United manager Graham Alexander has expressed his desire to take his side through the first round of the Carabao (League) Cup on Tuesday, when the Iron host Notts County.
He also confirmed that Neal Bishop will miss the game, after picking up a dead leg during the League One opener with AFC Wimbledon – an injury which forced him to withdraw from the game early in the second period.
The news that Bishop’s early departure from Saturday’s game was due to a dead leg will come as pleasing news to fans, with worries it could have been something that would have sidelined him for a longer period.
The 1-1 draw with AFC Wimbledon had left many of the Iron fan base questioning Alexander’s decision to persist with a 3-5-2 formation, but the match with the League Two side would be a good opportunity to give it another try.
“I expect it to be a fresh game,” Alexander said. “There are new players on both sides, and we’re looking to compete and win the game if we can, that is the aim for us all.
“We take every game as serious as the next one. We want to feel good about ourselves, we want the supporters to feel good about the team and you only get that when you win a game, so we’re going to go all out to win.”
Alexander mentioned how he will be forced into at least one change, with Bishop’s injury in mind, but will still choose a side he believes capable enough of beating County.
“We might have a couple of changes in the team, but we will still put out a team that we expect to put on a good performance and compete to win the game.
“However, Neal Bishop won’t play – he has got a dead leg.”
The manager also confirmed that the game would come a little too soon for two of the Iron’s returning injured players.
“Lewis trained for the first day today, so it’s obviously too early for him to be involved.
“It is the same for Luke Williams. He has carried on training, looking a bit better every day, but it’s probably still too soon for him to compete for the first team.
“Everybody else is fit and available, so we’ve got a decent enough squad to pick from.”
The match kicks off at 19:45 at Glanford Park tomorrow night, whilst progression could see United face a Premier League side in the second round.
Any Old Iron 