Daws talks Eastleigh preparations

Interim Scunthorpe United boss Tony Daws believes his side won't take Tuesday night's opponents Eastleigh lightly given their recent success in the National League.

The Spitfires come into the meeting with the Iron having also already beaten high flyers Chesterfield so far this season.

With our own focus on continuing our strong run of form as of late, Daws has insisted Lee Bradbury's organised outfit will pose their own individual challenges.

"It is a long trip and the lads have trained well," he began, speaking to Iron Player. "We are setting off reasonably early on Tuesday morning, to go down there, where they will have a rest and then a pre-match meal. 

"Eastleigh are a decent side, well versed in this league and always up and around the play-offs towards the end of the season. We are expecting a difficult game."

Reflecting on our recent outing at Barnet, Daws hopes despite conceding our lead at The Hive Stadium, positives can be taken heading into Tuesday night’s meeting in Hampshire.

"If you look at the Barnet game as well, I was pretty aware that most people connected to the club would have taken a point," he added.

"I dare say there would be some people that would have thought we would have got turned over, due to the fact that Barnet score a lot of goals. We didn't think that and we are happy to pitch our lads against anyone. When our lads play like that they are a good group. 

"We always have goals in us, we just have to make sure we stop conceding them and that's something we need to work on going forward. Eastleigh are another difficult proposition and like I said they are experienced in National League football. They have been in and around it, and have been up that top end for a number of years.’’

Providing a team news update ahead of the clash, Daws has insisted that Kgosi Nlthe’s substitution on Friday night was merely one of precaution, as he also said there is a clean bill of health elsewhere heading into the game.

"Kgosi [Nlthe] had to come off at half time because he had got a tight hamstring and he was worried in the half time break that it was tightening up and if he went out in the second half and he had to exert himself in a sprint or a tackle that his hamstring could go. 

"He could have been out for six-to-eight weeks then, and although he didn't want to come off, and we didn't want to take him off, we felt that collectively that was the best thing to do. It forced us into a bit of a reshuffle and fortunately things all went okay. That was the one really.

"He rested up over the weekend and he trained on Monday morning with us. He seems to be okay and I have had a good chat with him. I think he will be available for selection on Tuesday.''

See much more from Tony Daws and Reagan Ogle on Iron Player.