Shrimpers face toughest test yet on long journey to Lincolnshire

Last updated : 20 October 2008 By Shrimpers24

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Scunthorpe_United_Logo.png v http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Southend_United_FC.png

BLUES
Team
Pld
W
D
L
F
A
Pts
651013516
651013616

The top two form teams face off, looks good doesn't it.......but then look at the last six home and away, Scunthorpe have won all their last six at Glanford Park, scoring 12, against 3, while Southend away from Roots Hall have won 2, drawn 1 and lost 2, scoring an incredible 11 but letting in at the other end a horrible 17.

Yes, Walsall and Doncaster are included in that and we've won our last two, but Crewe and Yeovil are not Scunthorpe. We have lost Harding and, most likely Freedman, they have in Hayes and Hooper two of the form strikers in the division.

Of course sport always throws up hope and I have no worries in saying that in midfield and upfront we have some of the technically best players that have ever been at the club. At the back the Aussie is a terrific keeper, I've got this down as his last game, another month please Tilly, while in Adam Barrett the most inspirational skipper since Paul Clarke.

The other Clarkey had a generally error free game v the Robins, that concerns me! While Sankofa and Francis were able to get away with it against Swindon Simon's right foot at left back with Hooper cutting in may lead to the odd defensive panic!

Hey, what do I know, if Revell can keep up that cracking form and the Lord returns from another late injury, (don't bet on it, another hamstring gone, in that case I'd give the Frenchman a run, poor James was woeful, in his favourite position as well), and I'd seriously consider Macca in for the boy Sawyer for this one, we might nick a point.

Nobody expects to see Dougie who hasn't even been training.

A cliché, but the first 20 minutes will be vital.

Full match report and ratings up about, oh, 10 am Wednesday morning! (No, a FootyMad report will be up from around 21.45. The 'Overnight' Tripper will follow later, a lot later!)

OPPOSITION

Lets hope my Scunthorpe taxi driver to the ground doesn't say to me what he said to Mark Thomas on 'Have I Got News For You' on Saturday; "What are you doing here? It's a bloody shit hole!" (His words, not mine, any touchy Irons!) A very successful shit hole at the moment though, top of the league and scoring goals to raise the roof.

Supplied and placed in the net mainly by young Gary Hooper, well done there, left on the best of terms with the supporters but in all honesty I don't think many saw that coming and were pleased with the 175k. Harding is going to be missed with that young whipper snapper.

At Cheltenham they won in injury time after being second best for most of the game, read the report here www.thelittlegazette.com/news/loadsngl.asp?cid=ED81&id=412592, a useful habit but to be fair one Southend have matched against Yeovil and Swindon, however since they lost that first match at home to Leeds they've been bloody good!

Latest match Saturday,
18th October 2008
PldHomeAwayOverallPtsEP
WDLFAWDLFAWDLFA
1Scunthorpe United 1140193411147812231025+13
2Leicester City 103016242012472118623+12
3Millwall 1141110731196722191323+6
4Oldham Athletic 1142016522198641251322+12
5Leeds United 1131111731298623201520+5
6Southend United 11411842121012623181620+2

Latest news from the Scunny camp is that skipper Izzy Iriekpen could make a return to action, the 25-year-old centre-back missed out with a troublesome groin injury at Cheltenham.

"He was close to being fit for Saturday and I'm hopeful he might be available for tomorrow" said manager Nigel Adkins. "We have got a lot of big games coming up and we don't want a situation to develop with Izzy where he is available for games but does not train in-between, because you cannot do that during the course of a season. It's only a minor injury he has got and it just needs a little bit of time to strengthen it. He will be very, very close for tomorrow's game."

One player who might not be though is target man Ben May, who came on during the second half at Cheltenham as a substitute to replace Paul Hayes.

"He picked up a dead-leg and is doubtful" said Adkins.

Goalkeeper Joe Murphy and acting skipper Cliff Byrne also suffered knocks in the second half at Whaddon Road but both are expected to be fit.

