First team manager Jimmy Dean reflected on a positive week at Glanford Park with the Iron winning all three of their fixtures on home soil, attaining three clean sheets in the process.
United’s latest victory, another difficult and slender victory, came in the form of a 1-0 win over Warrington Town, with substitute Callum Roberts netting his first Scunthorpe goal to seal the three points.
“It was really hard-fought. Warrington put their bodies on the line, came here and had a real go, which was nice to see,” he said.
“I thought we were very lacklustre and flat in the first half, but we got into them at half-time, and got a reaction in the second-half. We brought Cal (Roberts) on. We played Maxi (Kouogun) because of their height; they’re a big side, but I didn’t think we were very fluid with the ball. We made the change at half-time, and it worked well.
“It was great football for the goal in the build-up, the little triangle when we dropped (Jason) Lawsy in, rotated Dents (Tyler Denton) and Jakey (Butterfield) had a great shot. Cal did what we asked him to do, followed it up and tapped it in.”
With Roberts netting, the Iron squad’s goal contributions in terms of goals and assists continue to grow, with the former Aberdeen winger becoming the 21st player of the season to either register a goal or assist for the club.
“This is what I want,” he continued.
“I want goals to come from everywhere. Every side I’ve managed through the levels has not had an out and out goalscorer, who takes all the goals, and it’s the same here. You cannot rely on one player, and I don’t want to be relying on one player. Our centre-forward plays as a focal point, but often he drops in and makes a diamond in midfield, and the two wingers push up and become our two centre forwards. We get a lot of goals from out wide, our three centre-halves have all scored. To have 21 different players contribute to goals and assists is pretty fantastic.”
And, at the other end, United kept yet another clean sheet, with Ross Fitzsimons entering double figures for the campaign. It didn’t come without hard work though, as he pulled off a string of fine saves to be named sponsors’ man of the match.
“Ross has earned his money today,” said Dean.
“He often gets the plaudits for his footwork and his kicking was superb, but he’s made two or three big saves today that have won us the game. His saves are just as important as Cal’s game. He was absolutely fantastic.
“There’s times when the only thing that matters is three points, and we’re finding ways to win when we’re not at our best. What’s enabled us to do that is we are really rigid, hard to break down and hard to beat. Most weeks, we’re getting clean sheets, and when we do slip a little bit defensively, you see how good of a goalkeeper we’ve got.”
Going into the week, the Iron gaffer set a target of three wins from three, with cup progression and six points on the board. With that feat achieved, he’s now looking to the next target as we exit November following a strong run at home which has seen Scunthorpe win the last seven.
In doing so, the side have now won 13 games this season, which is more than in the last two seasons combined.
“Results-wise, it’s been fantastic,” he added.
“We’ve probably had a bit of a drop off in performances, but all I’ll put that down to is playing Saturday-Tuesday for a month. We find a way to win. We knew we could win those games 6-0 and 6-1, and those pretty games are what gets you third or fourth place, but now we’re winning ugly - the 1-0s, 2-0s. It’s five clean sheets in the last six games all competitions, and six in seven at home, which shows we’re becoming really resilient and really hard to beat.
“I know we’re a level lower, I accept that, but it shows where we’ve come from and where we are, and it shows the difference these boys are making. We’re still second in the league, and we want to get that top spot, and we want to hold onto it. We will keep chasing. Fair play to Tamworth, they’ve reacted well to their three defeats, but I think we’re really well set for what comes next.”
Following a run of fixtures in November which has seen three midweek fixtures played, the Iron have two free midweeks now, which will allow the side to get back on the training pitch and recover properly.
“We need it,” Dean stated.
“We’ve picked up four significant injuries in that period, three are at full-back area. We’re looking forward to the break. We’ve got a Saturday and then a Friday, which will help us get some bodies back, get the boys a little bit fresher and rejuvenated, and hopefully it’ll set us up for the Christmas period while picking up a few more wins as well.”
The final word, as always, was reserved for the support that has now witnessed seven home wins on the spin, with the Iron conceding just once.
“For 3,500 people to turn out at a Step Two game when they’ve got Christmas to think about, December to pay for, it just shows how fantastic the fanbase is,” he added.
“We’ve asked the support to stand up and be counted because of the position the club got put in, and they’re doing it. Not only that, we haven’t been great first half today or on Tuesday, but they haven’t turned, they’ve stayed positive. They’re as important as any player, any goal, any clean sheet.
“We thank them for that, thank you for the continued support, and we’re going to keep fighting for them.”