Manager’s Views:
The clash between the League One pair may be season-defining for the promotion rivals, and Sheffield United boss Widler made it clear just how important the fixture is in an interview with the Sheffield Star, “I am not going to spin it, saying it’s just another three points, it isn’t. It’s a big game.
“Whoever comes out on top on Saturday, will be feeling really good. Scunthorpe would, because of their form recently, that will give them a big lift. They will see that as a massive gain for them.
“We just want to keep driving it forward, adding to the points total. Play well, and if we can’t win, we don’t get beat.”
After missing out on the play-offs last season, Scunthorpe have been the surprise package in League One and are currently sitting in second place. Chris Wilder was quick to show his respect for the visitors:
“I don’t think it’s ‘little old Scunthorpe.’ People inside football know what happens, in terms of budgets,” Wilder said. “They might not have 15,000 supporters, but they have a lot of things going for them; moving into a new stadium, a chairman (that) has heavily backed that club, brought in a lot of good players and been going at it for a year now, building things up.
“They are up there for a reason, have got some really good results, and the manager has done a great job. I think they will be extremely disappointed if they drop out of the top two come the end of the season.”
On the other hand, Scunthorpe manager Graham Alexander played down the pressure of the match-up, “It’s one we can look forward to, but it’s the next one. It’s three points, and we have to take the periphery out of the occasion.
“It’ll be competitive, it’ll be aggressive, but we have to play with a composure in our game, as well as matching the challenge in front of us.”
Last Meeting:
Sheffield United fans have often labelled Scunthorpe United as their bogey team in the past, but it was the Blades faithful who left Glanford Park the happier of the fans in September.
The South Yorkshire side, who well into their climb from bottom to top of League One at the time, travelled to face league-leaders Scunthorpe. The match finished 2-2 as ten-men Sheffield United battled for a hard-earned point, thanks to a late Billy Sharp equaliser.
Both sides will be hoping to escape the clutches of Bolton Wanderers in weeks to come. The Trotters face a tough test against Bradford City on Saturday.
The Blades are seven points above Bolton and five adrift of Scunthorpe. A win on Saturday would widen the gap at the top of the league and Wilder’s men confidence for next weekend’s encounter with Bolton.
Scunthorpe have a game in hand over Sheffield United and a win at Bramall Lane would take Alexander’s team within touching distance of the league-leaders.
Both teams dropped points midweek as the League One outfits faced stern opponents in Bristol Rovers and Walsall.
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