"We have started to pick up one or two injuries now and it's up to the squad to stand up and be counted" said the Iron boss.

Very early days it might be but one player who it would be extra special to return to the Championship this season is Scunthorpe midfielder Matt Sparrow. A second shot at English football's second tier would be the perfect chance to prove a few critics wrong.

Sparrow admits he really didn't do himself justice in the Iron's relegation year, but feels things are finally getting back to normal in League One. As he proved with the crucial winning strike in Scunthorpe's 2-1 victory at Cheltenham on Saturday.

"I didn't really take off last season" Sparrow said. "I don't know what I'd put that down to. If we get back up to the Championship, hopefully the second time around I'll prove a point and play well. I want to prove some of the fans that doubted me and went against me last season that they were wrong. I don't think I've got anything to prove really. I know I can do it within myself, it's just getting out on the pitch and doing it. I'd be lying if I say it didn't affect me. It does a bit but they come and pay on the gate and they're entitled to their own opinions. You can't do anything about it, it's just part and parcel of football."

Winning games you don't deserve to is also part of the game and the Iron got their way on Saturday. The Robins dominated for much of the 90 minutes but lost out to Sparrow's injury-time strike, the 27-year-old's second of the season. The versatile midfielder knows he must stay on top of his game if he is to remain in the side.

"Since I've come back in the team I think I've been doing more than enough to keep my place" he said. "Especially if I can keep chipping in with goals. I've doubled my tally from last season now - so I can't be doing too bad. Once they'd scored I thought we might settle for a draw, but in the last minute the ball just bounced to me and I was absolutely delighted to see it go in the back of the net."

PREVIOUSLY

Played 44: Won 12 Drawn 13 Lost 19.

We've played them more than I thought but not particularly successively, love that away record, just when I was building up some confidence, then again 6-1!

Those two wins, and the second should cheer you up, it does happen! Sep. 10 1977, 2-1, Laverick and Parker the scorers. And who got six of the best, and were you there amongst the twenty odd, on Friday September 30 1983, a mere 25 years ago? Stead, Pennyfather, Shepherd, and take a bow little Stevie Phillips, who grabbed a hat-trick. I'll just take half of those goals scored that night Tuesday, I'm not greedy.

With one of us being in the Championship over the last couple of seasons it's been a couple of years since we've played the Iron. Aug. 26 2005 saw us lose at Glanford Park 1-0 on a Friday evening. Things looking much rosier by the return on March 10 2006 and we were on our way to winning the League One title; Eastwood, Bradbury and the Goat in a 3-0 win.

