Scunthorpe United

• History
• Notable Past Players
• Club Honours
• Records
• Ticket Information
• Access
• Contact Details

The team of Scunthorpe United, nicknamed "The Iron", is based in the Lincolnshire town of Scunthorpe and currently plays for the Football League Championship after being promoted in 2007. The official mascots for the team are the Scunny Bunny and the Scunny Hunny Bunny who both wear the same claret and blue strip as the team.

History

Scunthorpe United was formed in 1899 when Brumby Hall FC, who were based at the Old Showground, merged with other clubs. In 1910 the club joined North Lindsay United to become Scunthorpe and Lindsay United. The name did not revert back to Scunthorpe United until 1958.

Despite this early formation, the team did not actually go professional until 1914. They joined the Football League even later, in 1950, when they played their first game against Shrewsbury Town. They enjoyed moderate success in Division Two until 1964, when they were relegated to Division Three. Things went from bad to worse as they slipped into the Fourth Division in 1968 after notching up only 37 points in the 1967/8 season. In the early 70s the team returned to Division Three before slipping back down again into the Fourth Division. In the 1973/4 season they gained two points in a game at home to Exeter City when Exeter failed to fulfill the engagement. However, it was not until the 1982/3 season that Scunthorpe United moved back up into Division Three. For nearly 10 years they had been unable to end up higher than 12th in the table.

The Iron’s joy was short lived, however, and they were back in the familiar territory of the Fourth Division by 1984. For the rest of the 80s Scunthorpe United languished in Division Four, narrowly missing out on promotion during both the 1987/8 and 1988/9 seasons. At this time The Iron played at the Old Showground, but by the 1980s the ground was falling into disrepair and it needed major renovations to meet new Football League standards. It was decided that it would be easier to relocate than to spend a great deal of money on refurbishment and so the Old Showground was sold to the supermarket chain, Safeway, now owned by Morrisons. Land was bought close to the village of Guinness, and Scunthorpe United moved to the purpose-built stadium, Glanford Park, in 1988.

By 1992 Scunthorpe were still only in the third division, but they reached the third division play-off final, held at Wembley. They lost, however, to Blackpool who won on penalties. It was another seven years before Scunthorpe United reached the third division play-offs again, this time beating Leyton Orient 1-0 and finally reaching the second division. Their joy was short-lasted, however, and they were relegated the following season. They began 2004 in Football League Two, but immediately gained promotion after an amazing season. In the 2004/5 FA Cup 3rd Round they were beating Chelsea 1-0 for much of the match, although eventually lost 3-1 to the then Premiership Champions.

The 2005/6 season began badly with a 2-0 loss away to Brentford F.C., but they quickly turned things around and were at the top of the table for a good part of the season. Following two 5-2 defeats against Blackpool and Barnsley, they slowly slid back down the table. They again reached the 3rd Round of the FA Cup and history repeated itself when they were 1-0 ahead against Manchester City before losing to them 3-1. Scunthorpe United finished 12th in the Coca Cola League 1 and striker Billy Sharp, now at Sheffield Wednesday, shared the Golden Boot with Southend’s Freddy Eastwood with 23 goals apiece.

The lead-up to the 2006/7 season was excellent. Scunthorpe United were unbeaten in all four of their friendly matches, as well as winning the San-An Cup and Lincolnshire Senior Cup semi-final. Their good run did not last long, however, and the season itself got off to a bad start with a loss against Bristol City. This bad result was followed by three draws and another loss to send the team sky-diving down the league table. Hope was reignited with a 2-0 win against Gillingham, but quickly extinguished by a 1-0 defeat by Oldham Athletic. They won at home 3-0 against the seemingly unbeatable Port Vale and then another home win against Cheltenham followed; victory was gained through a 90-minute goal by Scunthorpe’s Andy Keogh. This season was the team’s most successful with Billy Sharp scoring thirty goals. It also saw Scunthorpe gain a total of 91 points, more than any other team in the Premiership and Football League.

Scunthorpe United are currently the highest-placed league club in the whole of Lincolnshire; they have not played at such a high level since the 1962/3 season. A table of statistics from 1956 to 2007 can be found at the bottom of the page.

Notable Past Players

• Andy Keogh (striker) – was part of one of the most formidable striking partnerships in recent years, paired with Billy Sharp. He was loaned to Scunthorpe in 2004, but did not play there permanently until 2005. He scored 15 goals during the 2005/6 season, but decided not to renew his contract beyond 2007 and was transferred to Wolverhampton Wanderers for an estimated £600,000.

• Kevin Keegan (forward) – began his football career with Scunthorpe United, staying with the team from 1968 to 1971. He made 124 appearances for the club, scoring 18 goals, before transferring to Liverpool for £35,000. He later became the England Coach and is now back at Newcastle United as Manager.

• Ray Clemence (goalkeeper) – represented Scunthorpe United from his footballing debut in 1965. In 1967, he was talent-spotted by Liverpool manager, Bill Shankly, and joined them later that year for £18,000.

