Butterfield: It just felt right to come here and commit

Having worked with first team manager Keith Hill previously, the Iron’s sixth summer signing Jacob Butterfield is looking forward to being part of a successful season with his old boss.

The 32-year-old arrives at Glanford Park after leaving Scottish Premier League side St Johnstone, bringing a wealth of experience from the upper echelons of English football including the likes of Norwich City, Crystal Palace, Middlesbrough and Huddersfield Town. 

Speaking after signing a deal, he spoke to Iron Player, saying: “It’s been good. I’ve known the manager from quite a while ago. I’ve worked with him previously. He got in contact with me over the summer and asked if I would be interested in coming in.

“I spoke about where I am in my career and what I was looking for. He spoke to me about the club and what he was looking for this season. I decided to come in, and it’s been good. 

“I’ve really enjoyed it. There’s a good atmosphere around the place and it just felt right for me to come here and commit, and I’m glad to get the deal done.”

Scunthorpe fans were able to witness first hand Butterfield’s credentials in Saturday’s 3-2 victory over Championship side Sheffield United, with the midfielder playing an instrumental part of the team which raced to a 3-0 half-time lead.

“It was a good game and the team played well,” he continued. 

“It was a good atmosphere around the place and hopefully that performance that we put on can excite the fans a little bit and really get them behind us and get some positive feeling around the place. From what I’ve seen on the training pitch, we can have a successful season.

“As a team, we want to be going for promotion. Personally, I want to be playing my best football, which is what my target always is. I want to produce the best football I can.

“I’m a technical player that likes to get on the ball and show my passing range and be creative. I want to create and score goals if I can.”

Having been in the building for a week on trial, the Bradford-born player - who spent time playing at Melbourne in 2020 and 2021 - believes the squad are preparing well for the National League season commencing on August 6th.

The next pre-season fixture in preparation for that showdown with Yeovil Town, live on BT Sport (5.20pm kick-off) is a visit from Rochdale on Tuesday evening, with Butterfield giving his thoughts on the upcoming encounter.

“It’s been a tough week and with the hot weather it’s been even tougher,” he added. 

“That’s what you need, you need to get your body prepared for pre-season. Working hard in pre-season sets you up for a good season and I think I’m doing all the right things and we’re looking in good shape.

“It’ll be a good game for us. With the weather, it’s going to be an interesting one - probably lots of drinks breaks. We want to keep building on the performance we put in on Saturday and keep building towards the start of the season. We’re looking forward to it.”

See much more from Jacob Butterfield on Iron Player.