At Scunthorpe U. (22)At Southend Utd. (22)
ResultsTotal%ResultsTotal%
Scunthorpe U.1359.09Southend Utd.1045.45
Southend Utd.29.09Scunthorpe U.627.27
Draws731.82Draws627.27
GoalsTotalAv.pgGoalsTotalAv.pg
Scunthorpe U.381.73Southend Utd.301.36
Southend Utd.200.91Scunthorpe U.190.86
On Neutral Ground (0)Overall (44 matches)
ResultsTotal%ResultsTotal%
Scunthorpe U.00.00Scunthorpe U.1943.18
Southend Utd.00.00Southend Utd.1227.27
Draws00.00Draws1329.55
GoalsTotalAv.pgGoalsTotalAv.pg
Scunthorpe U.00.00Scunthorpe U.571.30
Southend Utd.00.00Southend Utd.501.14
Records
Highest Aggregate7Scunthorpe U. 1 - 6Southend Utd.1983/1984
Highest Scunthorpe U. score:4Scunthorpe U. 4 - 1Southend Utd.2002/2003
Highest Southend Utd. score:6Scunthorpe U. 1 - 6Southend Utd.1983/1984
SeasonDateHomeScoreAwayCompetition
2005/2006Fri 10 MarSouthend Utd.3 - 0Scunthorpe U.League One
Fri 26 AugScunthorpe U.1 - 0Southend Utd.League One
2004/2005Fri 11 FebSouthend Utd.0 - 0Scunthorpe U.League Two
Tue 19 OctScunthorpe U.3 - 2Southend Utd.League Two
2003/2004Fri 02 AprSouthend Utd.4 - 2Scunthorpe U.League Division Three
Sat 27 SepScunthorpe U.1 - 1Southend Utd.League Division Three
2002/2003Sat 25 JanScunthorpe U.4 - 1Southend Utd.League Division Three
Sun 29 DecSouthend Utd.1 - 2Scunthorpe U.League Division Three
2001/2002Sat 23 MarSouthend Utd.2 - 0Scunthorpe U.League Division Three
Tue 23 OctScunthorpe U.2 - 0Southend Utd.League Division Three
2000/2001Sat 24 FebScunthorpe U.1 - 1Southend Utd.League Division Three
Sat 23 SepSouthend Utd.1 - 0Scunthorpe U.League Division Three
1998/1999Mon 05 AprSouthend Utd.0 - 1Scunthorpe U.League Division Three
Sat 10 OctScunthorpe U.1 - 1Southend Utd.League Division Three
1989/1990Fri 16 FebSouthend Utd.0 - 0Scunthorpe U.Fourth Division
Sat 02 DecScunthorpe U.1 - 1Southend Utd.Fourth Division
1986/1987Sat 11 AprScunthorpe U.3 - 0Southend Utd.Fourth Division
Tue 04 NovSouthend Utd.3 - 1Scunthorpe U.Fourth Division
1985/1986Fri 24 JanScunthorpe U.2 - 0Southend Utd.Fourth Division
Sat 14 SepSouthend Utd.2 - 1Scunthorpe U.Fourth Division
1984/1985Fri 08 MarScunthorpe U.2 - 1Southend Utd.Fourth Division
Fri 19 OctSouthend Utd.1 - 1Scunthorpe U.Fourth Division
1983/1984Fri 03 FebSouthend Utd.0 - 0Scunthorpe U.Third Division
Fri 30 SepScunthorpe U.1 - 6Southend Utd.Third Division
1980/1981Sun 22 MarScunthorpe U.2 - 1Southend Utd.Fourth Division
Fri 17 OctSouthend Utd.2 - 0Scunthorpe U.Fourth Division
1977/1978Fri 03 FebSouthend Utd.2 - 0Scunthorpe U.Fourth Division
Sat 10 SepScunthorpe U.1 - 2Southend Utd.Fourth Division
1976/1977Sat 05 MarScunthorpe U.1 - 0Southend Utd.Fourth Division
Fri 24 SepSouthend Utd.1 - 1Scunthorpe U.Fourth Division
1972/1973Sat 04 NovScunthorpe U.0 - 0Southend Utd.Third Division
Mon 25 SepSouthend Utd.1 - 0Scunthorpe U.Third Division
1971/1972Tue 25 AprScunthorpe U.1 - 1Southend Utd.Fourth Division
Mon 30 AugSouthend Utd.2 - 3Scunthorpe U.Fourth Division
1970/1971Fri 18 DecSouthend Utd.2 - 2Scunthorpe U.Fourth Division
Sat 22 AugScunthorpe U.3 - 0Southend Utd.Fourth Division
1969/1970Tue 07 OctScunthorpe U.2 - 0Southend Utd.Fourth Division
Fri 15 AugSouthend Utd.3 - 0Scunthorpe U.Fourth Division
1968/1969Mon 12 MayScunthorpe U.4 - 1Southend Utd.Fourth Division
Mon 17 MarSouthend Utd.0 - 3Scunthorpe U.Fourth Division
1965/1966Fri 13 MaySouthend Utd.0 - 1Scunthorpe U.Third Division
Sat 30 AprScunthorpe U.0 - 0Southend Utd.Third Division
1964/1965Sat 23 JanSouthend Utd.0 - 1Scunthorpe U.Third Division
Fri 18 SepScunthorpe U.2 - 1Southend Utd.Third Division

REF

The man in the middle is Kevin Wright from Cambridgeshire.
This will be his 6th Southend match, all previously at home; 3 wins, 1 draw and a defeat in the cup game to MK Dons. He has not refereed Southend away in any competition before Tuesday.

