin over the course of the season. We’re in a position where we can take on anything thrown at us and then it’s sometimes in the lap of the gods. If we control what we do though, we have the best chance of winning.
ON TEAM NEWS AND INJURIES…
ND: Cam McGeehan trained on Saturday morning and came back into training with the squad on Monday, so he’s available. Apart from him, the bumps and bruises picked up at the weekend were nothing major and just what we’d expect. The whole squad has trained with the exception of Luke Williams and Jonny Margetts. It’s fantastic for us and just makes our job a bit more difficult in terms of selecting the team and squad again.
ON THE FANS…
ND: We’ve spoken about it in recent weeks because we need them to know the value of their support. The only downside to it being a live game on Sky on a Tuesday evening is that Plymouth won’t bring as many as they would have done. I fully hope and expect we’d have as many, if not more, of ours than we would have done that weekend. They have a huge part to play, creating the best atmosphere for our players to play in, support them through thick and thin and then cheer us on. Hopefully they’ll get their rewards for the hard-earned money they’ve put in this season and we’ll give them something to be really pleased about.
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