After the heady heights of Stamford Bridge last weekend, it is back to reality for Scunthorpe tomorrow when they entertain Bury. A crowd somewhere in the region of 5,000 at Glanford Park might not be as glamorous as a full house at Chelsea for an FA Cup tie but ultimately is it far more important. While Scunthorpe won plenty of plaudits for their performance against the Premiership leaders - when they were unfortunate to lose 3-1 - it is league points they need to get their promotion push back on track. The Iron appeared to be nailed-on certainties for promotion prior to the festive season as they were seven points clear of second-placed Yeovil. However, that lead has been whittled away and Brian Laws' boys need to kick on once again.Ian Clarkson asked Ian Baraclough about what is needed to clinch promotion and about THAT day at Chelsea in another givemefootball exclusive.
Q:WHAT ARE YOUR MEMORIES OF THE GAME AT CHELSEA?
A:We took 7,000 fans and probably could have sold even more tickets and that made it a special day. And for the team to perform as well as it did topped the day off nicely. I saw the highlights on Match of the Day on Saturday night and while they don't always do the game justice, it was a fair representation on this occasion.
Q:WATCHING THE HIGHLIGHTS IT LOOKED LIKE YOU COULD HAVE EARNED AT LEAST A REPLAY?
A:They had chances in the game but probably not as clear cut as ours. Obviously they took theirs and won the game 3-1, but it was fantastic to face a team like Chelsea and do ourselves justice - especially after the Christmas period where we had only taken two points out of a possible 12.
Q:I UNDERSTAND JOSE MOURINHO MADE YOU FEEL REALLY WELCOME?
A:We went to Stamford Bridge in the morning after breakfast and he was already there and he came on to the pitch and shook the manager's hand and had a chat with him. After the game, we went to applaud our fans and he waited for all of us and made sure that he shook every single person's hand and congratulated us. He then invited every one of us into their changing room and made sure that we got autographs and the chance to swap shirts with his players. Finally, he handed our manager a big thick dossier that he had done about us in preparation for the game. Jose Mourinho had obviously done his homework and understands what the FA Cup means in England and he embraced it. I always thought he was a top manager anyway but he ranks even higher after meeting him in person.
Q:IT IS BACK TO REALITY TOMORROW THOUGH AFTER YOUR RECENT STUTTER?
A:Bury at home might not be as glamorous but this is our bread and butter and it is vital that we get back on track. We had a similar side out all season when we were on our great run but we had a couple of lads sent off at Christmas time. We also suffered a couple of injuries but we have a decent squad so we should have been able to cope. I am not blaming the lads who came in at all, but hopefully we have had our 'blip' this season.
Q:AFTER JUST AVODING RELEGATION LAST SEASON IT HAS BEEN A MAJOR TURNAROUND - ARE YOU TAKING ALL THE CREDIT AS A SUMMER SIGNING?
A:The gaffer brought in Paul Musselwhite, Andy Crosby and myself. We are all thirty-somethings and play down the spine of the team. But there are some top drawer young lads here who will go onto bigger clubs in the future and maybe we have taken some of the pressure off them as the senior statesmen. It is a collective effort though.
Q:DO YOU EXPECT TO BE PROMOTED NOW?
A:I will be distraught if we don't get promotion. We were 12 points clear of the fourth placed team at one stage and we have acquitted ourselves well against all the top teams.
Q:WHAT IS YOUR CONTRACT SITUATION?
A:I signed for a year in the summer and the club had the option of another year if they wanted to take it. I will know in the next month whether or not they are going to offer me anything and obviously I want to keep on playing as long as I can. I have heard a rumour that they want to speak to me soon - let's hope it's good news!
