Scunthorpe United goalkeeper Louis Jones has called for the Iron to tighten up defensively after a five-goal thriller at Braintree Town, insisting clean sheets will be crucial to the club’s promotion push in the National League.
Speaking to BBC Radio Humberside, Jones acknowledged that conceding an early goal had made the game harder than it needed to be, but goals from Leo Farrell, Oli Ewing and a late Callum Roberts penalty secured another three points on the road.
”We need some clean sheets,” he said. “That’s a big goal for us until the end of the season because we can’t keep giving ourselves a mountain to climb every game.”
Scunthorpe fell behind inside the first minute against Braintree, with Jones admitting the defensive unit had been caught out by veteran target man John Akinde trying to play a high line.
“The centre backs have got to cover each other,” he said, adding that the goal had been difficult to prevent once the striker was through one-on-one.
Jones also reflected on the high defensive line that caused problems in the first half, but said the intention to play with that shape remained.
“Every game we want to play that high line, we want to compress the pitch,” he said, acknowledging that execution of the style had improved in recent weeks.
Farrell and Ewing praised
Jones singled out fellow squad members for particular praise. Forward Leo Farrell, who has scored four goals this month since arriving at the club on loan from Barnsley, drew warm words from the goalkeeper.
“Leo’s been brilliant, he’s settled right in,” Jones said. “He’s got a lot of qualities, his hold-up play’s really good, his movement runs into the box. For a young lad, I think he’s adapting really well and playing brilliant.”
Midfielder Oli Ewing, who also got on the scoresheet, was described by Jones as the best ball carrier in the squad.
“He’s got that composure when the ball does come to him in tight spaces to take a second and pick a corner,” Jones said. “When he’s on it, there’s no one better.”
Six points from two away trips
The match was the second of back-to-back away fixtures for Scunthorpe, following a 2-1 win at Truro City and Jones said the results made the long journey home considerably more pleasant. “It definitely makes the trip back a lot easier,” he said.
“We’ve battled and we’ve worked hard and we’ve got the results, and that’s all that matters.”
Contract situation
Jones, who is out of contract at the end of the season, was open about his desire to stay at Glanford Park. “I love it here,” he said. “If the opportunity to stay came up then that’d be something I’d definitely really be interested in.”
Iron boss Andy Butler has previously indicated that both Jones and fellow goalkeeper Maison Campbell have a part to play beyond this season, though Jones said formal contract talks are yet to begin. “We’ve got this season to focus on first,” he said.
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