Brian Laws: Unbeaten January has given Scunthorpe United a massive lift

AN UNBEATEN January has given everyone at Scunthorpe United 'a big lift' according to Brian Laws.

But the Iron boss says a return of six points out of a possible 12 to open 2013 is still tinged with disappointment given they could quite easily have more.

"It's given the players a big lift, but it also smacks of disappointment because, while I don't want to be greedy, I think I can say wholeheartedly that we should have had 12 points," said Laws, whose side drew with Oldham Athletic (after being two goals up), Shrewsbury Town and Carlisle United aside from a victory at Colchester United.

"That's the sort of progress we're making, but we've got to make it count more.

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"Drawing games is a sign we are gelling well and becoming a strong unit.

"We've got to make sure we take our chances though.

"With the ones we created on Saturday (at Carlisle, in a 1-1 draw), we could have won the game in the first half.

"The signs are good, but I really do believe that we need to be more clinical in front of goal."

Laws was not expecting a busy day today (Thursday) as the transfer window prepared to close at 11pm – with United declaring yesterday that speculation linking Sheffield United with a bid for Mark Duffy was nothing more than that.

The Blades have had a long-term interest in the winger, but had, up to last night at least, not made contact with an offer.

If January was a solid month for Scunthorpe, February is likely to be an intense one.

The Iron play seven times, five games of which come at Glanford Park, and so with no midweek match, Laws has been taking the opportunity this week to ensure the squad get plenty of time on the training ground.

"This has been a key week for us," continued the United manager.

"We have to make sure we are focused on what we want to achieve, but also that the players are organised and know their roles and responsibilities.

"This is a period in which we need to get that right because the games are coming thick and fast. We're going to be playing on a Saturday and Tuesday for a while.

"We're not going to have much time for coaching on the training field in between those games because there's going to be a lot of rest and recovery.