By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions. We in turn value your personal details in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
Please log in or register. Registered visitors get fewer ads.
Iron forward Kevin van Veen says it’s important the hard work is continued as his side prepare to take on Blackpool away in the Leasing.com Trophy second round on Wednesday night.
United head into the clash with the Seasiders on the back of three successive victories in all competitions, with the most recent coming at home to Port Vale on Tuesday when Scunthorpe ran out convincing 2-1 winners.
Van Veen, who scored United’s equalising goal in the first-half of that game, said: “It was a very good win, especially after going 1-0 behind. It showed great character from the lads to come back and it was a really good second-half from us. We could have scored more but we’ll take the three points.
“Recently we’ve been very good and there was only one game really where we were sloppy and that was Crawley (away in the FA Cup). We’ve been strong at home and it was great character to come back from 1-0 behind and get the result in the way we did.
“There were a lot of shots in the second-half that their goalkeeper saved, while he also stopped a free-kick of mine in the first-half, and we tested him with the corners so full credit to him for his performance, but we’ll take the three points.”
Speaking of playing in a slightly tweaked position behind Lee Novak, the Dutchman, who has scored seven goals in all competitions this season, continued: “I’m playing a different role at the moment. I’m happy to score but still happy to assist too, and work hard for the team. Recently I’ve been doing that and have been rewarded by being in the starting eleven, so I just need to keep that up and do as well as I can for the team.
“It’s deeper and less around the box, but I can still get forward. Without the ball I need to come back for the team and help them out, and it’s working. I’m enjoying playing it and we just need to keep up what we’re doing.”
Looking ahead of the clash against Simon Grayson’s men on Wednesday evening, he added: “It will be tough. Blackpool are a very good side, they’ve been doing well and are in League One, which is a division higher. It’ll be a tough game but we showed against Sunderland that we don’t need to be scared to go there. We have a lot of quality ourselves and just need to play our game.
“We’re all confident and it’s been very good recently. We just have to make sure we keep getting the same performances from ourselves every single game, and I think we’ll do well.”
Learning to read clusters is not something your eyes do naturally. It takes constant practice.
We believe that Blackpool should score a couple of goals when they meet Scunthorpe United, who won’t find it easy scoring a goal of their own. We’re tipping a pretty comfortable 2-0 win for Blackpool at the end of the 90 minutes.
Scunthorpe's last 6 matches:
Scunthorpe United 2 - 1 Port Vale Leyton Orient 0 - 2 Scunthorpe United Scunthorpe United 3 - 0 Sunderland (Leasing Trophy group game) Crawley Town 4 - 1 Scunthorpe United (FA Cup first round) Scunthorpe United 0 - 0 Stevenage Salford City 1 - 1 Scunthorpe United
Learning to read clusters is not something your eyes do naturally. It takes constant practice.
Load the bench with Feeney, Kaikai, MacDonald etc......
2,200 attn
3 - 1 win
‘Where there is harmony, may we bring discord. Where there is truth, may we bring error. Where there is faith, may we bring doubt. And where there is hope, may we bring despair’
Ben Toner to referee Blackpool away Leasing.com Trophy clash
Ben Toner will be the man in the middle for the Iron's away Leasing.com Trophy encounter with Blackpool on Wednesday night.
The Lancashire-based official will travel to Bloomfield Road for his 16th game of the campaign and fourth involvement in this season's Leasing.com Trophy competition. The current campaign is Toner's fifth in the EFL.
His first match of the season came on the second weekend when he oversaw Grimsby Town's 1-1 draw with Bradford City at Blundell Park. He issued three yellow cards in the game. His latest fixture came at the weekend when he took charge of Cheltenham Town versus Colchester United - a game which also finished 1-1 and with five cautions.
He was last appointed to an Iron game back in March when he took charge of the 4-1 home victory over Southend United. On that occasion, he showed three cautions. In total, he's refereed United on eight occasions, showing 19 yellow cards and no reds.
He's had three previous Blackpool match appointments, all of which have come at Bloomfield Road, so Wednesday will be his fourth competitive appointment as a referee at the stadium. Their only previous win with Toner as referee came in this competition over three years ago.
He was last at Blackpool only last month, overseeing a 1-1 draw. The previous appointment came two years prior, although he was taken off a more recent fixture when social media picked up on an amusing correlation between his name and Blackpool's then-owners. He's shown eight yellow cards in the three meetings.
In 2018-19, he took charge of 38 games, issuing 120 yellow cards and six reds. So far in this campaign, he has officiated in 15 encounters, showing 47 yellows and three red cards.
