The Iron have freshened up training in light of their lack of match action today.

Manager Alan Knill is hopeful it won't be the only new-look about the club's Grove Wharf training complex, as he bids to welcome back some of Scunthorpe United's walking wounded.

Jimmy Ryan and Damien Mozika are due to return to action next week as they step up their recovery from knee and ankle problems.

And with Josh Lillis also back in light training, there appears to be light at the end of what has been a dark tunnel.

"It might be next week where we actually have a full squad, where we're not waiting for players to come back on Thursday to train," said Knill, who confirmed both Ryan and Mozika will have an outside chance of being fit to face Carlisle United on December 10.

"That's what we're really hoping for, that everybody will be back fit so we can do more with the squad and more with the team.

"At the moment we have people out and we're waiting for others to come back into training on a Thursday or Friday.

"We'd prefer to do the whole week working towards the game."

Injury problems, suspensions and the timing of players' absences are undoubtedly a major factor in why Scunthorpe have made an under-whelming start back to life in League One.

Those problems are typified by on-loan midfielder Oliver Norwood who, after having had to bide his time on the bench for a few weeks, was sent off on his return to first-team duty at Notts County and now faces a three-match ban.

"We've never really had a point where we we've been able to say, 'there's a team that's going to play most of the games'," said Knill

"On Saturday we had three strikers and Ash Palmer on the bench.

"We went into the game hoping we didn't get an injury, or, as it turned out to be, a sending off, in a crucial position because we haven't got the cover.

"We've been there quite a lot this season."