While few fans will be entirely happy until it’s mathematically impossible for Scunthorpe United to go down, it may be fair to say that relegation looks unlikely. A drop into non-league football is a disaster for any club at this level but a ten-point gap over the bottom two in mid-March suggests that the Iron are in the clear.
At that stage, there were 13 games left in the campaign so Scunthorpe aren’t quite at the point where they can start to rebuild for 2021/22. Points still need to be picked up so what are the crucial fixtures as the Iron hits the run in?
As Things Stand
With the bottom two set to drop into the fifth tier of English football, Grimsby Town and Southend United are starting to lose touch with the safety zone. Grimsby are rock bottom with 26 points and, while Southend are four points ahead, they’ve played two games more than their rivals at the bottom.
At the same point in time, Scunthorpe were ten points ahead of Southend with those two games in hand. It’s no surprise, therefore, that relegation odds via sbo.net show both Grimsby and Southend as odds on favourites for the drop. In contrast, Scunthorpe are a distant 50/1 shot.
Safety looks assured but sbo.net will continue to update those prices as the League Two season draws to its conclusion. Opinion articles and news updates will be included and there will be offers and promotions listed for anyone who does want to get involved with relegation betting.
All at Sea
Southend United are looking especially vulnerable so it’s imperative that Scunthorpe pick up all three points when they host the Shrimpers on Saturday March 20th. The match comes in the middle of a run of three home matches with the Iron taking on Oldham Athletic and Bradford City either side of that Southend clash.
This run might be seen as a piece of good news but statistics show that Scunthorpe’s away form is solid and is close to overtaking the Iron’s home results. A lack of spectators in grounds is affecting results right through the footballing pyramid but Neil Cox might just be relieved to get his Scunthorpe side back on the road again.
On their Travels
Cox will get his wish soon with an away trip to Newport County waiting at the end of the month. That’s followed by a home fixture with Crawley Town on Good Friday and the club will make the long trip to Carlisle United four days later.
Each of those games could be tough assignments with Oldham, Bradford, Newport, Crawley and Carlisle all sitting above Scunthorpe United at the time of writing. In fact, the remaining 13 league matches feature only one side currently placed below the Iron with Walsall travelling to Gianford Park on April 24th.
This is why Iron fans cannot get complacent, even with that 10-point gap over the sides at the bottom.
Picking up Points
If Scunthorpe United pick up all three points from their home game with Southend on March 20th, they will, in all probability, be safe from the drop. If, however, they were to lose, the Shrimpers might just get some momentum ahead of a last ditch relegation battle.
That leaves the Iron needing to pick up points from the sides around them. The most promising fixtures would include that Walsall game along with the final home fixture of the season against Stevenage on May 8th. Neil Cox’s men will also need to remain competitive away from home where they will face the likes of Mansfield Town and Bradford City.
Scunthorpe should, ultimately, be comfortable, but it’s not quite over yet.
