Cardiff City 4-0 Scunthorpe United
Report from the Cardiff City Stadium
Coca-Cola Championship

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United were beaten 4-0 by Cardiff City in their first game of the new Championship season in South Wales.

Dave Jones' promotion contenders won in style at their brand new stadium, as Scunthorpe were left rueing an early missed opportunity by Gary Hooper.

Michael Chopra deflected in Peter Whittingham's shot to put the hosts ahead, and Jay Bothroyd soon added to their account with a tap-in.

Chopra blasted in a third on the stroke of half-time and that's how it stayed until Whittingham's late penalty.

Sam Togwell was named in midfield for the match. The former Barnsley ballwinner was chosen ahead of Michael O'Connor alongside Grant McCann, with right-winger Matt Sparrow and left-sider Martyn Woolford forming the rest of the engine room.

Joe Murphy started in goal, while Cliff Byrne, David Mirfin, Rob Jones and Ian Morris formed the defence. The strikers were Hooper and Paul Hayes.

And it was the former of those strikers who had the first chance of the afternoon after a minute. He was played through down the left and worked his way into the box, but David Marshall did well to stop his low effort. It would prove a decisive moment in the game, as things could have been very different should the shot had gone in.

Soon after, McCann had a shot blocked out by Marshall as the away pressure intensified.

Both teams looked strong going forward and it was proving an entertaining spectacle in front of a packed Cardiff City Stadium.

The next opportunity fell the way of Cardiff, who received a free-kick on the edge of the penalty area after Rob Jones' foul on Joee Ledley. Chopra lashed the subsequent set-piece over the crossbar though.

Then, just two minutes later, Chopra did give them the lead. Whittingham's shot took a wicked deflection off the former Sunderland man to wrongfoot Murphy and loop into the back of the net.

It could have been two on 25 minutes too, as Chopra raced clear and smacked in a low effort which cannoned back into play off the inside of the post.

His strike partner Bothroyd drew a routine stop from Murphy with a header from close range a short while later as the pressure continued from the home side.

And they made it two around the half-hour mark, with Bothroyd steering home at the back post from two yards after Joe Ledley's low shot had been driven across goal.

Up to half-time, the Iron struggled to get the ball out of Cardiff's half - with the hosts firing just wide again through a Ledley free-kick.

McCann had a shot blocked, while Byrne's header was easily saved by Marshall, before Chopra added his second just on the stroke of half-time.

He burst into space in the penalty area and lashed a strike beyond Murphy and into the roof of the net.

There was a change for the visitors early in the second-half, as Josh Wright came on for Hooper and Woolford moved to the attack to partner Hayes. Grant McCann switched to the left wing.

The first Iron opportunity of the second half fell the way of Hayes, who found space on the edge of the box before sending in a low shot which Marshall easily gathered.

Soon after, Woolford's superb cross from a narrow angle just eluded Hayes and Togwell as United looked to claw their way back into the game.

Chopra could have completed his hat-trick on 63 minutes, but a combination of Murphy and Jones blocked the ball from going in after McCormack had squared it to the on-form goalscorer.

Cardiff had another great chance as Chopra's volley was blocked by Murphy before Bothroyd's rebounded shot was blocked.

Then, a matter of seconds later, Chopra rounded Murphy and squared for Whittingham, whose shot cleared the crossbar.

Bothroyd's header drew another stop from the busy Irishman as United bid to keep the score down.

There was a double change for United, as Forte and O'Connor replaced Togwell and Sparrow in a bid to freshen things up, but it didn't have much impact.

The final goal came Cardiff's way during the first minute out of four in stoppage time. Woolford felled Whittingham in the penalty area, and the ex-Aston Villa man stepped up to send the resulting spot-kick past Murphy.

Scunthorpe were well beaten in their first game back at Championship level, and are in action again on Tuesday night when they host Chesterfield in the first round of the Carling Cup.

TEAMS
Cardiff City: Marshall, Kennedy, Hudson, Whittingham, Chopra (Burke, 87), Bothroyd (Magennis, 89), McPhail, Quinn, Gerrard, Ledley (Rae, 45), McCormack.
Substitutes not used: Enckelman, Gyepes, Capaldi, Comminges.

Scunthorpe United: Murphy, Byrne, Mirfin, Jones, Morris, Sparrow (O'Connor, 80), Togwell (Forte, 80), McCann, Woolford, Hayes, Hooper (J. Wright, 50).
Substitutes not used: Lillis, A. Wright, Thompson, May.
Bookings: Togwell.

REFEREE
Jonathan Moss (West Yorkshire).

ATTENDANCE
22,264 (600 away approx).

Get post-match reaction on Scunthorpe-United.co.uk and The Iron Player later this evening.