Former Blues-loanee Christian Ribeiro spoke to the official Iron website ahead of his side's League One match against Carlisle at Glanford Park tomorrow afternoon, Ribeiro saying the Scunthorpe players need to keep working hard after last week's 3-1 win at Leyton Orient:
“It is a big game and we need to get our home form going and we just need to keep working as hard as we can. We know the games we have played well in we have all worked as a team and we have worked extremely hard for each other and we have come away with good performances. So, we know what we have to do to win games and we have just got to make sure we do that every Saturday.
“Carlisle is a game we are really looking to win and we have to show the fans that we are improving all the time. I think we might jump above them if we win so it is a real big game for both clubs, they will be desperate to knock us back as well. I played there last year for a little bit so I know they have got a lot of good players and I am surprised they are where they are in the league.
“I know most of their players, obviously a few have changed over the summer. I really enjoyed my time there under the manager (Greg Abbott) and the staff. I know it will be a really tough one but every game is tough in this league and everyone is fighting for points week in and week out and we are no different. Carlisle will be really up for it knowing that if we beat them we might send them into the relegation zone, so it will be a really tough game.”
Meanwhile Iron midfielder Jimmy Ryan commented to the official Scunthorpe website:
“We have got to kick after the Leyton Orient win and try to get a few wins together, the game on Saturday is at home and we want to give our fans something to cheer over the Christmas period and get the three points. It is massive for us and if we play like we did against Leyton Orient then I am sure we will be more than a match for Carlisle.
“But, no game in this league is ever easy, they are all good players and you have got be wary of every team. I am sure that they are looking at us and thinking they don’t want to come here with us getting our first win last week. For us it is horrible to be in the drop zone and it makes you worry about where we are going to finish at the end of the season, so it is not nice to be down there and we want to get up the table.
“I sure we can pick up points over the Christmas period if we play the way we have been, everyone’s confidence is on an up at the minute because we got the last win. So, we just need to take it into the next game, get a win and who knows where that can take us. One win can lead into two and it snowballs from there, confidence breeds in the squad and then you don’t know where we could be after the Christmas period."
In team news for the Iron tomorrow they will be missing two players, in David Mirfin and Josh Walker who are both expected to be back from their injury lay-offs in the next couple of weeks. Centre-half Mirfin currently sidelined with a knee ligament problem, while right-sided midfielder Josh Walker is out at the moment with an ankle injury. In better news for Scunthorpe boss Brian Laws though, striker Nathan Ellington is back in the Iron squad after missing out recently with a slight calf strain.
The referee for tomorrow's match is Steve Rushton from Stoke-on-Trent and he will be assisted down the lines by Seb Stockbridge from Dunston, Tyne and Wear and Neil Hair from Peterborough. Meanwhile the fourth official is Nigel Smith from Clay Cross in Derbyshire.