ONLY WAY IS UP FOR IRON!
CAUTIOUS optimism. That’s the overriding mood at Glanford Park after a week that has seen Scunthorpe United achieve two welcome feats.
For openers, a first away win since Boxing Day 2021 – Michael Nelson’s side beat FC Halifax Town 1-0 at The Shay on Wednesday evening. This in the week when they finally bid farewell to former owner Peter Swann after a rollercoaster decade at the club.
Tony Gosling, chairman of the Iron Trust, was on the terraces at the Shay on Wednesday night and says there’s a definite feeling of renewal in the icy January air.
“Relegation to National League North would be very sad, but it wasn’t unthinkable because the performances we’ve put in meant we were heading for relegation under the former regime,” he says.
“Obviously now we’re hopeful that’s not going to be the case and hopefully we can now get some players who can turn around our fortunes.”
Scunthorpe were in the Championship as recent“There ly as 2011, and finished third and fifth in League One in consecutive years under Graham Alexander before plummeting into the National League after three disastrous seasons in League Two.
Indeed, Gosling traces the roots of the club’s demise back to the decision to dismiss Alexander in March 2018.
History
“There are two defining moments in the tenure of Peter Swann,” he says. “One was the sacking of Graham Alexander. At the time I supported that move but they never replaced him with anyone better.
“The other defining moment was when we had Murray Wallace, who’s now at Millwall, Duane Holmes, who went back to Huddersfield, we had Hakeeb Adelakun and Conor Townsend – four absolutely quality players, who we sold and never replaced.
“Unfortunately, I think our club was the chairman’s plaything, and he did as he wanted. He’s one of those people who doesn’t like to be challenged on anything. It was his way or no way.”
Now, following the takeover by David Hilton, the former owner of Ilkeston Town, the long-suffering inhabitants of Glanford Park will hope that a new era is about to dawn. And that the painful days that followed relegation from League One in 2018/19 are about to be consigned to history.
“He seems very popular among Ilkeston’s supporters,” says Gosling. “But I don’t know too much about him. We’ve certainly been stung by Mr Swann.
“What we need now is from someone to come in, stabilise where we’re at, inject into the playing side and get us up the league.
Bigger picture
“We need to consolidate where we’re at in the National League, have a look at the bigger picture and try and build for the future. Anybody who comes in is going to have to galvanise the club and get the supporters on board because a lot of people have said that they’re staying away while Peter Swann is in charge because of what he has done to the club.
were a lot of them. Will they come back? I don’t know. There were 400 fans at Halifax and they sung all the way through, they were superb.
“We’ve got a skeleton squad and the chap who has scored our goals, Caolan Lavery, has gone to Doncaster. Like most clubs, we could do with a goalscorer. We’re just lacking a bit in the final third.”
With a new man at the helm, though, and the potential appointment of Peterborough Sports’ Jimmy Dean as boss, Scunthorpe are suddenly looking up, again.