This Tuesday Scunthorpe United drew 2-2 with Reading at Glanford Park. Now, this wasn't just any old draw for Scunthorpe, this draw assured another year of Championship football for the small club from North Lincolnshire.
I may have only seen a handful of Scunthorpe games, but I feel a huge sense of pride in this fact. I feel a huge sense of pride about the club.
Here's a few facts; Scunthorpe United was one of only four Championship clubs to be operating outside of any debt whatsoever. [Source for this fact? Football Focus, BBC], This means that the club doesn't spend big sums on players, and doesn't offer big wages for players. Scunthorpe Isn't an attractive option for a player wanting to make their fortune. So scunthorpe employs a very effective scouting system, they find the good players, who have been shunned by the teams who took them through the youth stages, and they develop them even further. A great example of this would be Billy Sharp, who after being kicked out of Sheffield United, came to Scunthorpe, and was the top scorer for 2 seasons. Sharp was then sold back to Sheffield United for a tasty profit! Martin Pattinson [Patterson?] came to Glanford Park three seasons ago, he helped fire scunthorpe into the Championship, and fronted their attack for a season in the Championship, after this he was sold onto Burnley.
In his second season at Scunthorpe, Martyn Woolford, who had previously been playing conference football, has risen into a star performer for the club, netting 5 goals from left midfield this season, including two against Newcastle United.
Also the striking pair of Paul Hayes and Gary Hooper this season has been impressive. Paul Hayes, now in his second spell at the club after leaving Scunthorpe for Barnsley, he came back after falling out of favour with the manager at Oaklands. He has netted 8 goals for the Iron this season thus far. Gary Hooper moved to Scunthorpe from Southend United for £125,000 and has, this season netted 18 goals overall. Last season he scored 30 goals overall, 24 in the league and 6 in various cups. Including one goal on the hallowed Wembley turf.
This method of buying, the looking out for talent, developing it, and then selling it on for a tidy wee profit allows for the club to create a nice persona for itself. The players that leave respect the club, the players that stay love the club.
This tuesday, the attendance was in the 5000's, this is a marked improvement on last season. And these sort of attendance provide that little bit of extra cash for the club to manouvere with. The extra cash could go towards ensuring top goalscoarers stay at the club, or it could even go towards improving the stadium + training facilites so the talent comes to Scunthorpe.
The club operates within it's means and has made a success of itself.
I'm unbelieveably happy that they have stayed up for another season. In October I saw the highlight of their season, a 2-1 win over Newcastle United at Glanford Park. I was standing in the terraces for this match, and the raw passion of the crowd was intoxicating. And the pride they had in their team come the final whistle was for me, rounded off when I overheard the kid infront of me telling his friend he was going to put his ticket inside an envelope and keep it so he could tell his grandkids he was there when Scunthorpe beat newcastle.
And y'know, people may read this and think why on earth is he ranting and raving about this club, when he barely gets a chance to see them, when there's a decent local club [Dunfermline Athletic] right on his doorstep.
You're right, I should be doing that about Dunfermline. I'd count myself as a Dunfermline fan, even though my support has wavered over the past few years, I just find it hard to be passionate about a club where the fans are as depressing as the football, and the players don't look like they enjoy playing/want to be wearing the pars shirt.
When I see a scunthorpe match, I am buoyed to my feet by the roaring chants from all corners of the home stands, even my Great Aunt is singing away next to me at games. I'm bouyed by the humourous chants from the fans "Who needs Mourinho? We've got our physio", I am even more buoyed and inspired by the fact that every player which takes to the field wearing a Scunthorpe United shirt runs until they can't do it anymore. They play with passion and heart. And I walk away from the ground with a smile on my face regardless of the outcome of the match.
What I see in Scunthorpe is a family orientated club, that puts financial survival over league success. It ensures that it will be there next year for it's fans. It builds from the bottom up, and now the plans seem to be working. Success, while only minor, is slowly coming to the club and the town. The Club provides hope to a community that is struggling with unemployment and social issues. The Steel/Iron works are slowly being shut down, and don't provide the amount of jobs that were once available to the people.
Slowly, this club is proving itself to the town, proving that it is worth their money, worth their support. the club is becoming the beacon of hope in the town. And the town are rallying behind it, the club is a constant in their lives, and in return they are slowly becoming the constant in the club's world.
I love this club, because of how it's run, because of the attitudes which the manager and the players hold, because of how passionate the fans are, and because it operates outside of debt. This club isn't any old Iron.
Hi Ho Silver Lining, Hi Ho Scun United.
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