Scunthorpe boss Brian Laws spoke to his club's official website ahead of his side's League One clash against Carlisle at Glanford Park this evening, with both teams looking for three wins in a row for differing reasons:
“Going four years without winning three on the bounce at home is an incredible amount of time. Saturday saw us end a two week wait to register a couple of wins on the spin at home even! To make it three against Carlisle would be fantastic.This football club’s success over the years has been down to making sure Glanford Park is a hard place to come to.
“Slowly but surely we’re getting there – certainly since the turn of the year. We haven’t lost a home game in 2013 yet so that’s an important factor, and now we can hopefully turn the draws into wins because we have put in some good performances and should have accumulated a lot more points. I think we’re going in the right direction and hopefully Tuesday will be another three points.
“However, there is a team called Carlisle United who are going to try everything possible to make sure that doesn’t happen. Because they know the circumstances and are aware that if we do win, we can actually drag them into the thick of things towards the bottom of the table as well. It’s a big game for both clubs.
“The big incentive is always there for us in that we can actually jump a couple of places as well. It’s encouraging for the players and they know how hard to come by the two wins have been. So to make it three would be sensational. That’s what we’re planning to do, and it’s going to take some nerve, but it’s also going to take some positivity.
“Building on two wins certainly makes you a more positive player than a negative one. I think in the past there was a feeling that once we concede a goal and go behind, people would accept defeat. But actually now, there is a real changearound in mentality in that the players actually believe they can go out and win the game."
"Even if they get a goal down, they believe there is enough in their locker to actually come back and win the game. So that’s a great turnaround for the players and they deserve a lot of credit – because it is the same players. We haven’t changed the players in terms of personnel but we’ve changed the mindset and I think that’s been the biggest turnaround for us.
“It will be a physical battle tonight though, just like it was a fortnight ago when we last played them. Carlisle will show good form themselves, as they won again at home against Stevenage on Saturday. They have won two on the trot so we know they will be coming to us full of spirit, but we have also got to make Glanford Park a very tough place to come to.
“Also, they know that if we win we will really pull their shirt tails and grab hold of them (in terms of the relegation battle). It is a big game for both teams, which I’m sure Carlisle won’t want to lose. It will be physical, like every match, but hopefully at the end of it we’ll win the game, which is the most important thing for us.
“A few weeks ago I would have said we’re probably looking at six clubs being in the relegation mix. However, now we’re starting to put a run together, Colchester are beginning a run of form, as are Bury. All of a sudden it’s got competitive and we’re talking about ten teams rather than six. The more the merrier – as far as we’re concerned because it means somebody is going to get nervous and have a bad run.
“I hope the fact we’ve been down there all season, while others who are getting dragged into it haven’t, has a positive bearing for us. They’ve not experienced it yet and we’re actually overcoming it and are starting to put a real positive run together. We’re in decent form and are building while the sides we’re trying to draw back in have been very indifferent and have not had a great run.
“It does pull them back in and makes them more nervy for sure. They may have been breathing a sigh of relief a few weeks ago, thinking there were a few. All we have to do is maintain what we’ve done in recent weeks and carry on getting the results at home. We’ve played a lot better than we have done in recent times and lost, but I think everyone will agree that the result is the most important thing and that is how we’re viewing it at this moment in time.”