Richie Wellens has declared his Swindon Town side are well prepared for the opening day trip to Glandford Park this Saturday.
Wellens admitted he knows a lot about the Paul Hurst’s side, having played or managed against may of them, despite scouting for the first fixture of the season being a ‘challenge’.
“It’s been tough, I’ve looked at their set-plays in the last three or four games. You have to take a lot of stuff with a pinch of salt in pre-season.
“We’ve got a fair guess at what they’re going to do and how they’ll line up but we’re well prepared for them.
“I know all of their players, there’s five or six of them that I’ve actually played against quite a bit, the majority of them I’ve managed against and obviously I’ve played against Paul and his teams before.
“I was surprised they got relegated, under Graham Alexander it looked as though they were going to go out of League One the opposite direction but obviously things haven’t worked out for them.
“They’ve got a very good squad. I expect without a doubt Scunthorpe to be right up there this season.”
When further quizzed on the strength of the league this campaign, Wellens predicts the league will be stronger this time around.
“The teams that have come up from the Conference are strong and I think the relegated teams will all be up there, it’ll be a close league.
“We set our expectations [for the season] out pretty early but I think whatever happens on Saturday, you don’t get too carried away.
“I think it’s important that we respect that we’re away from home on the first day of the season and manage the game properly.
“I’ve played at Scunthorpe where it’s a tight pitch and not easy so we need to go there and manage the game well.”
