Scunthorpe manager Keith Hill has put a special challenge to his players ahead of their home clash with Carlisle United tomorrow.
Hill wants them to do something they haven’t done all season so far – by putting back-to-back wins together.
“That would be the perfect way to start a new year and emphasise how we are going to go on,” he says.
Scunthorpe moved off the bottom of League Two when they beat Oldham Athletic 3-1 on Boxing Day and the next target is to escape the clutches of the drop zone.
A win against the Blues would do that and condemn Carlisle to a New Year’s Day slot in the bottom two.
Hill told iFollow Iron: “We believe it’s going to be on. We are 100 per cent certain that we can fulfil the requirements of the fixture.
“We’re excited by the challenge that Carlisle represents. They’ve been inconsistent over the course of the season. I know Keith Millen really well. We did our A licenses together back in the day. He’s gone in there to try and turn their fortunes around, much like I am trying to do at Scunthorpe.
“We’re at home as well, which we haven’t had for a while. We’ve had three games on the bounce away from home, and it would be nice to play in front of our home supporters.
“The supporters have done tremendously well to go to Stevenage, Hartlepool and Oldham and support the players. They’ve got their rewards. To get five points from three away games is testament to the players’ character.”
Scunthorpe’s last two games, both at home, have been called off due to COVID issues with the opposition – Bristol Rovers and Northampton Town.
For Hill, that has represented challenges, but also opportunities, with the manager hoping that it’s third time lucky this weekend in terms of putting on a game.
Hill went on: “It was quickly realised on Monday that the game was going to get called off. It was then about readjusting the plan making sure we are ready for the Carlisle game.
“It could be a blessing in disguise, but we were disappointed at the time. We do still see the Northampton game as an opportunity whenever we now play them.”
The Iron go into 2022 unbeaten in five games having lost just one of seven league games since Hill took charge.
With that first win now on the board, the challenge is to back it up.“We’ve got to continue with that upward momentum. We’ve got to keep striving to be resilient, like we were. We weren’t at our best in the first half on Sunday, but we got to half time where we could make changes.
“General fitness is very good, but we are constantly being disrupted with regular COVID tests, which is right. It’s something we have to do to safeguard ourselves. The majority of the players are up to speed. We’re getting a lot of good work into them.
