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A good start please…
A good start please…

Scunthorpe v Grimsby Preview

By: Alex Green
Date: 07/10/2008

STUART Watkiss will take charge for the final time on Tuesday night, as new manager Mike Newell will watch Town take on local rivals Scunthorpe in the Paint Pot Cup.

Home > 2008-2009 Season > Previews > Scunthorpe (a)


The Opposition

Overview

Scunny found it a lot harder in the Championship than they imagined and immediate relegation back to League One was the order of the day up the M180. Oh well they could always have come to us for advice on how to do it, but that’s football. This year The Iron have started brightly only second to Leicester in the league but they are also the same amount of points off relegation as ourselves. Nigel Adkins (left) has managed to put a team together who last time in League One shocked the footballing world when they played brilliant football throughout the campaign and rightfully won promotion.

The Team
Nigel Adkins has been able to console the loss of Billy Sharp a couple of years ago by finding another striking gem in Paul Hayes (left) after he returned from Barnsley and Huddersfield. Experienced Irish international Joe Murphy has already played over 100 games for Scunny and was sent off on Saturday against Orient but will not affect his presence tomorrow between the sticks. More experience is found in midfield in the likes of Grant McCann, Garry Thompson and Matt Sparrow with a youthful addition in 20-year-old Gary Hooper who joined this season for a price tag of £175,000 from promoted Hereford. Defence was a problem in their relegation last year with a goal difference of -23 the second worst in the league only to rock bottom Colchester who only had -24. This is reflected in Adkins's summer transfer action with three defenders been added to the squad in the likes of former Man Utd trained Michael Lea, Kenny Milne and Sam Togwell all now having to wear the claret and blue. Oh and they have Kevin Pressman on their books as back up keeper.


One to Watch
Ezomo Iriekpen. Though formerly mentioned Paul Hayes is receiving all the plaudits from many, this Cockney defender has impressed with his strong and diligent defensive work since the start of the season. Also the defender is on somewhat of a goal rush, scoring a goal in his last two games. After starting his career at West Ham the 26-year-old went to Leyton Orient and Cambridge on loan before signing for Swansea for a free in 2003 where he managed to play over a 120 games for the Swans and then joined Scunny last year.

Recent Form

TownScunthorpe
LRotherham(a)1-4
LBarnet(h)0-1
DMorecambe(a)1-1
LChester(h)1-3
LGillingham,(a)0-3
Currently 21st in League Two.
DLeyton Orient(a)2-2
WYeovil(h)2-0
WHereford(a)2-1
WCarlisle(h)2-1
WBrighton(a)4-1
Currently 2nd in League One.

Top Scorers

TownScunthorpe
North2
Till2
Hooper7
Hayes5

Team News

TownScunthorpe

  • Malvin Kamara is ruled as the on-loan Huddersfield midfielder is ineligible to play in the JPT under the terms of his loan agreement.

  • Paul Bolland (knee) and Richard Hope (groin strain) are still out injured.
  • Joe Murphy, Grant Mccann and Krystian Pearce are all away on international duty.

  • Michael Lea (rib) and Kenny Milne (knee) are both out.
  • Squads

    TownScunthorpe
    1GKPhil Barnes
    2DFRobbie Stockdale
    3DFTom Newey
    4DFRyan Bennett
    5DFMatthew Heywood (c)
    6DFRichard Hope
    7MFPeter Till
    8MFPaul Bolland
    9FWMartin Butler
    10MFChris Llewellyn
    11MFDanny Boshell
    12DFJamie Clarke
    13GKGary Montgomery
    14MFJames Hunt
    15DFMatthew Bird
    16DFJavan Vidal
    17MFNick Hegarty
    18MFPeter Bore
    19FWDanny North
    20FWAndy Taylor
    21MFSimon Heslop
    22FWNathan Jarman
    23MFGrant Normington
    24MFLiam Trotter
    25MFMalvin Kamara
    26FWTomi Ameobi
    27GKLeigh Overton
    1GKJoe Murphy
    2DFKenny Milne
    3DFMarcus Williams
    4DFAndy Crosby
    5DFIzzy Iriekpen
    6DFCliff Byrne
    7MFMatt Sparrow
    8MFGarry Thompson
    9FWPaul Hayes
    10FWGary Hooper
    11MFIan Baraclough
    14DFMichael Lea
    15DFDavid Mirfin
    16MFMartyn Woolford
    17MFGrant McCann
    18MFSam Togwell
    19FWJonathan Forte
    20GKSam Slocombe
    21DFJake Picton
    22GKJosh Lillis
    23FWKevan Hurst
    24MFAndrew Wright
    25FWPeter Winn
    26DFKrystian Pearce (on loan from Birmingham City)
    27MFIan Morris
    29DFJoe Wilcox
    30MFBen May
    40GKKevin Pressman

    Head to Head

    Grimsby have not beaten Scunthorpe since they last met in this competition 10 years ago, when Town went on to lift the trophy. Before that though Town have an excellent record against their neighbours.

    P 54 W 25 D 16 L 13 F 78 A 51

    Scunthorpe Head-to-Head (11th on The Opposition Ladder)

    Last Meeting

    Grimsby 0 Scunthorpe 0 (Sat 23rd April 2005)

    A boring 0-0 draw at the end of Scunny's promotion season.

    Report

    Prediction

    A new day and a new exciting dawn in the history of Town will start with a win over the Scunny lot in the march to restore the natural order of things

    Scunthorpe 0-1 Grimsby Town

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