Chris Sedgwick ready to fight for a place in Scunthorpe United line-up and to secure Iron contract

After spending his summer waiting for the phone to ring, Chris Sedgwick has no doubt grown used to exercising a little patience.

Released by Sheffield Wednesday, the club he has supported since a boy, the 32-year-old endured a few nervous months, unsure what the future held.

A call from Glanford Park was perfectly timed, with Sedgwick signing on non-contract terms last week.

Now, following two brief substitute appearances, the waiting game involves holding out for a first start.

It is something though, the midfielder is more than happy to do.

"It seems a long time since last season and we're six or seven games in now, so it's just nice to be involved," said Sedgwick.

"It's about the team, it's not just about me getting games. I need to earn a place in the team.

"If they keep playing like they have been then it's going to be tough. I'm fully aware of that. They're not here to do me a favour.

"If I'm doing well and I deserve a place in the team, then I'll play. If not, I won't.

"Hopefully I can get more minutes but when the team's playing like that it's hard to get in."

It was a similar scenario for Sedgwick at Wednesday last term.

Having signed from Preston North End, he found game-time limited as the Owls went on to secure promotion to the Championship.

"I was a Sheffield Wednesday fan growing up and it was fantastic to be involved in a promotion season," he said.

"But on the flip side, I only made 10 appearances.

"I wanted to go play football but I wasn't allowed to go out on loan, I was more or less a squad player last year, which I found frustrating.

"But it was fantastic to be part of a promotion season and the final day, when we went up, there were 40,000 fans there – that's a sight I'll never, ever forget."

Being released did not come as a surprise – but the difficulty he had in finding another club did.

"I knew my contract wasn't going to be renewed but I didn't realise how hard it would be to find a new club," Sedgwick continued.

"It's the first time I've been out of contract and you kind of go along thinking, 'I'll get something sorted soon'.

"I'm based in Sheffield and I didn't really want to move away from home, so I kind of limited my options a little bit.

"Early on in the summer you get a few phone calls but geography-wise it wasn't right for me.

"But then as the summer wears on, you start having to have a think about it and think, I can only wait so long before I need to do something."

It means the winger is eager to make the most of his chance at Scunthorpe and hopefully work with Iron boss Alan Knill on a more permanent basis.

"I first met Alan when I was 17 or 18 and he came to Rotherham as a player, then he was the youth coach," Sedgwick explained.

"I'd left when he became manager but our paths have crossed numerous times over the years.

"It's been great coming in and seeing how he works because he's really good at what he does.

"You can see all the lads are behind him and want to do well for him. The management are good and try to do things the right way.

"I'd love to be part of it on a more permanent basis.

"At this moment in time I just want to get back playing games, hopefully help the team and do well, then we'll have a look at it again."