FIXTURES

Another full run of fixtures, it's like the old days! All kick-off 19.45, except ours remember, which is 19.30.

Bristol Rovers v Oldham, Colchester v Millwall, Hartlepool v Huddersfield, Hereford v Carlisle, Leeds v Leyton Orient, Leicester v Walsall, Milton Keynes Dons v Stockport, Peterborough v Brighton, Swindon v Northampton, Tranmere v Cheltenham, Yeovil v Crewe

BET

Scunthorpe (10/11) Draw (5/2) Southend (7/2)

Bet of the Day: After my pathetic tip for Yeovil, 3-0 losers(!), and I can't believe I'm even thinking about this happening, but Borient are Sevens to win at Leeds, I know, but it's only a two horse race.

Southend have gone in again after the Swindon win but a best of 4's can still be picked up, that 8/1 looks good now, as well as being a touch more realistic. Scunny, as expected on present form, are 9/4 for promotion.

For a full update on all the footy odds go to www.oddschecker.com/football/english/league-one.

WEATHER

Starting at 11c's it could go as low as 3 by the time the sun disappears, wrap up warm!

GROUND

The club left the Old Show Ground and moved to the new Glanford Park in August 1988.

When opened, it was the first new league football ground to be built since the Second World War. It is somewhat box like in appearance with all four stands being an equal height. The ground is totally enclosed with all four corners having been filled (with advertising hoardings). The home end is terracing, whilst the other three sides of the ground are all seated. The main downside is the many supporting pillars to impede your view. The ground is completed with a modern looking set of four floodlights. The Club seem to have gone a bit over the top, with each stand having a named sponsor. Gone are East, West, North & South Stands. In are; Grove Wharf, Scunthorpe Telegraph, Study United & AMS Stands!

Away fans are housed in the AMS Stand (aka the South Stand) at one end, this is all seated and can house 1,650 supporters. (Not a problem for Shrimpers on a Tuesday night!) Although there are a couple of supporting pillars in this stand, the view is generally okay. The two quid bacon butties at half time are particularly recommended! The atmosphere is usually good inside the ground with no problems encountered.

The ground is very easy to find on the edge of town. Scunthorpe is generally a friendly place to visit, where you can have decent banter and a good day out. To help boost the atmosphere the club allow drums and musical instruments to be brought into the ground.

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newsearch.srf?x=486250&y=411250&z=1&ar=Y&isp=200&ism=500&searchp=newsearch.srf&mapp=newmap.srfhttp://www.streetmap.co.uk/newsearch.srf?x=486750&y=411250&z=1&ar=Y&isp=200&ism=500&searchp=newsearch.srf&mapp=newmap.srf
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newsearch.srf?x=486250&y=410750&z=1&ar=Y&isp=200&ism=500&searchp=newsearch.srf&mapp=newmap.srf&ax=486492&ay=410864http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newsearch.srf?x=486750&y=410750&z=1&ar=Y&isp=200&ism=500&searchp=newsearch.srf&mapp=newmap.srf&ax=486492&ay=410864

TRANSPORT

For any late deciders the coaches are the best option now and there's a great mixed transport offer from SoL travel, for full info including maps to and from the ground and station go to Day Return to Scunthorpe at;
www.thelittlegazette.com/news/loadsngl.asp?cid=EDW4&id=412285

PUB & PIES

"There is a pub 100 yards from the ground and KFC, McDonalds, Pizza Hut and Frankie and Bennies all on the same complex. Within a stones throw mate."

And who are we to argue with sibling site www.scunthorpeunited-mad.co.uk, especially when that pub's called The Iron Bar!

