By Craig Hope

PRESSED on the subject of revenge against a Scunthorpe side which inflicted an uneasy defeat on his promotion hopefuls earlier in the season, Chris Hughton insisted that he preferred to look forward rather than back.

Any lingering hurt which existed from that bitterly-cold night at Glanford Park was soon expelled during the course of the subsequent 15-game unbeaten run which silenced suggestion of a faltering title tilt.

Wednesday sees the return fixture at Gallowgate, but boss Hughton says that any notion of vengeance is not at the forefront of his mind.

"I don't think we owe them one, no," said the United chief when asked about settling a score following the 2-1 defeat in October.

"On the day they scored one more goal than we did but we had more chances to win the game.

"That game was evidence of any team being able to beat any other team in this division on their day.

"But that is in the past, our focus is very much on looking forward rather than backwards.

"Even after that game the players refused to dwell on the defeat and look what happened - a 15-game unbeaten run.

"That showed the mental strength of these lads and how determined they are to get out of this division.

"A lot of people expected us to nose dive after that period, but we moved on and ended up establishing ourselves at the top of the table.

"That is where we remain and where we intend to stay until the end of the season."