Scunthorpe finally got the point they needed to clinch promotion on Saturday after a season of twists and turns. A goalless draw at Shrewsbury ensured they finished runners-up behind Yeovil and gave Brian Laws his second promotion in charge of the Iron. It capped off a great first season for Ian Baraclough who joined the Glanford Park outfit in the summer. The 34-year-old has been a rock in central midfield and has earned himself a new one-year deal for next season as well. Ian Clarkson spoke exclusively to Baraclough about the tense nature of their final day promotion and what next season has in store for Scunthorpe.
Q:IT MUST HAVE BEEN A TENSE ATMOSPHERE AT GAY MEADOW?
A:It was very nerve-wracking. We arrived at Shrewsbury's ground knowing that we only needed a point but the pitch was really dry and bobbly when we got there. With all due respect to Gay Meadow it isn't the greatest ground in the world so you know you are always in for a tough afternoon. Plus, they brought back Luke Rodgers for his final game, so they were playing on a wave of emotion.
Q:HOW DID THE GAME PAN OUT?
A:We managed to keep them fairly quiet throughout and I think that we had the better of the game. Their goalkeeper was the busier of the two but at 0-0 you can never relax. I went to take a corner and one of our fans lent through the fence and told me that Southend were losing. I asked him if he was serious and he said he was, so that put my mind at rest a little bit, but it was still a tense game.
Q:WERE YOU UNDER ANY EXTRA PRESSURE AS THE TEAM WERE TOP OF THE PILE AT CHRISTMAS?
A:We knew we had thrown away a seven-point lead at the top of the table before Christmas but there isn't a lot between the teams in League Two. Anyone can beat anyone else on any given day, but I think that Yeovil, Southend and ourselves are the best footbaling teams. A lot of people had written us off but we were virtually always in the top three. We dropped out of it for one week about a month ago and I think that gave us the kick up the backside we needed. It would have been a travesty if we hadn't gone straight up though as we have deserved to.
Q:YOU HAVE GOT A NEW CONTRACT FOR NEXT YEAR AS WELL HAVEN'T YOU?
A:The club had an option on me for another year, which they have taken up and I am delighted with that. You always want to play as a higher level as possible and it is nice to be back in League One again next year. However, when I started out as a 16-year-old I didn't think I would still be playing professionally at 35 – my birthday is in December – so I just intend to enjoy it for as long as I can.
Q:DID YOU HAVE ONE OR TWO DRINKS ON SATURDAY NIGHT?
A:We got the bus back to Scunthorpe and spent an hour at the ground celebrating before moving on into the town centre. I was suffering with a heavy cold on Friday but I managed to find a second wind to go out and have a few drinks! It was doubly sweet for me as the last time I won promotion with Notts County I had already left to join Queens Park Rangers, so I didn't celebrate. This is the first time I have been able to celebrate so I made sure I took advantage!
Q:WHEN DID YOU FINALLY THINK YOU WERE HOME AND DRY?
A:After the final whistle on Saturday! We had something like a ten-game unbeaten run on the home straight but I kept going home and looking at the league table and it was always so tight. You just couldn't relax and think 'we've done enough'. Even going into the last game I expected Swansea to win at Bury and Southend to win at Grimsby, which meant that we still definitely needed a point. As it happens, Southend only drew at Grimsby but I wouldn't have predicted that.
Q:WHAT IS A REALISTIC AIM FOR NEXT SEASON?
A:Supporters have told me that when Scunthorpe have won promotion, they have usually come straight back down again. So I would have thought that the first aim is to establish ourselves in League One net season. The club hasn't got bundles of cash and they can't go throwing hundreds of thousands of pounds around so it will have to be done sensibly. We had a great team spirit this season and we will need to carry that on into next year.
Q:THS PROMOTION CAMPAIGN HAS CAUGHT THE ATTENTION OF THE WHOLE TOWN HASN'T IT?
A:Our supporters filled the ground for our last home game as Bristol Rovers only brought around 200 fans. It was a shame that we couldn't celebrate at Glanford Park last week but we took around 3,000 to Shrewsbury. We also took 9,000 to Chelsea in the FA Cup earlier in the season and it has been a good atmosphere all season.
