John Schofield named assistant manager

Scunthorpe United is delighted to welcome back John Schofield to the club, as he’s named as Andy Butler’s assistant.

The 59-year-old returns to the Attis Arena a decade on from his previous stint in deputy charge where he was understudy to Russ Wilcox, who he played with at Doncaster Rovers, with the duo also completing their coaching badges and licenses on the same courses. He was also at the club for a short time in 2007-08, where he carried out extra sessions for players not in the first team.

Prior to joining the club in his second spell, he’d had similar positions at Cheltenham Town, Cambridge United and Gillingham. 10 years on, and his experience has extended to roles at Lincoln City and Doncaster Rovers, while he also rejoined Russ Wilcox in his next role at York City.

While he would also add Peterborough United to the list of clubs he’s coached at, he would be appointed manager of Northern Ireland Under-21s in July 2021, keeping the role until February 2023.

His most recent assistant managerial role was with another former Iron player in Andy Crosby, linking up with the former defender at Port Vale from April 2023 until February 2024.

Throughout his coaching spells, he found himself coaching Andy Butler at Doncaster Rovers during his later years as a player, while the pair also came across each other at Posh.

Following the appointment, Butler said: “I’m delighted to welcome John to the club as my assistant. When Michelle asked me to be manager, Scofe was my first choice immediately.

“He’s a great coach, he’s energetic and hard-working, which is exactly what the club needs to help drive success this season.