“I wake up and check the bank balance in panic” – Scunthorpe United chair Michelle Harness gives raw, unflinching interview in second episode of News Direct podcast

In a powerful and deeply personal episode of the News Direct podcast released today, Michelle Harness, chair of Scunthorpe United Football Club, lays bare the emotional and financial tightrope walked daily to keep the Iron alive.

Speaking openly about the mental toll of rescuing a club that was “hours from extinction,” Michelle describes:

• Waking every morning in dread to check the club’s bank account

• Days when she felt “like a zombie” while the outside world praised her strength

• Surprise debts that still appear years after the takeover

• The moment a fellow director told her “you’re on the edge”

• Why her luxury item on a desert island would simply be her dressing gown – “my safe spot”

Podcast host, Cllr Rob Waltham, leader of North Lincolnshire Council, said: “Amid the stark honesty there is fierce optimism: praise for manager Andy Butler’s work within a tight budget, gratitude for the loyalty of supporters, and an unwavering belief that Scunthorpe deserves to be back in the Football League.

“Michelle continually undervalues what she has achieved. This conversation shows the human cost of saving a football club – and why a local woman from a Scunthorpe estate has become one of the most important figures in the National League.”

The episode Local Lass, Football Boss: Tears, Tumbleweed & Dressing-Gown Therapy, is available now on Spotify and YouTube.