On Wednesday, he will be assisted by Graeme Fyvie and Gary Hilton, while Mark Cunliffe has been appointed as the fourth official.
Learning to read clusters is not something your eyes do naturally. It takes constant practice.
After netting a brace to aid the Iron through to the latest round of the Leasing.com Trophy, forward Lee Novak wants to help the team go one step further and make it to the last sixteen.
In triumphing against Sunderland in the third group stage match, United eliminated the Black Cats to set up the trip to the Seasiders, with Scunthorpe buoyed by back-to-back league wins.
“It was a good win (against Port Vale at the weekend),” Novak told iFollow Iron.
“We deserved it and it could’ve been by a few more goals as well. Their goalkeeper made a few good saves, but it was good to stay on the winning run, making it nine unbeaten at home.
“It would have been harsh to go in behind at half-time, but we managed to go in level and we said at half-time if we picked it up, we would dominate and we ended up doing that. As soon as the second half started right through to the finish, we did that. We probably should have had a few more goals.”
“It would have been harsh to go in behind at half-time, but we managed to go in level and we said at half-time if we picked it up, we would dominate and we ended up doing that. As soon as the second half started right through to the finish, we did that. We probably should have had a few more goals.”
After stretching the team's run to five unbeaten in the league and nine undefeated games at home in all competitions, Novak spoke about the confidence in the camp ahead of visiting Blackpool on Wednesday.
“We’re very confident,” he stated.
“I’ve spoken about it before, even when we were getting beaten, we were still a confident bunch. We were confident things would turn and hopefully now they are starting to turn. We are starting to climb the table now and hopefully we can keep doing that and get to where we want to be.”
With no league action for a fortnight, there’s a 10-day gap until their next fixture against Forest Green Rovers. With full focus on trying to progress, the Blackpool encounter gives the Iron another opportunity to lock horns with League One opposition.
“It’s going to be a very tough game, like it was against Sunderland a couple of weeks ago,” he continued.
“They’ve got a very strong squad and are going for promotion themselves in their league. It’ll be a hard game. Even if they make changes, they will be a strong. A lot of us have played in League One and higher and it’s a cup match against a League One team, but hopefully we can go there and put on a similar performance.
“We go to Blackpool to play our game. We’ve got an honest bunch and every Sunday and Monday there are tired bodies in the building and that just shows how hard we are working.
“We had to work hard to turn things round. The manager and us as lads have spoken about it, we have to leave everything out on the pitch and hopefully it’s enough and in the last few games it has been.”
On a personal note, the Geordie has netted five times since returning from his injury, tallying six for the season so far. He’s been one of the constants in Paul Hurst’s team selection since the ankle problem and is adamant he won’t be giving up his place without a fight.
“It’s been good. I’ve been getting back up to speed after my long injury. I’m enjoying my football and I know if I don’t keep playing well, I will be out of the team, so I’ve just got to keep going,” he added.
Learning to read clusters is not something your eyes do naturally. It takes constant practice.
Manager Paul Hurst spoke to iFollow Iron ahead of the away Leasing.com Trophy second round game at Blackpool on Wednesday night.
The boss expects a tough test against the League One side but says his players are looking forward to the prospect of taking on Simon Grayson’s team, as they look to put in a similar performance to the one against Sunderland in the same tournament two weeks prior.
Hurst said: “Blackpool are a club that have certainly had difficulties in recent times but things have changed over there now and there’s a lot more optimism. I think the fans feel like they’ve got the club back, and Simon Grayson has gone in there, who is used to winning promotions with clubs, and will be looking to do that with Blackpool. That’s their aim and they already have a very good squad together there. They’ll probably invest in January as well but in the meantime whatever side Simon decides to put out, whether it’s the subs or the team they played at Ipswich at the weekend, it’ll be a tough task.
“That said, a lot of our players — if not all of them — have played in League One at some point, whether that’s last year or for many years before. I’m sure a lot of those still believe they can play at that level, so it’s an opportunity as a group and individually to show they can compete with what is a good team currently in that division.”
Scunthorpe come into the game on the back of a 2-1 home win over Port Vale, which extended their winning run to three matches in all competitions.
The boss continued: “The motivation has to be to try and get through, try to win and keep the performance levels going. If we put in a similar performance to what we’ve done recently, then we give ourselves a chance. There are never any guarantees but we’ll go there to be competitive.
