SCUNTHORPE United’s players spent Friday and Saturday climbing mountains and jumping into deep water.

Manager Alan Knill admits he has fears the Iron are going to be doing the same when it comes to their fortunes in League One on the back of another lacklustre pre-season showing.

After spending two days away in the Lake District, the United boss said he learned a lot about his players’ character.

A largely toothless and mistake-laden Lincolnshire Senior Cup clash at Lincoln City will have proved equally as informative.

The Iron’s hopes of lifting the trophy for the fifth successive season ended with a penalty shootout defeat at Sincil Bank.

The fact they had even been given that ‘lifeline’ – labelled so by Knill – was a tad unjust on an Imps side who had looked fitter, hungrier and sharper than Scunthorpe.

Granted Chris Dagnall’s injury-time equaliser came at the end of Scunthorpe’s best spell of the 90 minutes.

But by then, they should have been well out of sight, with Sam Smith’s 19th-minute opener far from the hosts’ only real sniff of a goal.

It was far from what Knill had been expecting, given the success of their 48-hour sojourn to Cumbria.

“It was brilliant,” said the United manager.

“The idea was to get a togetherness and I thought we got a lot of benefits out of it.

“We climbed what looked like a mountain, though it probably wasn’t, we hung off a cliff and jumped into deep water.

“It was all the things you’d never think about doing, but because you were with a group of people, you have no choice.

“But the reality is, (the pitch) is where we work so it’s all about performance and results.

“People keep telling me it’s only pre-season, but I don’t go along with that.

“Every time you are in work, whether it’s stepping out onto the pitch or in training, it’s about winning.”

Goalkeeper Josh Lillis said ‘a few of the lads were scared’ when it came to activities in the Lake District.

Iron fans are increasingly becoming the same ahead of the start of the League One season.

Only in the closing quarter of the match yesterday did they produce anything near the sort of quality needed.

Garry Thompson started his second match in succession and was lively.

Dagnall was as industrious as ever and summer signing Andy Barcham was quick and keen to be involved.

There could be no doubting the Iron’s enthusiasm against their Lincolnshire rivals, distinctly lacking though was any quality on the ball.

United enjoyed plenty of possession outside the Lincoln penalty area.

Finding a way into it though was much tougher.

After a frantic first five minutes, in which Dagnall should have done better when he pulled a poorly struck shot, the Imps began to get on top.

They forged ahead in the 19th minute, albeit slightly fortunately, when Smith’s shot hit the underneath of Josh Lillis’ body and bobbled over the line.

Jamie Taylor should have made it 2-0 in the 34th minute, but after the Iron keeper had raced out of his box and fluffed an attempted header to clear a long punt forward, he could only find the side netting when it seemed easier to score.

The second half showed little in the way of change.

Without the injured Michael O’Connor, who watched on from the Sincil Bank directors’ box, the Iron midfield had no drive and little in the way of creativity.

It underlined just why it is essential the 23-year-old’s knee problem has cleared up in time for the League One opener at Wycombe – now only 13 days away.

Thompson rattled a post shortly after the hour mark, before being withdrawn after 64 minutes as he continues his recovery from a groin problem. The visitors actually played some of their best football following the introduction of Bobby Grant, with long balls forward no longer a realistic option.

And it was from the former Accrington striker’s glancing header that the Iron finally found an equaliser, as Dagnall kept his composure to slot the ball home – less than a minute after squandering a similar opening.

Sadly, Scunthorpe’s penalties were about as convincing as the rest of their performance.

Sam Togwell took the first spot kick, which was pushed away low to his left by Anyon, and Dagnall blazed over the bar.

LINCOLN: Anyon, Watts, Hone, Gowling, Nutter, Russell (O’Keefe 64), Fuseini, Power, McCallum (Nicolau 64), Smith (Wilson 74), Taylor. Subs not used: Pannell, Coupland.

SCUNTHORPE: Lillis, Wright, Reid, Canavan (Nelson 64), Hughes, Duffy, Togwell, Collins, Barcham, Dagnall, Thompson (Grant 64). Subs not used: Robertson, Raynes, Godden.

ATTENDANCE: 1,769 (250 AWAY).