As Blackpool's season begins to come to an end, many are looking to the future, a future with still so much uncertainty. Who will stay, who will go? What does the future hold for potential ownership? Questions that have answers that will become more clear in the near future. Blackpool travel to Scunthorpe this Friday to kick of the Easter double header, which concludes with the visit of Fleetwood. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the season pans out, but it is the months that follow that will prove so pivotal for the future of this football club.
Injuries and Suspensions:
Lund, McMahon and Clarke are all out for Scunthorpe.
Key midfielder Josh Morris also has doubts over his fitness.
Ryan, Clayton and Howard remain out for Blackpool.
The History:
Established in 1899, Scunthorpe were most recently in the second tier in 2011, but since have fallen to League 2 and then back to their current position, in League 1. They almost returned to the Championship in 2017 and 2018, but their playoff ventures were short lived, as they fell to defeat to Milwall and Rotherham, denying them a trip to Wembley. This season they face a fight to avoid relegation as they hover just above the relegation zone.
Also known as the Iron, Scunthorpe play their home football at Glanford Park. The 9,088 capacity stadium was built in 1988 for a cost of £2.5 million and is where Blackpool travel on Friday.
The Manager:
Andy Dawson has taken the reigns at Scunthorpe until the end of the seasonin order to try and guide the iron away from the bottom 4. The 40 year old played 217 times for Scunthorpe as a player, whilst also spending time at Hull City and Nottingham Forest. He was a left back during his playing days and helped Hull through the playoffs in 2008 on their way to promotion to the Premier League. He has once before acted as manager, being caretaker for Scunthorpe in 2014, but has had a longer spell since replacing Stuart Mcall.
Stats:
With just 1 win in 10, 4 games remaining and just 1 point of the drop zone, Scunthorpe are staring relegation in the face. They have hit a dry vein of form at just the wrong in the season and it could cost them. Their defensive frailty has proved to be the issue, as they have conceded 1.74 on average, but lack of firepower at the other end is also a problem. Blackpool provide the perfect opportunity for Scunthorpe though as they have so little to play for. Scunthorpe may struggle to break down Blackpool, but the Seasiders have consistantly struggled against lowly sides.
Last Meeting:
McPhillips Preview:
Prediction: 2-1
Having lacked the cutting edge even when they were in and around the playoffs, Blackpool now minus the motivation will really struggle to compete with relegation battlers such as Scunthorpe. Scunthorpe are desperate for every point they can get and I think they could really shock Blackpool tomorrow.
UTP