Alan Knill has vowed to 'get on with the job' at Scunthorpe United, despite growing calls for his head.

Boxing Day's 3-1 home defeat by former club Bury heaped more pressure on the Iron boss, who has now won just seven of his 36 games in charge at Glanford Park.

United go into Saturday's New Year's Eve clash with bottom club Chesterfield having slipped into the bottom four in League One as fears of a second successive relegation battle gather momentum.

Knill admits life at Glanford Park is currently 'pretty painful' but insists he is up for the battle.

"What's the difference between being in the bottom four or five?," said the Iron boss, when asked if dropping into the relegation zone will act as a wake-up call for the Iron.

"Being in the bottom half and losing at home, like we have done, if that doesn't give everybody a kick up the backside then there's something wrong.

"I don't want to be where we are. I haven't come here to fail, without a doubt.

"It's pretty painful at the moment and some of the things that are happening are really difficult to take. But you have to get on with it (the job).

"We all knew it was going to be difficult from the start and it's proving to be.

"We give the players a lot of trust and, especially in the second half on Monday, I don't think we got too much back.

"You know they're trying, but poor decisions are costing us."

Knill says Scunthorpe need to do something 'pretty quickly' if they are to steer themselves away from trouble.

That almost certainly means recruiting during the January transfer window.

After the defeat by Bury, the Iron boss reserved special praise for members of the starting line-up brought in by him since the start of the campaign.

He is keen to sign players of a similar calibre, though accepts it may not be easy given the financial restraints currently in place.

"We have to try to strengthen," he added.

"We've changed the team and played different players, but it's the same things that are happening.

"We know where we need to improve, but it's actually doing it.

"It's not going to be easy – but we're prepared. We've got names of players to go to.

"Hopefully they will add competition and bring those players who haven't performed particularly well forward.

"The good thing is the Shane Duffys, Jimmy Ryans and Andy Barchams. They've brought something to the team and that was the idea.

"We haven't seen Jordan Robertson too much, but you can see he's a really good player too.

"That's what we want. We just need more players like that, if it's possible.

"We need to do something pretty quickly."