For a greater choice visit Pub Crawl in Scunthorpe at; www.thelittlegazette.com/news/loadsngl.asp?cid=EDW8&id=412286

HISTORY

Scunthorpe United, formerly known as Scunthorpe and Lindsey United, among other names, has existed since 1899, but did not join the Football League until 1950 when the league structure was expanded. Their first game was against fellow new entrants Shrewsbury Town.

Scunthorpe were the first club in England to build a cantilever stand, four years before Sheffield Wednesday's at Hillsborough.

In 1988 Scunthorpe United became the first English football club in the modern era to move to a new, purpose built stadium: Glanford Park.

When it became apparent that the Old Showground needed significant investment to maintain its fabric and to make it comply with new regulations introduced in the wake of the Bradford Fire Disaster (which the club were unable to make due to financial difficulties) the decision was made to relocate. The ground was sold to the former supermarket chain Safeway and the search was started for a new location.

Land was secured near the village of Guinness in what was then the administrative area of Glanford meaning that the new ground was outside the boundaries of Scunthorpe (although this changed with the reorganisation of local government in 1994 as both Scunthorpe Borough Council and Glanford Borough Council became North Lincolnshire Council).

At this time there were no grants available and the development had to funded with the cash from the sale of the Old Showground, sponsorship, directors' loans and bank loans. This lack of outsider cash means that Glanford Park was built in a rather simplistic, box-like style, with a significantly smaller capacity than the Old Showground.

The ground was so named because it was sponsored by the Glanford Borough Council. The site of the former ground is now home to a Sainsbury's store and can be found at the junction of Doncaster Road and Henderson Avenue. When the store was opened a plaque was laid where the centre-spot was, just in front of the delicatessen counter; the plaque has since been removed.

The ground, though small, offers some of the best views of the pitch in any league due to the simple layout and aforementioned lack of stands.

In 1992, the club made the third division play-off final, at Wembley, losing out eventually on a penalty shoot-out to Blackpool (see here).

The club again made the play-off final in 1999, again at Wembley, this time beating Leyton Orient 1-0 after a goal from Alex Calvo-Garcia. They were promoted to the Football League Division Two. They were subsequently relegated at the end of the following season.

They started the 2004-05 season in Football League Two, but gained promotion to Football League One. The Club was nearly relegated to the Conference National the season before. In the 2004/5 season they led Chelsea, the Premiership champions, 1-0, in the FA Cup 3rd Round, but were denied as they eventually went down 3-1.

Before the 2005/06 season began, Scunthorpe were predicted to end up among the relegation battlers, having only been promoted to the division the previous season.

Close season signings included teenage striker Billy Sharp from Sheffield United for £100,000. The Iron lost Paul Hayes and Richard Kell to Barnsley during the summer due to the players being out of contract, although due to Hayes' age, a F.A. tribunal set a fee of up to £150,000 for him, but have now got him back again!

Scunthorpe United opened the 2005-06 season away at Brentford F.C., where they lost 2-0. However, after this early setback, things picked up for The Iron, who at a couple of points early in the season occupied first place in the division. Their early season good form hit a peak with away victory to League One high-fliers Huddersfield Town by four goals to one. Teenage strike partnership Andy Keogh and Billy Sharp made a name for themselves at this time.

However, subsequently they slid down the league table somewhat, due in part to two 5-2 defeats, away at Blackpool and Barnsley. The club took Peter Till, a winger from Birmingham City and Michael Rose, a left-back from Yeovil Town on loan, though the former has now returned to his club, as well as Neil MacKenzie, originally loaned from Macclesfield Town before the move was made permanent in the January transfer window.

In the 2005-06 season the club finished 12th in Coca-Cola League 1 with a record of P46 W15 D15 L16 F68 A73 Pts 60 GD-5. Billy Sharp finished the season joint top scorer of the season with 23 league goals, sharing the Golden Boot with Southend's very own Freddy Eastwood.

The 2006/07 league season got off to a poor start, losing 1-0 to Bristol City, and having Steve Torpey sent off for violent conduct in the process however a new club record of 19 games without defeat saw them reach the top of the table, until Northampton Town beat The Iron 2-1, bringing the run to an end.

