KEITH Hill says he was “thrown under the bus” at Bolton Wanderers – and does not want the same to happen to him at Scunthorpe United.

The former Whites boss has managed just two wins from 33 games in charge at the Iron, who have been relegated to the National League after a miserable campaign.

They were beaten 7-0 by Joey Barton’s Bristol Rovers on the final day – a result which was enough to see their opponents clinch automatic promotion to League One ahead of Northampton Town.

Boltonian, Hill, inherited a desperate situation at Glanford Park and has seen long-serving chairman Peter Swann step down amid heavy criticism from the club’s fans.

But he insists Swann – who also appointed his son, Will, as the club’s chief scout – is not entirely to blame for the club’s demise.

"It's the culmination of a lot of things and I can't put it down to one fact," Hill said.

"If you want me to say that it's Peter Swann's fault or Will Swann's fault, I can categorically tell you 100 per cent it isn't.

"There's a lot of people pushing for the finger to be pointed at the Swanns and it's 100 per cent not [their fault]. They're genuine people who are still funding this club."

"The club need to show bravery. They can throw me under the bus if they want, like most clubs do - I got thrown under the bus [at Tranmere] last season and I got thrown under the bus at Bolton. You clean a club up and then you get thrown out.

"But it needs cleansing. It needs somebody like me to make sure there's a successful future."

Hill spent a little over nine months in charge at Bolton from September 2019, his tenure ended in the middle of the pandemic after relegation to League Two.

He was then sacked after a seven-month spell at Tranmere despite helping the Prenton Park club into the Papa John’s Trophy final and the play-offs.

Scunthorpe have bowed out of the Football League for the first time in 72 years but Hill believes he is the right person to help them bounce back at the first attempt.

"I need to be able to change the culture," he said.

"I want to be here, but I will not accept what I've had to deal with for the last six months. I will not accept the standards I've been presented.

"I need to be in total control of my budget, total control of player ins and outs, and then I should be judged."