Prolific forward James Norwood joins the Iron on a short-term contract

Scunthorpe United is delighted to announce the signing of experienced forward James Norwood until January.

A prolific goalscorer across the English football pyramid, Norwood joins the Iron following a season-long spell with League Two side Fleetwood Town, where he recorded two goals in 18 appearances.

Norwood began his career with boyhood club Eastbourne Town before earning a move to Exeter City at the age of 19. After two seasons with the Grecians, which included several loan spells, he made the permanent switch to Forest Green Rovers.

It was at the New Lawn where Norwood truly began to establish himself, recording 83 goal contributions in 176 appearances and becoming the club's all-time leading goalscorer in the National League.

Following four years with Forest Green, Norwood linked up with Merseyside outfit Tranmere Rovers in the summer of 2015, where he enjoyed the most prolific spell of his career. The forward scored an incredible 90 goals in 180 appearances at Prenton Park, helping the club return to the Football League before playing a key role in back-to-back promotions to League One via the play-offs. This campaign proved particularly memorable, with Norwood scoring 32 goals in all competitions to finish as the joint-top goalscorer in English football.

That goalscoring form earned him a move to Ipswich Town, where he continued to find the net regularly at League One level. Norwood finished as the Tractor Boys' leading scorer in consecutive seasons before a series of injuries brought his time at Portman Road to an end.

A move to Yorkshire followed, with Norwood joining Barnsley and scoring 12 goals during his single season with the Tykes.

In 2023, the now 36-year-old continued his goalscoring form after joining National League side Oldham Athletic. Across two seasons with the Latics, Norwood found the net 27 times in 72 appearances, finishing as the club's top scorer during his first campaign. His final appearance for Oldham was marked with a crucial second equaliser during their 3-2 extra-time victory over Southend United in the 2025 National League play-off final.

Now, the experienced forward returns to the National League with the Iron, looking to replicate his previous goalscoring success and add further firepower to the United front line.

Welcome to the Iron, James!