The Iron lost 2-0 at home to Fleetwood Town on Tuesday night.
Second-half goals from in form-striker Jamie Proctor and Gareth Evans were the difference between the two sides at Glanford Park.Manager Russ Wilcox made six changes to the side that lost against Preston on Saturday, with new signings Bobby Olejnik and Luke O’Neill amongst those coming into the side.
It was a fast paced start to the game and in the opening moments, Fleetwood won a corner when a Morris cross was deflected behind by O’Neill but it was cleared by the Iron.
The Iron’s first contribution to the game when they won a corner of their own in the 3rd minute through Matt Sparrow but Neil’s Bishop’s corner was won by Liam Hogan and cleared.
The next foray into the final third was five minutes later, when a run down the left from Eddie Nolan was deflected into Terry Hawkridge’s path but his cross was deflected into the keepers hands
The first real chance of the game came in the 13th minute when the ball was played through to Sparrow and he squared for Madden to put the ball into the back of the net but it was ruled out for offside.
The first scare for the Iron came in the 21st minute. An awkward ball over the top from Anton Sarcevic saw Miles Addison lose his balance whilst heading the ball back to Olejnik, diverting the header goalwards but the keeper was able to get to the ball.
The Iron’s first real shot of the game when the Iron won a corner in the 21st minute. delivery was headed away by Hogan but the ball founds its way to Hawkridge, who cut inside on his left foot and crossed for Addison, who headed over the bar.
Fleetwood had a good chance a minute later, when Sarcevic crossed for Ball but he wasn’t able to get good contact at the far post.
Deliveries from the wings were causing the Iron problems and the best chance of the first half came in the 25th minute, when Crainey puts ball in but Ball lost his balance on the wet surface and headed it straight at Olenik when it looked destined to be a goal.
The Iron tested Maxwell for the first time in the 32nd minute, when Nolan won the ball from Schumacher out wide and the bell fell to Madden, who tried his luck from twenty yards but the ball was straight at the Welshman.
The visitors tested Olejnik again in the 33rd minute, when McLaughlin played in but was deflected off Canavan and into the goalkeeper’s hands.
Steven Schumacher came in the 36th minute, his long range shot forcing Olejnik to palm the ball away and the ball was then cleared.
Josh Morris was the next to have a chance for Fleetwood, firing the ball over the bar from the right hand side of the box in the 42nd minute.
The last action before half time came when a great run from Madden from inside his own half saw him run down the left hand side and to the byline but his cross was gathered by Maxwell.
The sides went in goalless at the break but it was the away side that will have felt they should have taken at least one of the chances they had.
The second half began with the away side putting on the pressure again with a succession of corners. That period of play ended with the ball being headed out by Addison and the ball fell to Proctor, who fired way over the bar from around 40 yards out.
In the the 51st minute, Sarcevic went on a driving run from the half way line and played in Proctor, but his shot was deflected off O’Neill and just over the bar.
There was then a stoppage in the came when a forceful foul from Evans on Bishop eventually saw the experience d midfielder have to leave the pitch five minutes later.
In the 53rd minute, the resulting free kick was floated in by McAllister and Addison was again the man to meet it, heading over the bar.
United had a spell of possession in the final third after the substitution, beginning to grow into the game and pin Fleetwood back.
In the 66th minute, a free kick was played short and into the path of Myrie-Williams, who went past his man and crossed but couldn’t get a clean connection and the ball was cleared.
However, against the run of play, it was Fleetwood that took the lead in the 70th minute when Ball twisted and turned past Nolan and delivered a low cross into the box, which was side footed into the back of the net at the far post by Proctor.
The Iron came very close to an equaliser in the 74th minute when a ball over the top found Madden, his shot was deflected and then Sparrow
Russ Wilcox turned to new signing Billy Kee to try and the former Burton Albion striker replaced Madden in the 75th minute to make his debut for the club.
A minute later, A testing cross from Myrie-Williams was headed away by Hogan for the corner as the rain began to pour down at Glanford Park.
In the 80th minute, Fleetwood doubled their lead when a free-kick was whipped in Schumacher and was all on his own to head past Olejnik at the far post and into the corner of the net.
The Iron needed a reponse and had their best chance to get to do just that in the 84th minute.
A pacey cross from Myrie-Williams founds its way to the other side of the pitch and Hawkridge, who came inside and whipped in but it was headed over by Burton.
The Iron’s best chance of the game came in the final minute, when Hawkridge’s corner was met by Addison and looked destined to hit the back of the net but cannoned off the post and was cleared .
The stoppage in play saw six minutes of added time for the Iron were unable to fashion another chance and they now look ahead to the trip to Yeovil Town on Saturday for their first three points of the season.
TEAM LINE-UPS
Scunthorpe United: Olejnik, O’Neill, Canavan, Addison, Nolan, Sparrow, McAllister, Bishop (Myrie-Williams, 61), Hawkridge, Madden (Kee, 75), Burton
Substitutes not used: Weaver, Llera, Adelakun, McSheffrey, Taylor
Fleetwood Town: Maxwell, McLaughlin, Hogan, Jordan, Crainey, Sarcevic, Schumacher, Evans, Morris, Proctor, Ball (Cresswell, 87)
Substitutes not used: Davies, Murdoch, Blair, Hughes, Davies, Campbell
Attendance: 2,773 (101 away).