John Schofield has been appointed assistant manager for League 1 newcomers Scunthorpe United.

Schofield had spent the last two seasons as no.2 at Gillingham, firstly under Martin Allen and then working alongside Peter Taylor.

He was released at the end of last season as Taylor wanted a more local coach - opting for Andy Hessenthaler.

It will be the second time Schofield has worked at Scunthorpe, having previously served as a coach there under Nigel Adkins

Schofield, 49, joined the Gills after following then manager Allen to the club. The pair had previously worked together at Notts County.

He played a crucial role in the 2012/13 season to help the Gills win the League 2 title.

The former Lincoln City manager stayed on at the Gills, when Allen was sacked, and helped Taylor keep the club afloat in League 1 last season.

He will return to Priestfield on October 11, when the Iron face Gillingham in a league clash.

Scunthorpe boss Russ Wilcox, a good friend of Schofield and former team-mate, went 26 games without defeat after taking over the reigns at Glanford Park last season.

He guided them to second place in the division and is looking forward to working with Schofield again.

“I am very excited to have John Schofield onboard,” Wilcox said.

“He has a wealth of experience, from managing to coaching and he has just come from League 1 with Gillingham.

“You look at his last two seasons, promotion from League 2, similar to what we have just done and then had a full season in League 1.

“He knows what League 1 is about and he will give us a headstart on lots of games. It’s a good coup for the club.”