Oppositions View: Scunthorpe Utd

Last updated : 20 January 2005 By Rob Davies
How long have you been a Scunthorpe fan?

My first game was 10 years ago, home loss to Rochdale. You couldn't get more basement division!

What made you choose to support Scunthorpe?

You support your hometown team, they're representing the town thus they're representing me. My family have been following the side since WWII.

Are you as shocked as everyone else that you find yourselves at the top of the table, after being quoted at 50-1 for the title before the season?

No. We kept telling people we were underpriced. Those that look just at the second half of last season will be surprised, but they're fools for not taking into account the mitigating circumstances. I stuck money on us winning the title as I was confident we'd be up there.

Do you expect to be up there come the end of the season?

Top three, definetly.

Paul Hayes: A dangerman
What has been the key factor in your upturn in fortunes this season?


The players/staff have taken a positive attitude into every game, but there is no change there. But in previous seasons our squad was so young that if things started to go wrong they didn't have the mental resolve to get back into games. This summer we brought in experience - Paul Musselwhite, Andy Crosby and, ofcourse, Ian Baraclough. Some of your fans slated Bara on our messageboard, but it appears your club simply didn't know how to use him.

We've been hearing rave reviews about your ex-Pie Ian Baraclough. Has he really been that good?

See above! He's formed a good central midfield partnership with Richard Kell and he's been a key part of our team this year. The pair of them have completely ran games for us.

Give us some thoughts on your current playing squad.

Keeper (Musselwhite)- Solid, commanding.

Defence - Crosby brought in calmness, good communication with Mussy in goal and Andy Butler will be a Premiership defender some day.

Midfield - Beags terrorises every right-back in the business, whether it's Chelsea or Chesterfield. Kell and Bara will break it up, and Matty Sparrow is showing glimpses of being back to his best. Cleveland Taylor is likely to come off the bench for the last 20 minutes or so and will run at you again and again.

Remember him?
Who should we watch out for on Saturday?


Strikers Paul Hayes and Steve Torpey can pull any defence apart. And this young whippersnapper called Peter on the left wing...

Just how good was your recent trip to Chelsea?

The home fans were great, the club was great and we played really well. People tend to get carried away with good performances in cup games - but it seems to have given Paul Hayes his confidence back which is the best thing to come out of it.

Are you happy with your current manager (Brian Laws)?

No-one's going to complain too much with our record this season.

Do you have any pre-conceptions about Notts County?

Not really....sorry.

What did you think about our earlier encounter just under a month ago?

Goalless draws are never the best, are they? It was the sort of game we could've done with scrambling in a goal for a 1-0 win.

Should we expect a big away following for Saturday's encouter?

There should be several hundred of us, for what is a local game.

Finally, can we have a score predicition?

1-1, though I reckon we're good enough to win 2-1.

Luke is editor of NCM's sister-site, iron-bru.net, which is one of the most popular ran on the FootyMAD logo. Click here to visit.