Alan Knill has told Scunthorpe United he expects a 'big, big performance' when they return to FA Cup action tomorrow.

But that must come without the services of centre-halves Shane Duffy and Paul Reid, who both look certain to miss the first round replay.

The Iron host mid-table League Two side AFC Wimbledon at Glanford Park – three days after Saturday's shambolic 2-0 home loss against Hartlepool United.

Although visibly more upbeat, on the back of what he described as a 'good' Monday morning training session, Knill accepts the proof of whether the Iron are over that result, and, more importantly, performance, will only come on the pitch.

He said this lunchtime: "Does Saturday's performance make tomorrow night's match more difficult? Absolutely.

"Ideally you want to go into it on the back of a 5-0 win.

"But I've always thought that out of defeat you see more.

"Winning covers over a lot, a defeat doesn't. It shows all the things that you thought were there and the things that sometimes rear their head. Saturday was exactly that.

"We can't brush it under the carpet. We have to address it and be honest.

"I'm expecting a big, big performance tomorrow.

"But all I ask for are the basics – commitment, energy and a tempo. If we have that we'll give ourselves a chance.

"You also have to be aggressive, without that you're never going to compete.

"They are things I ask for every day. I get them most days, so I don't think it should be any different on a Saturday just because maybe there's a crowd in or maybe because things aren't going well.

"That's irrelevant. Football is like that whether you're a player or a manager.

"It's about what you do when times aren't good and how you face things."

Duffy will have to wait until the weekend to get the chance to right the wrongs of his own performance, as he has been refused permission to face the Wombles by Everton.

Reid is also struggling with a recurrence of the groin problem that ruled him out of the first match between the two clubs, which produced a dour goalless draw a week ago.

In their absence, Michael Nelson and Niall Canavan will step into the fold – just as they did at the Cherry Red Records Stadium.

The Iron go into the match on the back of a rallying call from club captain Cliff Byrne, who led the dressing room dressing down between players after Saturday's defeat.

"It was good to see it isn't just us doing the talking," added the United manager.

"The players themselves decided it wasn't good enough and decided to have a chat about it. It needed it.

"We've been saying the same things for a while, we need to be better every day etc.

"We take our responsibilities seriously but it's up to others to take it on.

"I did all the work with that team before they went out on Saturday, so it comes down to me. I really don't like having a performance like that to my name."