Matheson reflects on his first week settling in with the Iron

On-loan Wolves defender Luke Matheson is aiming to kick-on following his whirlwind 24 hours to start life as a Scunthorpe United player after joining the club last weekend.

The full-back was handed his full league debut for the club just over 24 hours after signing the paperwork at his parent club to reunite himself with Keith Hill, who handed him his debut at Rochdale almost four years ago.

Speaking about joining, and working under the manager once more, he told iFollow Iron: “It’s been brilliant to get down here and meet new faces. Obviously, I knew the gaffer from my time at Rochdale and he gave me my debut and my first league start. 

“I’ve said to him already that I’m so grateful for the opportunities that he’s given me, back when I was a 15 and 16-year-old at Rochdale. I know he’s got the belief in me, and I just want to come here and kick on like I know I can do.

“I’m really delighted to be here and the gaffer being here was a major pulling factor in me wanting to come here. I know who he is as a person and as a manager. There’s a great bunch of lads here, so I’m ready to kick-on for the rest of the season.”

Announced just over an hour before kick-off, Matheson first learned of the interest on Thursday before the paperwork was completed on Friday. Driving from Wolverhampton to Birmingham before getting the train to Exeter, the 19-year-old first met his new teammates over their evening meal on Friday.

“It came around so quick,” he explained. 

“I found out pretty much on Friday morning that I was coming down, travelled down to Exeter on the Friday and then I start on the Saturday, so it was a whirlwind of events. It all happened really fast. 

“It was really good to get into training on Monday and get to know my teammates who I’m going to be spending a lot of time with over the next few months.”

Matheson is in line to make his home league debut on Saturday when the Iron host Newport County at the Sands Venue Stadium.

Having had a week to train in his new surroundings, the loanee is confident that he will put his best foot forward and show everyone what he is capable of.

“I want to be the hardest worker, up and down the line,” he added. 

“I’m a runner - I know the gaffer wants to set me some targets from a physical aspect of the game. I want to be the best player I can be, put a product out on that pitch for the Scunthorpe fans, who pay their hard-earned money to come and watch us, be proud to be Scunthorpe fans.

“We’re footballers, and we’ve got to perform when we are in that 11, no matter what the circumstances are."

See much more from Luke Matheson and Keith Hill on iFollow Iron.