Get the lowdown on our next opponents: Scunthorpe United.
The Opposition
Scunthorpe United have taken to the National League like a duck to water, and sit eight points into the play-off spots three months into the new year.
After spending 72 years in the EFL, the Iron were condemned to the drop and a place in non-league after a 3-0 defeat to Leyton Orient, and matters went from bad to worse after just a year in the National League, suffering a second successive relegation after a 2-0 loss against Oldham Athletic confirmed their status as a sixth tier club for the first time in their 126-year history.
However, the appointment of their former defender Andy Butler as manager sparked a change in fortunes for the Iron, guiding them to promotion at the first attempt following the decision to appoint internally, with Butler previously taking on the role of First Team Coach.
The 41-year old succeeded in his task to lead the club back into the National League, kick-starting their mission to return to the EFL, with a second place finish seeing them miss out on automatic promotion by just two points, and saw them take part in the dreaded play-offs at the end of last season. The Lincolnshire-based side dispatched of Chorley with a 4-2 win in the semi-final, and secured their place in the fifth tier once more after a Carlton Ubaezuonu strike midway through Extra Time sealed a 2-1 win over Chester.
And while some may have anticipated a season of stabilisation as the Iron looked to maintain some consistency in regards to their journey back up the football pyramid, things have got better than ever for the first time in a while for the former EFL side.
Scunthorpe have lost just three games all season, with only York City losing more (2), and sit just six points off top spot after an unbeaten opening 11 games, followed by a largely consistent string of form throughout the campaign. The likes of Danny Whitehall has been an invaluable member of the squad, firing home nine goals so far, while Ubaezuonu, Kian Scales, Declan Howe, Callum Roberts and Tyrell Sellars-Fleming have both become key contributions in attack as well.
In addition, their tally of 25 goals conceded is the fifth best in the division, with captain Andrew Boyce leading the side with alongside the likes of Will Evans, Joey Dawson, Jean Belehouan, Tyler Denton, Joe Starbuck and Branden Horton, shielded by the likes of Joe Rowley, Alfie Beestin and Oliver Ewing, who among the Iron’s top appearance makers so far this season.
Despite this, Scunthorpe have endured a difficult run of late which has seen them lose pace on the top three, going winless in their last seven games and winning one of their last nine in all competitions, including being eliminated from the Isuzu FA Trophy at the hands of National League South side Horsham. The Iron will therefore be aiming to end their woes sooner rather than later, and clinch their top seven spot with momentum heading into the play-offs.
The Manager
Andy Butler
Ex-Scunthorpe defender Andy Butler took the reins at his former club in 2024, and led the club to promotion in his first season in charge.
The 41-year old rose through the ranks at the Attis Stadium, making his debut for the Iron in a 1-1 draw with Leyton Orient in 2003, going on to appear over 100 times for the club in what proved to be just his first spell in Lincolnshire.
A loan move to Grimsby Town preceded a permanent exit two years later, joining Huddersfield Town, with a temporary stint at Blackpool bringing an end to his time at the St. Johns Stadium, with Butler making the switch to Walsall in 2010. He remained with the Saddlers for four years, turning out over 150 times and being named captain by future Aston Villa boss Dean Smith, earning the club’s Player of the Season and Players’ Player of the Season awards at the end of the 2010/11 campaign.
A successful stint at the Prescot Stadium led to a brief switch to Sheffield United, which was followed by a temporary return to Walsall, and preceded a successful loan move to hometown club Doncaster Rovers in 2015, with the deal being made permanent the same year.
He remained at the Eco-Power Stadium until 2019, appearing over 200 times, before making his return to Scunthorpe after 11 years away. He went on to stay at Glanford Park for a season, before briefly re-joining Doncaster as a player, although he was temporarily placed in charge of Donny following the departure of Darren Moore, as well as in charge of the Women’s team, and returned to the latter after his short managerial tenure with Rovers concluded.
He returned to Scunthorpe for a third time in 2023 as his managerial career overlapped with his later playing career, which saw him turn out for Boston United and Farsley Celtic prior to his return to Glanford Park, with a full-time role in Lincolnshire seeing him resign from his role in charge of Doncaster’s Women’s side.
This period also included stints as a coach with Peterborough United, but kick-started his managerial career in full when he was appointed in charge of Scunthorpe in 2024, being promoted from his previous role as First Team Coach.
An unbeaten start to his time in charge of the Iron saw him named the National League North Manager of the Month for August, and he ended the campaign by leading them to promotion from the National League after a 2–1 win against Chester in the play-off final, before enjoying am extremely successful start to life in the fifth tier.
One to Watch
Danny Whitehall
Experienced striker Danny Whitehall has been something of a revelation since arriving at Glanford Park, firing the Iron to promotion last season, before notching nine so far this term.
Born in Liverpool, Whitehall spent his early career in the youth setup at Anfield before moving on to Rochdale, where he spent two years after joining at Under-18 level, though he was released from the club before making it into the senior team.
He subsequently began his senior career in non-league with spells at Southport, Marine and Prescot Cables, but later made the switch across the ocean when with a three-year spell in the United States. He played college soccer for SIU Edwardsville Cougars and Hastings College, scoring a whopping 93 goals in 75 games for the latter, for which he won a number of awards and set several records, before returning to England in 2019 following stints at Chattanooga and Bugeaters
A brief stint at Maidenhead United preceded a move to Scottish side Kilmarnock on a six-month contract, though he returned to English football with a successful spell at Eastleigh, notching 23 goals in 81 appearances for the Spitfires to take his total fifth tier tally to 36. He opted to drop into the National League North instead of signing a new contract at the Silverlake Stadium, and he went on to fire home 17 goals for the Iron as they won promotion via the play-offs, before enjoying a successful start to life back in the National League. The 30-year old has scored 16 goals so far this term, bettered by only four players in the entire division, and has gone on to make over 100 appearances for the club, scoring 48 goals in total.
Recent Form
Yeovil Town – Scunthorpe United
Scunthorpe United 3-3 Solihull Moors
Scunthorpe United 0-3 York City
Aldershot Town 3-1 Scunthorpe United
Rochdale 1-1 Scunthorpe United
Scunthorpe United 3-6 Boston United
Last Time Out
Photo Credit: Dan Haswell // Scunthorpe United Football Club
