Any theories that Adam Lakeland has a hex on promotion-chasing Scunthorpe will be proven – or otherwise – on Friday when he takes his King’s Lynn Town team to Glanford Park.

The Linnets boss has already steered teams to wins over the Iron this season – once with Curzon Athletic and then, in November, at The Walks in what was at that time easily the biggest win of his fledgling career in west Norfolk.

The hat-trick bid comes after a run of 10 games unbeaten, which has taken Lynn to the verge of National League North safety. They dropped a place to 17th after the midweek fixtures but are still six points clear of the drop zone.

It is easing the pressure, notwithstanding the mathematical element, but Lakeland believes it is second-placed Scunthorpe – beaten 1-0 at Spennymoor in midweek - who have the most to lose.

“They're going to be under pressure, aren't they?” he said. “Because they still have a little glimmer that they can maybe catch Tamworth, which I don't think they will. But they've got Chorley breathing down their neck for second and for that play-off home advantage, which with their place packed out, they'll obviously be looking to get.

“So there's pressure on them - a club the size of Scunthorpe in this league there will be pressure on them in every game, but for us we can go and enjoy it.

“We have beat them once before, and I beat them when I was at Curzon as well. Some teams, you just have a little bit of extra luck against and hopefully we can get a little bit more - go and enjoy the game, but we've got to go there believing that we can get another result.”

The reality is that Tamworth have all but won the league – they’d have been closer had they not been held to a 1-1 draw at The Walks at the weekend in a game in which they were perhaps fortunate to take away a point.

On January 1, Scunthorpe and Tamworth were neck and neck at the top, the Iron on top by goal difference only -now they are 11 points behind. It’s a gap Lakeland believes is too much for Scunthorpe to make up.

“We’ve been tested against the best in the league (Tamworth, because they're going to win the league by a handful of points,” he said. “Scunthorpe, it's going to be a completely different challenge because you're obviously away from home, against a big club, big fan base, massive budget, big squad.

“They play a completely different brand and style of football to what Tamworth do.”

When the sides met at The Walks, kick-off was preceded by the somewhat bizarre sight of a presentation of Lynn owner Stephen Cleeve to Scunthorpe’s three former Linnets players, Ross Barrows, Michael Clunan and Tyler Denton. Word is, it was intended as more of a psychological distraction – the jury is out on whether or not it affected the outcome.

Barrows is back at Lynn on a one-month loan so is ineligible to face his parent club, but Kian Ronan is available after his international duties with Gibraltar.