Good afternoon Iron fans, as promised we have delivered on new signings prior to our first home friendly versus Sheffield United.
Experienced players Kgosi Ntlhe, Colin Daniel, Andrew Boyce and Elliott Whitehouse complement the squad rebuild with highly-regarded 21-year-old Marcus Dewhurst agreeing to a season-long loan from tomorrow's opponents.
We still have a couple of players in the building looking to secure deals, namely vastly experienced midfielder Jacob Butterfield and exciting young winger Kevan Kahoussi.
Off the pitch, a huge thank you to all the staff and volunteers that have rolled their sleeves up over the last couple of months! It's been a fantastic effort from everyone, preparing a first-class pitch to play on, with painting and repair work along with the back-breaking task of cleaning the seats. It’s disappointing to hear dissenting voices about volunteers helping out, when they willingly give time, effort and commitment to “our” club. This is “our” club and we all need to pull together to move us forward.
There will always be Iron in my blood and the challenges are going to be met head on. Our focus now is to continue to build a squad to compete in the National League, to support our Academy in producing the players of the future, a clear pathway for success. We will also strive to promote the Iron within our community, give out regular updates and listen to our fan base, integrate young people via a Youth Board and get Glanford Park bouncing again!
I'm looking forward to attending the Iron Trust meeting on Wednesday night and hopefully announcing details of another Fans' Forum prior to the season kicking off.
The three friendlies in the next week will hopefully give us a measure of our progress both on and off the pitch. Get behind the team and get behind “our” club. It's the chance for us all to make a difference. We need the energy and passion from our supporters to drive the team forward, and that starts tomorrow!
There will always be difference of opinions and I am all for freedom of speech, because that’s what makes football the game we all love. It was great to catch up with a few supporters in the club shop this morning, I will always engage with people and let them know what I know! It’s vital we are visible and approachable.
A new kit, new players and a new season awaits. The three new kits in my opinion are the best we’ve had for a long time, and they will remind many of you of past achievements and great players that have worn the claret and blue halves, and yellow, in the past.
Long standing sponsors have again shown their commitment by backing me and the club, with Marshall BMW emblazoned across the chest, Pepperells Solicitors on the back and Business Telco on the shorts. Stand sponsors AMS, Britcon and Easy Buy are proudly displayed around Glanford Park, with an opportunity to grab the East Stand sponsorship still available. Please contact Josh Braithwaite on commercial@scunthorpe-united.co.uk if interested.
We are talking to a few different food vendors about adding some variety to our matchday experience. Tomorrow, we have Time and Plaice providing fish and chips and then on Tuesday we have Pizza De Angelo providing authentic Italian cuisine. We are looking also at local ice cream sellers bearing in mind the hot weather. If you’re interested in speaking to us at Glanford Park, email feedback@scunthorpe-united.co.uk.
There are three weeks to go until the big kick-off versus Yeovil live on BT Sport, inviting former players into the restaurant. more signings will be made, three new kits available to purchase within the next week or so, and we are edging towards 1,500 season tickets being sold before August 6th.
At the Yeovil game, we are hopeful that one of the Glanford Park greats will be doing a Q&A in the restaurant. This is something we’ll be doing on a regular basis for home games and we look forward to announcing our guests in advance of the matches.
A thank you to our loyal supporters, it’s been really difficult the last couple of years being an Iron fan. I understand your frustration and will work tirelessly to address those concerns but we need to now reboot, refresh and go again.
Onwards and upwards, up the Iron!
Lee