MARTIN Ling promised to go with two up top and he delivered, what he did not reveal was the return to the 3-5-2 formation that served Town so well for most of last season.

This current side are some way short of the 2014/15 incarnation, but the move to a back three and wing-backs did at least go some way to fixing their recent problems.

Essentially it allowed Adam El-Abd, Raphael Branco and Jordan Turnbull to match up against the Iron’s strike trio and use Bradley Barry and Brandon Ormonde-Ottewill as the spare men.

It was not perfect, Scunthorpe created plenty of chances, but it was more resolute than the back four of recent times.

It can partly be laid at the feet of the team’s undeniably low confidence, but the formation change did not bring about the return of fluent football either.

The attempts to play from the back were muddled and often resulted in the ball going long, arguably missing the whole point of trying to play out in the first place, and the midfield set-up must be held accountable for some of that.

Drissa Traore was the lone midfielder and when marked there was a reluctance of movement from the two stationed ahead of him, Anton Rodgers and Ben Gladwin, to help out.

Rodgers in particular had a poor game his positioning was questionable throughout. He did not rotate to make angles for his teammates or if he did it was unhelpful and did not move the team forward.

It is perhaps unfair on Rodgers, who is better suited to sitting at the base of midfield and stretching play laterally. The conditions undoubtedly reduced his effectiveness as a long-range passer. Fabien Robert might have been a better fit for a role that requires more play on the half-turn, an area where Rodgers does not excel.

Gladwin showed how it should be done and although not at his best his assist for the second goal, as well as a couple of driving runs, offer encouragement that this is a formation for Ling to persist with.