Scunthorpe United hoping centre-back Rob Jones can deliver this season

SCUNTHORPE United are hoping for a towering performance this season from centre-back Rob Jones.

And assistant manager Andy Crosby believes the former Hibernian skipper has returned to Glanford Park after the summer break with the new-found confidence to deliver.

It was a difficult first season in the Championship last term for the six-foot six-inch defender who the Iron brought down from Scotland for a club record £350,000 fee last summer.

He struggled for form early in the season, was then dogged by injuries and finally lost his place in a nightmare defensive campaign which saw Scunthorpe concede a bucketful of goals.

That's the area they know they have to improve this time if they are to stay in the second tier of English football for a third successive season.

United desperately need Jones to be the commanding figure they brought him in to be.

And Crosby believes the 30-year-old player is now ready to deliver.

"Hopefully he will," said the United number two.

"We signed a player who had done really well in Scotland and who had a reputation as being a leader of men.

"He himself has admitted he found it a struggle last season.

"But from June 30, when he walked back through the door here at Glanford Park for the start of pre-season training, I have seen a different Rob Jones on a daily basis.

"I think his performances so far in pre-season have shown that.

"He is relishing the challenge and will be out to prove one or two people wrong.

"He has been a different person in the last few weeks.

"I have spoken to him on a one-to-one basis and he said 'confidence' – that is what he keeps mentioning.

"Hopefully we will see Rob out there for 46 games this season, that is what we are after.

"He could be a really big player for us.

"And hopefully that will be part of a settled back four, something which has been a problem for us last season with all the changes we had to make.

"A settled defence gives you a good base to build from, with an excellent goalkeeper in Joe Murphy behind.

"Everyone knows we conceded too many goals last season.

"We know what we have got to improve on – and we will keep working to do that."

Jones started only 28 league games for Scunthorpe last season, with main central defensive partner David Mirfin managing to play 36 times.

The mainstay of the Iron back four was left-back Marcus Williams, who has left this summer for Reading.

Because of injuries, suspensions and loss of form, United used no fewer than 13 different players in the back line of their defence – with midfield man Sam Togwell also having to fill-in at full-back for the whole of the second half in the 1-1 draw at QPR.