• Peter Beagrie (left-winger) – played for Scunthorpe United from 2001 to 2005, making 174 appearances and scoring 34 goals. He made his 750th appearance on his 40th birthday, scoring his 100th goal for the team.

• Sir Ian Botham (defender) – played with Scunthorpe United from 1980-1985, making 11 appearances for the team. He then made the decision to concentrate on his cricketing career and helped the England Cricket team to Ashes victory in 1981.

• Billy Sharp (striker) – played for The Iron from 2005 to 2007, scoring 24 goals in his first season and 30 goals in his second, a Scunthorpe United record. He was sold to Sheffield United for £2 million in 2007.

• Jamie Forrester (striker) – represented the team from 1997 to 1999, making 101 appearances and netting 37 goals. He helped Scunthorpe United to become League 2 Play-off Winners in the 1998/9 season.

• Chris Hope (defender) – played for the team for seven years from 1993 to 2000. He notched up 19 goals from 288 appearances, but later moved to Gillingham for £250,000.

• Steve Torpey (striker) – moved to Scunthorpe from Bristol City in 2000 and remained with The Iron for seven years. He scored 61 goals in 238 appearances; he left to join Lincoln City, but only stayed there for 6 months before moving to Farsley Celtic.

Club Honours

• 2006/7 Level 3 (League One, League Division Two, Third Division, Third Division) Champions
• 2004/5 Level 4 (League Two, League Division Three, Fourth Division) Runners-up
• 1957/8 Level 3 (Third Division (North)) Champions

Records

• Highest Attendance (Glanford Park): 8,906 vs. Nottingham Forest, League One, 1/10/2007.
• Highest Attendance (Old Showground): 23,935 vs. Portsmouth, FA Cup 4th Round, 30/1/1954
• Greatest Victory: 8-1 vs. Luton Town, Division 3, 24/4/1965 and 8-1 vs. Torquay United, New Division 3, 28/10/1995
• Greatest Defeat: 0-8 vs. Carlisle United, 25/11/1952
• Highest transfer fee paid: £275,000 for Martin Paterson from Stoke City
• Highest transfer fee received: £2 million for Billy Sharp to Sheffield United

Ticket Information

Single Match-Day tickets vary in price depending on where you wish to sit and who Scunthorpe United is playing. Tickets are more expensive for games against West Brom, Leicester City, Stoke City, Hull City, Barnsley, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Sheffield Wednesday, Coventry City and Cardiff City.

• The Telegraph, or West Stand

1. Adult tickets cost from £19
2. Concession tickets cost from £12

• The Grove Wharf, or East Stand

1. Adult Tickets cost from £18
2. Concession Tickets cost from £11

• The Study United, or North Stand

1. Adult Tickets cost from £15
2. Concession Tickets cost from £10
3. Children’s Tickets cost from £6

• The Executive, or West Stand

1. Adult Tickets cost from £18
2. OAP Tickets cost from £20
3. Tickets for those under-17 cost from £15

• The AMS, or South Stand for Away Supporters

1. Adult Tickets cost from £18
2. Concession Tickets cost from £11

Half-Season Tickets also have the same price differences depending on where you wish to view the matches from.

• West Stand

1. Adult: £209
2. U16, Senior, U21: £132

• East Stand

1. Adult: £198
2. U16, Senior, U21: £121

• North Stand

1. Adult: £165
2. Senior, U21: £110
3. U16: £66

• South Stand

1. Adult: £297
2. Senior: £220
3. U17: £165

Scunthorpe United is currently offering a discount for multi-buys; if you buy any Half-Season Adult ticket you can get the equivalent U16 ticket for just £50.

Iron Membership
Iron Membership costs £36 for an adult and £18 for seniors or U21s. This membership offers you 23 tickets that give you £1 off the turnstile price, priority tickets for League and Cup games, 5% off all merchandise except replica shirts and 5% off official Iron travel.

For further ticket information visit the official Scunthorpe United website here.

Access

Scunthorpe United’s ground of Glanford Park is easily accessible by car and rail.

• By Car: The ground is most easily accessible via the M180 towards Scunthorpe; take Junction 3 on to the M181. At the end of this road Glanford Park will be clearly visible on the right. Take the right hand exit of the roundabout onto the A18 and then right again into the ground’s car park. There is car parking for up to 600 cars at the ground; parking per car is just £2. There is also some street parking available, although this is quite limited.
• By Train: The nearest train station is Scunthorpe, which is approximately two miles from the ground; taking a taxi is therefore probably the easiest option.

Contact Details

Scunthorpe United Football Club

Glanford Park

Doncaster Road

Scunthorpe

North Lincolnshire

DN15 8TD.

Club Tel: 0871 221 1899

Club Fax: 01724 857986

Email: admin@scunthorpe-united.co.uk

Web: Scunthorpe United