People in football often strive to ensure one of the very cliches devised within the game simply isn't true; namely the concept of teams being "on the beach". Playing out late season matches with little care other than ensuring they make their departing flight to Marbella.
Scunthorpe United can probably only dream of such a luxurious concept as the beach, because this season has more resembled a landfill site for the Iron. A never-ending misery in which confirmation of relegation on April 15 and the end of their 72-year stay in the Football League brought anger but also a sense of relief, given the dark cloud that had lingered for so long.
Joey Barton won't want to say it, neither will his players, but with a need for three points and a bountiful supply of goals to give them the best chance of automatic promotion at the expense of Northampton Town, if you were picking an opponent, it'd be Scunthorpe: four wins all season, the last on February 8 and just one point on the road in 2022.
Not only that, but this will likely be an under-strength and raw team, full of academy players and far removed from any concept of a "best XI" from when the sides last met in January.
To get the inside track on what Rovers can expect from their opponents this Saturday, we spoke to Scunthorpe Live writer Charlie Wilson who offers a pretty bleak assessment of a once-proud football club.
Can sum up this season for Scunthorpe (and please try not to swear)?
Embarrassing, woeful, pathetic – any of these superlatives apply, to be honest. It’s been a nightmare of a season, from top to bottom. Zero direction, poor recruitment, no culture, no ideas.
They are a team that has been thrown together on a low wage budget with no clear identity of how they want to play. Essentially, they just signed 15-18 lower league football players, gave them to the manager and said ‘good luck!’
Scunthorpe have played slow, predictable attacking football and defended like individuals rather than a collective. It’s been painful.
Was it evident at the start of the season that it could end up this bad?
It’s something that some of us have seen coming for years. You cannot continue to recruit as poorly as Scunthorpe have, whilst chopping and changing managers and just hoping you do just enough to stay up – how is that sustainable?
The Iron have been able to recruit players that have been just good enough to keep them up over the last two years, because of their recent history in League One. But I think this past season, agents and players saw where the club was going.
They have been a sinking ship since 2018. You know that game of battleship? E4? Miss. D1? Miss. B3? Hit… That’s kind of like how Scunthorpe United are run.
There’s no identity, no culture, no vision. It’s just like they try one thing and then quickly try another until something works – scrambling around just to try and find some way of winning football games. Again, not sustainable.
What sort of impact has Keith Hill had since his appointment?
On the pitch? Nothing. It’s just the truth. Two wins in 32 games? I mean, that’s obviously no way near good enough.
That’s not all his fault. He inherited a poor team with no identity. But since he’s come in, it’s not changed. But this has been the case with a number of managers now. It just feels like the manager’s seat is a poisoned chalice at this point.
Hill has fielded an unordinary number of teenage players, and to be honest, it’s been a breath of fresh air. It’s great to see players running around, working hard and having pride in playing for the badge.
Hill deserves credit for that, but I hesitate to applaud him for winning two in 32.
Has relegation "helped" in any way, in the sense it's taken the pressure off a little?
Annoyingly, yes it has. I say that because it really shouldn’t take you being relegated from League Two to wake up and start doing the basics, but that’s where Scunthorpe United are now.
They’ve started to play somewhat expansive football since the Leyton Orient loss – largely credited to the young midfielders who have come in.
I personally have had huge questions with the manager’s team selections since he came in and approaches in his style of play, but since the relegation has been confirmed, they’ve played with width and at least tried to move the ball nicely up the field.
They are still no way near good enough, but at least there’s a vision of how they want to play – where was that in January?
What sort of team do you think will be fielded on Saturday, given the summer is approaching and players will be released?
Very youthful – you might see eight or nine teenagers. Which is exactly what they should be doing.
At this point, Scunthorpe need to see what they have in their youth players who will be here next season.
I’d expect a similar team to which we saw in their last outing, with a few other youth players potentially getting a look in.
What's the biggest strength as a side, and most glaring weakness?
The biggest strength as a side? Once they let that third goal in, I tell you what, they’re a good team. Yeah, they met let a fourth goal in, but they’ll make you work for it.
In all seriousness, the biggest strength in the side right now is their athleticism in midfield. Should they continue with the likes of Moore-Billam, Gallimore and Cribb, they’ll press and move the ball nicely between them to try and advance up the pitch rather than booting it long and hoping for the best.
That can be a weakness, though. They’re all very inexperienced in the midfield.
The most glaring weakness is everywhere else. They have moments defensively as individuals, but for the most part there is a distinct lack of leadership at the back which leads to unorganised chaos.
Offensively, their three top scorers currently play for Stockport, Bournemouth and yourselves, Bristol Rovers.
Finally, what's the feeling among the supporters regarding this game? Is their any kind of significance to it?
Sure, it’s the clubs last game in the EFL after 72 years. It’s going to be tough day for some fans to take.
Whilst we’ve seen this coming for months, even years, it’s still going to become very real on Saturday at 5:00pm when we leave the ground for the last time as a team in the football league.
Scunthorpe is a small town, the football team means a lot to thousands of people.
Throughout all of their lives, the team has done the town proud, representing themselves in the EFL, punching above their weight and always giving it a good go – overcoming the odds time after time. And even when they haven’t been good enough, they’ve always put in effort.
This team, on numerous occasions, has not. The manager and the owners can dress it up however they like, but the effort simply hasn’t been there at times. Fans aren’t stupid, they see that.
On Saturday, all those emotions will come to a head when we see that R next to our names on the table – and it’ll be tough to take. And with the future of the club uncertain amid the owner trying to sell, who knows what will come next for the Iron.
It’s a sad turn of events, and all fans have to do is hope for a brighter future.
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