Football Season Guide

Scunthorpe finished bottom of the Championship in their 2nd season following promotion, and they had both the worst goals scored and goals conceded records in the entire division. Talismanic boss Nigel Adkins left the club for Southampton early in the campaign, with his replacement Ian Baraclough lasting less than six months after the side fell to the bottom of the league. Alan Knill was appointed in March and will have the tough task of trying to turn the club around after unsurprisingly failing to keep them up. The Iron’s poor showing last season means that there is likely to be baggage remaining around the squad and Knill will need to exorcise those demons. However, it also means that they will not be amongst the favourites, which could be a blessing. As the likes of Sheffield Wed and Colchester have shown, it can be very tough for supposed bigger clubs to compete in League 1 after relegation. The Iron’s pre-season campaign has been very mixed and ended with a dismal 5-0 home defeat to Barnsley, so the club is unlikely to start the season with much confidence. A trip to newly promoted Wycombe on the opening day looks like a very tricky first fixture for them as defeat could really set them back and dent confidence even further.