Iron winger Tyrese Sinclair has previewed Saturday’s away trip to Salford City in Sky Bet League Two, as Keith Hill’s side look to bounce back following Tuesday’s disappointing 1-0 defeat at home to Barrow.
Having been reduced to ten men early on in the game, United faced an up-hill battle for the remaining 70 minutes, with the Bluebirds dominating large spells of the game, making their extra man count.
Scunthorpe did carve open their own opportunities late on in the game, but Sinclair admits the task at hand was a difficult one to say the least.
"Getting a man sent off in the game early on it was always going to be tough, and we then knew they was going to have a lot of the ball," he began.
"I felt like we tried to show intent to try and win the ball back but it was always going to be difficult considering they are a possession based team, so they had a lot of the ball and we had to try and wait for that opportunity which we did in the end get a couple of opportunities. We just didn’t manage to score."
Talking about his versatility, the Mansfield loanee added: “After [Anthony Grant] got sent off we were swapping and changing to see which was the best formation.
"I played three positions [on the night] and I’ve never played right-wing back so it was good to learn different positions. Obviously the more positions you learn to play the more chance you have of playing."
Barrow were also reduced to ten men on Tuesday evening when Tom Beadling was sent off late on for a second bookable offence, with the Iron unable to find a goal late on.
"I felt like towards the end of the game we was starting to get on top," Sinclair added.
"Obviously they then got the man sent off in I think it was the 90th minute, so there wasn’t really much time left within the game.
"I feel like we showed in the first 20 minutes when we did have equal numbers that we were going to go toe-to-toe with them, then Granty [Anthony Grant] got sent off and it kind of killed our game plan, but we had to adapt."
With only nine games left between now and the end of the season for United to try and remain in League Two, the Mansfield Town academy graduate added: “As mad as it sounds, it feels like there is sort of no pressure on us.
"The pressure is on the other teams really so everyone just has to try and stay positive as a whole club really - fans, staff members and players. We just have to stay positive and hopefully the results start with Saturday.”
This weekend presents another tough challenge in the shape of Salford City, a side known for their ambitions to progress through the league pyramid following heavy investment over recent years from the Class of ’92.
Heading to the Peninsula Stadium, Sinclair understands the threat both he and his United team mates face on Saturday afternoon.
"It’s going to be tough," began the 21-year-old.
"They are a tough opposition and obviously they have some decent players, who are some of the best players in the league really.
"We just have to show resilience as we know there are going to be periods where they are on top, but if we show that resilience to keep the ball out of the net then we know we can cause a threat going forward. I can’t see any reason why we can’t come away with some points at least."
Having been here at the Sands Venue Stadium for almost two months now, Sinclair is relishing the opportunities given to him, but has not shied away for the challenges he has faced along the way too.
"It’s been tough given we haven’t got the results yet that we all wanted," Sinclair added.
"Now I just want to look to try and stay in the team and help the team as much as possible. It’s been a rollercoaster two months. Try to get as many points on the board and see where it takes us."
See much more from Tyrese Sinclair and Keith Hill on iFollow Iron.