Daws updates as Iron prepare for Wrexham visit

The Iron's interim manager Tony Daws has previewed Wednesday night's home game against Wrexham in the National League (7.45pm kick-off).

Firstly, the boss spoke about the feeling in the camp following the Iron’s week off from playing matches. He said: “We’re all looking forward to it and we’re excited as it’s a big game for us. We’ve had a couple of tough away fixtures with Barnet and Eastleigh, but we’ve had time to rest, recover, and prepare so we’re all looking forward to the game.” 

Reagan Ogle had to come off last time out against Eastleigh, and Daws provided an update on him, saying: “He’s not great, he’s got a damaged back and he’s injured so he’s not been able to train. Obviously that’s a blow for us. He could be out for any period of time really - it should be shorter rather than long term, but it still remains to be clarified.” 

He continued: “Obviously, we played last Tuesday (at Eastleigh) and then we had the lads in on Thursday and Friday working hard and going through a lot of physical work.

“The boys had the weekend off and they’ve come back in on Monday and Tuesday to prepare for the game. We’ve done our homework and due diligence on Wrexham and we know what they’re about, although I guess everyone knows what they’re about because they’re a good side. It’s going to be a tough game for us but we’ll make sure we’re up for it come kick off.” 

He went on to speak directly about the opposition, saying: “They’re quite impressive. They’re difficult to defend against, they have long balls coming in from both sides and they can play, but they can also be direct as well. It’s certainly a challenge and we will respect them. (Their manager) Phil Parkinson has been in the game for a long time now and it’s going to be a tough game make no mistake.” 

Daws continued to say: “We’re at home, and without being brilliant, we’ve still been reasonably good at home where we’ve scored goals, even when sometimes we’ve had to come from behind. There are two ways of playing; you either sit back, soak up pressure, and try and play on the counter attack; or you can get out there and have a go. We’re at home so let’s have a go at them.”

For the first time in over 20 years the Iron have scored three goals in each of their last three home games, and the boss commented on this stat. He continued: “That’s a real positive as people are quick to throw negative stats at you. I think that because of what we’ve got and how we play we’re always capable of scoring goals, although we didn’t get any at Eastleigh and we only got the one at Barnet.

“When we’ve been at home and we’ve been on the front foot, we’ve managed to get that ascendency and the crowd behind us, and we’ve done alright. We’ve created goalscoring opportunities and at times we’ve scored three so I think for me it’s about being bold, brave and to have a go. The old saying is that the best form of defence is attack."

The gaffer finished by talking about the fitness of the rest of the squad, saying: “Everyone appears to be okay right now, so hopefully we’ll be alright.”

See much more from Tony Daws on Iron Player.