Andy Butler reflects on victory to end opening week of pre-season

First team manager Andy Butler was pleased with his side’s first runout in pre-season as the Iron ran out 4-0 victors at local side Bottesford Town.

First half goals from Joey Dawson, Dubem Eze and trialist Uppal put Scunthorpe into a commanding position at the interview, with the second half XI adding to that lead through Carlton Ubaezuonu.

Speaking following the encounter, the gaffer said: “I enjoyed it. It was only the second day we’ve touched on any football work, and we trained just before the game, but the lads gave a good account of themselves, and played some really good stuff.

“There were pleasing things, but there’s loads of room for improvement. There were some good performances. We’ve not done any short, sharp work yet - we’ve focused on getting some meat into the legs. I think the lads have covered about 48km this week so they’ve put the hard work in. The short, sharp stuff comes in week three, so we’ll still be building on that come Tuesday and the following Saturday.

“We created some good chances, and I’m pleased for Maison keeping a clean sheet for the first one of pre-season. We’re looking forward to really putting some detail into what we’re going to be expecting from the lads.”

Reflecting on the first full week back in training, Butler gave a brief final thought on five days of double sessions, culminating in the encounter at the Barrett Steel Stadium, which following on from his interview published on YouTube on Thursday evening. He also alluded to the absence of Tyler Denton, who was the only player unexpectedly absent - Callum Roberts, Mark Beck and Ross Barrows all those recovering from injuries from the end of last season.

“It’s been a positive first week, we don’t have any injuries from it, fitness levels are good and considering what we’ve done with the football, there were some really good performances, and some sharp play,” he added.

“We knew we were playing on an astro turf, so we just rested Dents. There’s no point in risking him swelling up by playing on this surface, and we got the work into him on grass earlier today anyway. With 21 outfield players with us, it was the perfect opportunity, and he’s not missed out on any fitness work. It was just precautionary to leave him out, and it was pre-planned.”