Marcus Braddock looks ahe
With just under a week gone since our first win of the season it's nearly time to visit Scunthorpe for this weekends action. Last Saturday, the Iron won for the first time since the first day of the season, beating Wimbledon in a close 2-3 win for the away team. Before that however, their season’s results have been stalemates or defeats with the exception of their first game of the season when they beat Coventry City 2-1 at the Ricoh Arena. Their win last weekend means that they currently occupy 15th place, 2 places ahead of us with three points more.
Goals
Scunthorpe has scored plenty of goals this season and have managed to score three goals on two occasions, worryingly in their last two games. Having said that, three goals were only enough to share the points with Rochdale and just enough to get past Wimbledon last weekend.
Josh Morris is top goalscorer for The Iron with three goals so far in League One. Manager Stuart McCall to score more than the 12 goals he scored last season has set the 26-year-old ex-Blackburn trainee. Other than that, Lee Novak has been on target twice so far including one in their last home game.
Defence
Scunthorpe have yet to record a clean sheet in League One this season although they did manage one against Wolves under 21 in the FL Trophy a couple of weeks ago. No other team in League one this season has conceded as many at home as the Iron who have conceded eleven times in four home games in League One. To be fair, five of those goals came in a 5-0 home defeat to Fleetwood and another three in their draw at home with Rochdale.
Stats
Scunthorpe have earned an average of 0.75 points at home so far this season.
They've lost 25% of their home games, beating the league average of 35%.
The Iron have scored 1.5 goals per game at home which is higher than the league average of 1.27.
In home games, Scunthorpe have scored 50% of their goals in the first half of games and have conceded 36% in the first half and 64% in the second.
Scunthorpe have yet to score in the last 30 minutes of any game at home this season.
Referee
Andy Haines from Tyne and Wear. Games this season: 8. Yellow cards: 27. Red cards: 2.
Assistants: Wayne Grunnill and David Plowright.
Fourth official: Alan Clayton.
Squad News
Town have no new injury worries.
Stuart McCall will be without on-loan Manchester United defender Cameron Borthwick-Jackson after his concussion last weekend. Defender Rory McArdle is out and fullback Jordan Clarke is unlikely to feature. Goalkeepers Matt Gilks and Rory Watson are long-term absentees.
Summary
Like us, Scunthorpe haven't started the season as well as last and find themselves in the bottom half of the division. They've picked up the pace recently with three goals scored in each of their last two games. Scunthorpe also have some excellent forward players who will be hell bent on taking an active part in their first home win of the season.
They face a team that hasn't conceded a goal from open play since we played Luton Town on August 25th and a team that pushed table-topping Pompey all the way at Fratton Park in their last away game. If we can perform as well defensively as we can, I can see us getting something from the game,
COYB!!!