“From Saturday, the lads have come through unscathed. The only one that will be missing is Jamie Proctor, due to being cup tied, but we also have others lads that are perhaps ready for the game and chomping at the bit. I’ll make a decision on the team and all I can say is whichever one we decide to go with will be with the intention of trying to get through.
“It’s a bit of a juggling act looking at the group as a whole and we’ve put a plan in place to try and ensure everyone’s getting what they need.
“Regan Slater (ankle injury) is one who’s still a little while away though, but we’ve had some lads returning to training and they’ll filter in at different points and different levels. We’re hoping, prior to the Forest Green game (on December 7th), to have a bigger squad to select from.
“I told the players on Tuesday morning that the importance of the squad will come out over that festive period. We’ve got four games in next to no time and that’s a big ask to put the same team out on each occasion. We’re looking ahead to make sure everyone’s ready. We’ll then attack the games in the league but hopefully have another one to look forward to in the Leasing.com Trophy in January as well.”
Learning to read clusters is not something your eyes do naturally. It takes constant practice.
Scunthorpe United will be looking to progress to the third round of the Leasing.com Trophy when they make the trip to take on Blackpool at Bloomfield Road on Wednesday night.
SCENE-SETTER
United come into the game after progressing through Group A, in which they won 2-1 at Grimsby Town through a Kevin van Veen brace. drew 1-1 against Leicester City U21s with Ryan Colclough scoring before losing on penalties, and then defeating Sunderland 3-0 through a Lee Novak brace and Abo Eisa goal. United eventually finished second in the group behind Leicester.
League One side Blackpool, now under the management of Simon Grayson, defeated Morecambe 5-1 through goals from Ben Heneghan, Michael Nottingham, Ryan Hardie, Sullay Kaikai and Joe Nuttall, lost 2-1 at Carlisle United with Calum Macdonald notching and defeated Wolves U21s 1-0 via a Rocky Bushiri goal. They finished top of Group G.
TEAM NEWS
Manager Paul Hurst will have a similar squad to the one that faced Port Vale at the weekend to call on.
Yann Songo'o (dislocated toe), Jamie Ward (hamstring), Levi Sutton (hand) and Jordan Hallam (hamstring) all continue to miss out, although Hurst expects the majority of his injured group to be back in contention for the next league game at Forest Green a week on Saturday.
Elsewhere, Regan Slater (ankle) remains absent, while George Miller (quad strain) has been back with the group for a week and returned to the substitutes' bench last week.
PAST MEETINGS
The two sides last met in League One back on Good Friday this year, with a 0-0 draw played out in North Lincolnshire. The Seasiders defeated us 1-0 there in October last year.
Our most recent win at Bloomfield Road was our first for 17 years, and saw Tom Hopper, Duane Holmes and Hakeeb Adelakun score in a 3-2 victory.
Learning to read clusters is not something your eyes do naturally. It takes constant practice.
+ Strengths + Aerial duels: Very Strong Attacking set pieces: Strong Creating long shot opportunities: Strong Stealing the ball from the opposition: Strong
- Weaknesses - Keeping possession of the ball: Weak Avoiding fouling in dangerous areas: Weak Defending against long shots: Weak Defending against through ball attacks: Weak Defending counter attacks: Weak Defending set pieces: Very Weak Avoiding individual errors: Very Weak
** Scunthorpe's Style of Play **
Long balls Attempt crosses often Play with width Aggressive
Learning to read clusters is not something your eyes do naturally. It takes constant practice.
Seasiders Host The Iron In Leasing.com Trophy Knockout Round
A place in the last 16 of the Leasing.com Trophy is at stake tonight, as Sky Bet League Two outfit, Scunthorpe United visit Bloomfield Road.
Blackpool finished top of Group G earlier this season, with victories over Morecambe FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers U21 side securing safe passage into the knockout stages.
Scunthorpe, on the other hand, finished in second place behind Leicester City U21’s in Group A despite recording impressive victories over Grimsby Town and Sunderland.
Tonight’s visitors come into the game in 16th place in League Two but have won their last three matches in all competitions.
Team News:
Simon Grayson could make a number of changes from the draw at Ipswich at the weekend, with a busy schedule coming up heading into the Christmas period. Valuable game time could be given to the likes of Ollie Turton, Sean Scannell and the goalscorer from the Wolves victory, Rocky Bushiri.
Referee:
Ben Toner is the man in the middle for the match. He refereed the 1-1 draw with Wycombe Wanderers at Bloomfield Road in October.
Learning to read clusters is not something your eyes do naturally. It takes constant practice.
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.
