Plummer updates ahead of Solihull trip

Iron assistant manager Chris Plummer has provided an update on the squad ahead of Tuesday night's away game against Solihull Moors in the Vanarama National League.

He began by talking about how preparations have gone ahead of the trip to the Midlands, telling Iron Player: “We’ve had a good training session on Monday and we were in on Saturday preparing as well, sorting out our shape, our play, and how we want to approach the game. We know Solihull have played various systems over the last few weeks so we’re preparing for different scenarios. The boys came through unscathed on Monday so we’re ready to go for Tuesday.” 

On last week's 2-0 win over Altrincham, he said: “It was really important to get that win last Tuesday. We had a break on Saturday so we got all the training done and got a recovery in. We managed the lads through that and managed them through the snow too. We’re all ready for the game on Tuesday, they’re rested and prepared, so we’re ready to go.” 

Plummer then provided an update on the squad, adding: “Currently, there are no new injuries. Alfie Beestin has his hamstring injury and Marcus Carver is coming back from his groin injury, but there are no fresh injuries so we’re at full strength for the game.”

On Tuesday's opposition, the assistant said: “Three of their players have left in recent times but they’ve had two victories in their last two. They’ve changed shape recently so that may be a factor. They’re going to be tough, they’ve only lost one in their last five and they’re good at home as well. We’re prepared for a tough game which is really important for us.”

United will be looking to make it back-to-back wins for the first time this season, and he said:"We need to build on that [last Tuesday]. We got the first clean sheet since we’ve been here which is great and hopefully that will give us some confidence. The second half was a lot better than the first so now we need to put that 90 minutes together."

He added: “We need to build and we need momentum so if we get back-to-back victories then that will be fantastic for us going into Tuesday. We need to put in a good performance as well though because if we do that regularly then we should be able to pick up the results.” 

Finally, Plummer spoke about the team's bowling trip on Saturday which gave the players a chance to bond away from a training setting, adding: “Bowling was great - we had a great afternoon there. It was nice to see the lads in a different environment outside of the football club. Everyone enjoyed themselves and a few got a bit competitive. George Taft went home with the trophy. We had a real good laugh and a few of the lads tried the axe throwing, darts and pool too. After a good training session on Saturday morning it was good to get away and have a bit of enjoyment in the afternoon.”

He added that this experience was good for team building, saying: “It’s good to see the lads outside of the football environment. They’re building relationships between each other which is good because there have been a lot of new faces through the door. It brings that team bonding together and it was a lot of fun.” 

Finally, he reflected on his time at the Iron so far, saying: “I’m really enjoying it. We’ve hoped for better results at times but we’ve had a tough start, playing teams towards the top of the table. The club is fantastic, and the fans are fantastic. They’ve really backed us, they’re vocal, and they show up in their numbers which is really important at home games as it gives the lads a lift. Personally, I’ve loved the day-to-day involvement and Scunthorpe has been really enjoyable.”