Scunthorpe United 1-1 Ipswich Town
Report from Glanford Park

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The Iron were pegged back to draw 1-1 with Ipswich Town at Glanford Park on Tuesday night.

Cliff Byrne put Scunthorpe ahead 20 minutes before the end with a header from close range, but David Healy equalised in controversial fashion for the visiting team soon after.

The result moves United into 17th in the division and means they are now three games unbeaten.

The Iron entered the game making two changes from the side which snatched a late-minute point in their 2-2 draw with Watford at Glanford Park during the weekend.

Sam Togwell and Garry Thompson came in for Grant McCann and the suspended Michael O'Connor in midfield.

Joe Murphy started in goal, with captain Cliff Byrne, David Mirfin, Michael Raynes and Marcus Williams forming the defence.

The midfield consisted of Thompson, Togwell, Matt Sparrow and Martyn Woolford, while Paul Hayes partnered Gary Hooper up front.

The substitutes were Josh Lillis, Kenny Milne, Grant McCann, Jonathan Forte, Josh Wright, Donal McDermott and Niall Canavan.

It was a bitterly cold night at Glanford Park, and United took time to get going - 45 minutes in fact - as the Tractor Boys had the better of the opening period.

Hayes and Hooper tried to link up well in the opening stages but, frustratingly, they struggled to create chances.

It was a windy evening, and Ipswich had the first real chance three minutes in as former Scunthorpe loan man Jon Walters flicked a weak shot at goal. However, the breeze saw it loop above Scunthorpe shotstopper Murphy and hit the top of the crossbar.

Daryl Murphy then drove down the right and sent in a low shot to Murphy's near post which the Irishman had to tip out.

Woolford had his side's first shot on goal in the eighth minute but skied the shot over the crossbar.

Trouble was caused by a Jack Colbeck cross into the box shortly after, but David Norris' tame daisy-cutter was easily handled by Murphy.

Just like on Saturday against Watford, Nigel Adkins' side were under the cosh in the opening stages and Walters came ever so close on 15 minutes, looping a volley on to the crossbar and beyond Murphy - luckily it bounced back into play.

Midway through the first half, snow started to fall, and Hooper almost forced a Scunthorpe opportunity when he tried to wriggle free of McAuley. Fortunately for the away side the former Lincoln man recovered to clear.

The Northern Ireland international was next to come close, striking in a shot after United failed to clear their lines from a Carlos Edwards cross which Murphy blocked out.

Shortly before half-time the Iron won a corner and Hayes got on the end of Woolford's delivery, but he volleyed the final chance of the opening half over the crossbar.

It was a slow start to the second period for Scunthorpe too, with few clearcut chances, but the visiting team weren't much of a threat attacking during the opening stages of the next half.

Togwell burst into the area on 51 minutes and poked the ball across but David Wright put the ball wide for a corner.

Three minutes later, Brian Murphy saved from Hooper, whose effort was on target after Thompson's ball into the area.

Just moments after, Woolford's acrobatic effort drew a stop from the Ipswich goalkeeper as it threatened to loop over him.

Colback blasted an effort over the crossbar for the away side before Byrne put Scunthorpe ahead on 70 minutes.

He turned the ball home at the back post for his third goal of the season after a corner had been partly cleared and Hayes hooked the ball into the area.

Straight after, Hooper could have made it two. The top goalscorer blasted wide a first time half-volley across the face of goal after linking up with Hayes, who had clipped him through.

And they would regret that miss as just three minutes after that, the away side levelled through substitute David Healy.

The ball was played through and it looked like Byrne had been bundled down by Healy in his own area. The Northern Ireland international profited by keeping his cool and slotted beyond Murphy.

There was an Iron change soon after as Forte came on for Woolford, as United seeked a decisive goal.

And the former Sheffield United man sent the ball across the face of goal from an angle with five minutes left, as nobody could get on the end of it and Ipswich lived to fight another day.

The Iron continued to try and force a winner, with four minutes of added time, but the central defensive duo of Damien Delaney and Gareth McAuley were equal to what United threw at them and the Tractor Boys held on for a point despite some late pressure from the hosts.

Scunthorpe are next in action when they visit Coventry City on Saturday.

Iron Bar and sponsors' man of the match: Matt Sparrow.

Attendance: 5,020 (555 away).