On April 14, 2007, Scunthorpe beat Huddersfield 2-0, after two goals from Billy Sharp, thus ensuring their promotion to the Coca Cola Championship. They also clinched the title on 28 April 2007, despite a 3-1 defeat at Blackpool. Scunthorpe recorded another 3-0 home win and later were crowned champions of League One.

2006-2007 was arguably the Iron's best season to date. The number of points achieved (91) and the number of goals scored by Billy Sharp (30) were greater than those achieved by any other team in the Premiership and the Football League.

Scunthorpe started strengthening their squad for the 2007-08 season in the Championship by signing Kevan Hurst permanently for a club record £200,000 from Sheffield United. The Iron then signed Paul Hayes back from Barnsley F.C. for a fee that was eventually decided, (but remained undisclosed), in September 2007, without the need to be decided by a Football League tribunal.

Scunthorpe's return to this level began with an away match against newly relegated Charlton Athletic. The first match between these sides in 33 years resulted in a 1-1 draw at The Valley with an attendance of over 23,000.

This was followed a week later with the first home game played by United in the second tier of English football for 43 years with Burnley being the visitors. The game ended 2-0 in Scunthorpe's favour, with Martin Paterson, (my word, not the former TLG editor, no wonder I haven't had an article), scoring his first goal for the club with a second scored by Jim Goodwin.

On 12 April 2008, the Iron were relegated from the Championship following a 2-0 defeat away at promotion chasing Crystal Palace. They finished second from bottom in the final table with 46 points, drawing their final game of the season 3-3 with bottom-placed Colchester.

After relegation from the Championship, Scunthorpe released some players, the most notable of which was midfielder Jim Goodwin who had played most of Scunthorpe's games, also leaving were Alexander Morfaw and Dave Mulligan. After much speculation about his future, Andrew Butler refused to sign a new contract and instead opted to join League One rivals Huddersfield. Joe Murphy was quoted as wanting to return to the Championship to further his dream of playing as the Republic of Ireland's number one keeper, however he decided to see out the last year on his contract stating that if Scunthorpe did not make a swift return to the championship, he would leave.

Top scorer Martin Paterson was subject to much speculation; initially Scunthorpe rejected a £400,000 bid from Burnley and rejected a personally handed transfer request from the player. Burnley increase their offer and on Monday 23 June 2008 he completed his move and signed a four year contract being worth £1 Million for Scunthorpe up front and up to £300,000 extra based on appearances.

On 27 May 2008, midfielder Garry Thompson was signed on a free transfer after rejecting a new contract from Morecombe, he was brought into replace former right sided midfielder Cleveland Taylor, who left in January to join League One club Carlisle United for a nominal sum, (believed to be £85,000). On Friday 4th July, Scunthorpe signed defender Kenny Milne from Falkirk on a free transfer, who was ambitious to play in the English leagues, having played in the Scottish league, mostly with Falkirk, all of his football career. On 14 July 2008 Scunthorpe completed the signing on Gary Hooper from The Blues for a fee believed to be around £175,000. David Mirfin was signed from League One rivals Huddersfield Town for £150,000 on August 11. For their pre-season games, Scunthorpe brought in some trailist, the most notable whom was former Manchester United trainee Michael Lea.

Scunthorpe started the 2008-09 season at home, losing 2-1 to Leeds United. They also lost to Walsall and Hartlepool in the League Cup, since then their form has picked up, with wins against Peterborough, Stockport, Brighton and previously unbeaten Carlisle. The picked up more wins against Hereford and Yeovil, before a 2 - 2 draw with Leyton Orient prevented a club record 8 wins in a row, they wont their next match against Crewe 3 - 0 and are now top of the Coca-Cola League One, they beat Cheltenham 2 - 1 away from home, to make it 10 wins out of 11 games.

(Thanks to the usual suspects for their help with this article.)