New Scunthorpe United boss Keith Hill reacted to his first game in the job which was a  1-0 defeat in the FA Cup to EFL League One side Doncaster Rovers.

Hill replaced Neil Cox at the start of this month after the former Scunthorpe boss won only two of his 18 games in all competitions this season, drawing five and losing 11. New manager Hill has a career average of 1.43 points-per-game, from his 715 matches managed hill has won 286, drawn 166 and lost 263.

Before joining the Irons, Hill's most recent spell was at Tranmere Rovers where he won exactly half of his 40 games and finished runners up in the EFL Trophy final losing to Sunderland.

It was a difficult first game for the 52-year-old playing a side the league above and reacting to the result, Hill told the club media: "There was plenty of enthusiasm. We need to relax in possession and if we improve the basics and stick together collectively then we can use the energy that the young players have, embrace it, and obviously take it to games to win them.

“We are looking for an intelligent energy and with this comes experience and knowledge. I was really pleased with the effort which was maintained. We never gave up and we had opportunities today where we could have equalised at least and it was a game of narrow margins as most of them are."

The Lincolnshire based side is bottom of League Two, with 11 points from 15 games. Although that makes for grim reading, take a deeper look and actually there is hope for the side sat 24th. The side is just seven points of 15th and one point off the relegation zone. New manager Hill has spoken on the club's position and the fight for survival.

"We can do it. I do believe, having witnessed what we represented today against Doncaster, that we can improve as a team and get those positive results that we need.

"We are going to use the psychology of being bottom of the league to benefit us and it’s going to take 31 games. There’s no quick fix but it takes the routine of doing the right things on a daily basis. The more you do this in training then the more chance you have of winning on a matchday.”

Despite believing in his players and being happy with what he saw so far, it wouldn't be surprising to see Hill add in January. The average age of the squad is 23.2, the youngest in the division, and with the current position of the club a few experienced players may be the difference between relegation or survival, which Hill agrees with: “We will have to add to the squad in January but we will do that without any panic. As long as the methods are in place on a daily basis then we will definitely improve and that gives us the opportunity to win games.”

The Verdict: 

Hill looks like a great appointment for Scunthorpe, his experience in the lower leagues will be extremely useful for the struggling side and with the league very tight at the bottom, Hill could easily take the side out of that position if things go to plan.

Adding to the squad in January will be important for his success and with him willing to do this and recongnising that the squad is missing something is a sign of Hill believing in the club and there plans.