SCUNTHORPE United manager Alan Knill has admitted previous history with Gavin Gunning and Kieran Djilali will play a big part in deciding whether to keep hold of the on-trial pair.

Blackburn Rovers defender Gunning and former Crystal Palace midfielder Djilali both started in United's 2-0 friendly win over Rotherham United at the Don Valley Stadium last night.

And, insists Knill, they have done enough to earn a second chance to impress when Barnsley travel to Glanford Park on Saturday for the final pre-season outing before the start of the new League One campaign.

"We rarely take players we don't already know," Knill told the Telegraph. "Experience of knowing them means we know what they can do.

"But there is a certain pressure in playing and even more so when you are playing for a job.

"We like to give them a chance, and some time (on the pitch), but they have got to show they are better than what we have got.

"They have only played one game so we will see at the weekend and take it from there."

The duo were part of a much-improved Scunthorpe performance, not hard considering the average display produced in the 1-1 draw with Lincoln City on Sunday.

"I thought it was an improvement," added Knill. "It could not have been any worse compared to Sunday.

"We were obviously disappointed with Sunday's performance, but we were excellent in the first half last night.

"We moved the ball around the pitch, created a few chances and stopped them from playing, which is the big thing.

"It is a step in the right direction. It might be that all of a sudden we are playing league opposition and the players step up.

"It is no disrespect to who we have been playing, but I thought we stepped forward last night instead of stepping back like we did at Lincoln, waiting for something to happen.

"That performance was where we want to be.

"I am delighted with the performance, now it is taking it into Barnsley, another tough test."