Manchester United and Virgil van Dijk help club celebrate 125th anniversary

Scotter held an auction and raffle as part of special commemorative day on Sunday, and among the items on offer were a United matchball, signed by the players, and a shirt, signed by player of the year van Dijk, sent by the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA).

The auction and raffle, which raised hundreds of pounds for the club, also featured items and prizes donated by Hull City, whose manager Nigel Adkins used to live in Scotter, Ipswich Town, Lincoln City and Scunthorpe United, as well as a host of local businesses.

It was held at The Gamekeeper pub on High Street in the village, along with a barbecue and music until late in the evening.

This followed two anniversary matches at Northmoor Road, with the current Scotter first team taking on a Scotter Old Boys outfit, and the current Scotter U18s’ team taking on the U18s of 2011.

More than 150 people joined in the celebrations, which were mainly organised by the club’s goalkeeper Matt Lawson, and they were voted a huge success.

The longevity of Scotter United, who were formed in 1894, five years before Scunthorpe United, is amazing. The club is as popular as ever and plays an important role within the village community, running several youth teams as well as two senior sides.

Fittingly, the first team marked the year by winning the First Division title in the Scunthorpe and District Saturday League, winning 19 of their 21 matches to finish 15 points clear. They would have completed a double but lost on penalties in the final of the league’s challenge cup .