Scunthorpe United: Butler’s Rebuild Faces Its Real Test
Scunthorpe United’s first season back in the National League was a good one. A fifth-place finish represented an overachievement given where the club had been only 12 months earlier.
But this was never a small club punching above its weight. This is Scunthorpe United: a club that spent 72 consecutive years in the EFL and is now preparing for a fifth straight season outside it. Their average attendance last season was 4,762, the fourth highest in the division. By National League standards, the Iron are not supposed to be looking up for long.
This preview also arrives in a week of sadness for the club. Kevin Keegan, who began his senior career with Scunthorpe before becoming one of English football’s most celebrated players and managers, died on Monday aged 75. His career travelled far beyond the Old Show Ground, but this was where it started.
On the pitch, last season restored belief, reconnected the support and gave Andy Butler proof that his squad could compete. Finishing fifth after promotion from National League North was a strong return. Losing a play-off semi-final to Rochdale, the eventual play-off winners, was no disgrace. But for a club of Scunthorpe’s size, it should feel like a platform rather than a peak.
The summer has brought one obvious complication: Callum Roberts has gone. Alongside Danny Whitehall, he formed the league’s most potent attacking pair, with the duo scoring 37 league goals between them and accounting for almost half of Scunthorpe’s 77 league goals.
Now Scunthorpe must evolve without losing the edge that carried them into the play-offs.
From the dugout
Andy Butler remains in the dugout, giving Scunthorpe the continuity they need after years of drift. Promotion from the National League North was followed by a play-off finish in the National League, which shows how quickly he has restored direction. But his end-of-season reaction also showed he is not satisfied. The Rochdale semi-final still stung, not because Scunthorpe were outclassed, but because they started poorly and only found real urgency late on.
Butler spoke with pride, but also with realism. He knows Scunthorpe have support, history and pull, but he also knows other clubs can spend more. Butler must improve the squad without endangering the stability the club has fought hard to regain.
Manager profile
Butler’s connection to Scunthorpe runs through every stage of his career.
He came through the academy, made 174 appearances for the Iron, and played more than 700 senior games across his career. After returning to the club’s academy set-up in 2022, he moved into first-team coaching before becoming manager in May 2024. Since then, he has given supporters a clear reason to believe again. Promotion back to the National League was followed by a top-five finish, which suggests more than momentum.
It suggests his impact extends beyond the momentum of promotion. The next test is different. He now has to handle expectation, recruitment pressure and the loss of a major attacking influence.
Summer mood
Scunthorpe supporters know last season exceeded expectations, but the play-off win over Southend and victory at champions York changed how the club is viewed. Andy Butler is no longer simply the manager who took them up; he is trusted as someone capable of building a side that can return to the EFL.
Callum Roberts’ departure prevents the summer from feeling entirely settled. His 27 goal involvements turned a competitive team into a top-five one, and supporters understand why he accepted an EFL move. Replacing that influence is now the defining challenge.
Butler’s comments point to a sharper edge this summer: more pace, more power, more experience and a tougher pre-season. He wants a side fit enough to run over teams, not one relying on moments. The early recruitment fits that idea. Luke Brennan brings final-third promise, Jordan Richards adds energy and reliability, and Callum Howe offers experience and leadership. Those are sensible additions.
The question is whether they make Scunthorpe more rounded, because a sustained promotion push will require greater depth and more control through matches.
Squad
Scunthorpe’s squad combines an experienced spine with enough players in their early and mid-twenties to retain energy around it.
The defensive group looks especially mature, with Will Evans, Tyler Denton, Ross Barrows and Callum Howe giving Butler plenty of know-how, while Louis Jones and Maison Campbell keep the goalkeeping department settled.
Midfield has gained experience and control through Jordan Richards and Jacob Butterfield, alongside Alfie Beestin, Connor Smith and Joe Rowley. The big question is in the final third. Roberts’ departure means Luke Brennan, Kyle Hurst, James Gale and Declan Howe now carry greater responsibility.
Retained
- Harry Shipstone | Defence | Age 21
- Maison Campbell | Goalkeeper | Age 22
- Ross Barrows | Defence | Age 28
- Louis Jones | Goalkeeper | Age 27
- Tyler Denton | Defence | Age 30
- Will Evans | Defence | Age 34
- Branden Horton | Defence | Age 25
- Alfie Beestin | Midfield | Age 28
- Jean Belehouan | Defence | Age 25
- Declan Howe | Forward | Age 28
- Pat Jones | Forward | Age 23
- Oli Rose | Defence | Age 20
- Joe Rowley | Midfield | Age 27
- Connor Smith | Midfield | Age 24
- Joe Starbuck | Defence | Age 23
- Danny Whitehall | Forward | Age 30
Players in
- Luke Brennan | Buxton FC | Undisclosed Fee | Forward | Age 24
- Jordan Richards | Boston United | Free Transfer | Midfield | Age 29
- Callum Howe | York City | Free Transfer | Defence | Age 32
- Reagan Ogle | Oldham Athletic | Free Transfer | Defence | Age 27
- Kyle Hurst | Doncaster Rovers | Free Transfer | Forward | Age 24
- Jacob Butterfield | Gateshead FC | Free Transfer | Midfield | Age 36
- James Gale | Macclesfield FC | Free Transfer | Forward | Age 24
Players out
- Andrew Boyce » Worksop Town | Free Transfer | Defence | Age 36
- Joey Dawson » Released | Forward | Age 23
- Kian Scales » Buxton FC | Free Transfer | Midfield | Age 24
- Mark Beck » Darlington FC | Free Transfer | Forward | Age 32
- Max Brogan » Kidderminster Harriers | Free Transfer | Midfield | Age 24
- Callum Roberts » Notts County | Free Transfer | Forward | Age 29
- Oliver Ewing » Forest Green Rovers | Undisclosed Compensation Fee | Midfield | Age 23
One to watch
Luke Brennan.
Danny Whitehall is the obvious attacking reference point, and his goals will be vital, but Brennan may be the most revealing of the new arrivals because his adaptation could determine how different Scunthorpe look this season. His 59 goal contributions across 85 Buxton appearances show consistent end product, even allowing for the step up in level.
Bookies’ odds
The bookies see Scunthorpe as contenders, but not quite front-runners. Oddschecker currently has the Iron out at 16/1 to win the National League, making them eighth favourites, and that feels a reasonable place for them in the market. They carry size, support and momentum and there is enough quality in the squad to expect them to be in the promotion conversation again.
