Scunthorpe United FC

The Iron recorded their third home win on the spin for the first time since March 2009 as they disposed of Carlisle United on a night of celebration at Glanford Park.

On the evening the club celebrated their 100th year as a professional club, an Akpo Sodje brace and a header from Paul Reid were enough to see off the Cumbrians 3-1.

The Iron flew out of the blocks when Sodje nodded home just after the quarter hour.

Five minutes later, Reid nodded home a Mark Duffy cross to double the advantage.

Despite pulling one back on the stroke of half time, the Iron held their nerve and made sure of the points in second half added time when Sodje coolly slotted home.

The Iron made just one change from Saturday’s fine win over Crawley Town with Josh Walker replacing Mike Grella.

That meant the home side lined up with Sam Slocombe in goal. In front of him was a back four of Tom Newey, skipper Paul Reid, Niall Canavan and Callum Kennedy.

The midfield consisted of Mark Duffy, Walker, Michael Collins and Jimmy Ryan while up top were Karl Hawley and Akpo Sodje.

Despite having won two games on their own turf for the first time in two years, and in the process getting one proverbial monkey off their backs, it was the visitors who started the game the brightest with Adam Welsh putting a right wing cross the wrong side of Slocombe’s back post after just seven minutes.

But on 17 minutes after edging their way into the game with a couple of shots from the edge of the area, the Iron took the lead.

Duffy picked the ball up on the left hand side, just outside the box, and after switching it onto his right the winger whipped in a peach of a cross which an unmarked Sodje glanced beyond Gillespie for his third headed goal in three games, all of which have come at home.

Newey continued where he left off on Saturday, his dogged persistence down the right forcing a corner which led to the Iron finding themselves two up on 22 minutes.

Duffy again was the creator, whipping in another fine ball at pace and this time it was skipper Paul Reid who was on the spot to head home from inside the box, sending the Glanford Park faithful into raptures.

Two minutes later and Newey decided it was his turn to get in on the fun only his dipping shot was somehow kicked away with the Iron rampant.

The ball was again in the back of the net for the Iron with 17 minutes of the half remaining, but this time Sodje was adjudged to be offside as the Doncaster Road end rocked to chants of ‘Lawsy, Lawsy, give us a wave.’

But somehow, inexplicably, just as fourth official Ian Dudley signalled one minute added time the visitors gave themselves a lifeline as a hit and hope from James Berrett fully 30 yards out trickled beyond Slocombe.

The Iron could have restored their two goal cushion just 30 seconds later as Sodje crashed a header against the post from a Newey right wing cross.

Half-time was a celebration of 100 years of the Iron as a professional club with former players leading a precession on the pitch, the largest cheer reserved for legendary skipper Cliff Byrne.

Just four minutes into the second half and what had been billed as a great night in the Iron’s history could have got better but Jimmy Ryan skied his shot having found himself unmarked on the edge of the Cumbrians' box.

Buoyed by the goal just before the interval the visitors came out with fire in their belly but in front of them were an Iron side playing with real commitment to the cause, typified by Michael Collins who drove on his side from the heart of midfield like the general he has become under Laws.

With 18 minutes left, man of the match Jimmy Ryan, who seemed to revel in his role on the right, jinked into the area beating three before seeing his shot miss the post by inches as his side searched for the third goal their performance richly deserved.

With 11 minutes to go, Laws brought on David Mirfin as the Iron went five across the back, but moments later it was their last line of defence who kept his side in the game, as Slocombe acrobatically saved from substitute Mark Beck.

Inexplicably, the fourth official signalled five minutes added time but as Glanford Park collectively showed their disgust, Sodje put the game beyond doubt.

With the visitors pressing Hawley broke out of defence and sprinted down the left.

Half way inside the opposition half he looked up and slid a perfectly weighted ball into the path of his strike partner who held off James Berrett to coolly slot home before showing off his celebration dance in front of a jubilant crowd.

TEAM LINE-UP
Scunthorpe United: Slocombe, Newey, Reid, Canavan, Kennedy, Duffy (Mirfin 78), Collins, Walker, Ryan, Hawley, Sodje.
Substitutes: Severn, Grella, Barcham, Godden, Nolan, Adelakan.

Carlisle United: Gillespie, Simek, O'Hanlon, Livesey (Cadamarteri 90), Robson, McGovern, Thirlwell, Berrett, Welsh (Symington 46), Loy (Beck 72), Miller.
Substitutes: Collin, Murphy, Noble, Potts.

Attendance: 3,112 (200 away).