Scunthorpe United 3-2 Derby County
Report from Glanford Park
Coca-Cola Championship - Saturday, August 15, 2009

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The Iron recorded their first Championship win of the season when they beat Derby County in a pulsating home game at Glanford Park.

Gary Hooper gave United a deserved lead early on, but Paul Green soon equalised.

The hosts had chance after chance before Hooper slotted in his second just before half-time.

Kris Commons equalised with a penalty, but Martyn Woolford won it for Scunthorpe with a superb counter-attack goal eight minutes from time.

The Iron entered the game making two changes from the team that beat Chesterfield 2-1 in the Carling Cup in midweek.

Joe Murphy and Grant McCann returned from international duty to replace Josh Lillis and Garry Thompson.

Murphy began the match in goal, with Andrew Wright, Cliff Byrne, Rob Jones and Marcus Williams forming the defence.

The midfield consisted of Matt Sparrow, Michael O'Connor, Grant McCann and Martyn Woolford.

The strike force consisted of Paul Hayes and Hooper.

The substitutes were Josh Lillis, Sam Togwell, Garry Thompson, Jonathan Forte, Ben May, Josh Wright and Niall Canavan.

Glanford Park was packed to the rafters, and United began the game very well indeed.

O'Connor's curled free-kick from nthe left went just over the crossbar after taking a deflection off the head of Jay McEveley.

The pressure continued when Hayes forced a corner, as United kept up their dominance during the opening period.

They were finally rewarded on 17 minutes when Wright played the balkl to Hooper, who passed to Hayes, who cleverly spread the ball out to Woolford. The winger's powerful shot was well blocked by Stephen Bywater, but Hooper was there to poach home the rebound for the club's first Championship goal of the season.

County were level three minutes later however, as the defence was cut open by Stephen Pearon's throughball. Green dropped his shoulder to the right and fired the ball across and past Murphy for the leveller.

They were having the better of the play immediately after the goal, and Miles Addison powered a header wide of goal after Gary Teale's corner.

26 minutes in and it could have been two for United, as Hooper got through and struck a low effort from the left just wide across goal.

Sparrow did well to work an opening for the hosts on the half-hour mark, but Hayes' low shot was easily kept out by Bywater.

Moments later, O'Connor curled a strike over the crossbar as the Iron continued their bid to regain the lead.

The front two linked up well against in the 33rd minute as Hayes slid a shot wide from the right-hand side of the penalty area.

Bywater was then drawn into another stop on 36 minutes as Hooper was played through and struck in a low effort which the goalkeeper punched out.

However, they were rewarded on 44 minutes, when Hooper raced clear to latch on to a long ball and fire across Bywater from the right of the penalty area. The ball went in off the post to rapturous applause from the home following.

United had been the better side and were deserved leaders at the break, and they continued to have the better of the play after half-time too.

Nevertheless, it was County who were provided with the next chance, as they won a penalty when Addison headed down Paul Connolly's high pass, and Commons latched on to it before being felled by Murphy.

The former Nottingham Forest man stepped up to send the Irishman the wrong way, right in front of the large away following behind the goal.

The Iron looked to respond urgently, and McCann curled a shot into the arms of Bywater as they seeked a third.

It was end to end, and Derby could have scored again when a curled effort from Commons on the edge of the area was headed off the line by Jones.

In the 70th minute, Woolford then shot straight into the arms of Bywater after McCann had played him into space.

On 82 minutes though, Woolford had more success - being played through by Sparrow on the counter-attack and drilling past Bywater from just inside the area from the right.

There were three changes, with Josh Wright, Forte and Togwell replacing McCann, Hooper and O'Connor as the Iron bid to wind the clock down and add some fresh legs to hold on to their lead.

And they managed to do so, despite four minutes of stoppage time. Woolford had a late chance after being played through by Forte, but he shot straight into Bywater's arms.

Not to matter, as the home team heald on for a well deserved win.

They are next in action on Tuesday night when they host Middlesbrough.

TEAMS
Scunthorpe United: Murphy, A. Wright, Byrne, Jones, Williams, Sparrow, O'Connor (Togwell, 87), McCann (J. Wright, 79), Woolford, Hayes, Hooper (Forte, 85).
Substitutes not used: Lillis, Thompson, May, Canavan.

Derby County: Bywater, Connolly (Barker, 90), McEveley (Commons, 53), Green (Hulse, 72), Addison, Croft, Savage, Teale, Pearson, Buxton, Moxey.
Substitutes not used Leacock, Deeney, Varney, Pringle.

REFEREE
Graham Horwood

ASSISTANT REFEREES
Alf Greenwood and Danny Roberts

FOURTH OFFICIAL
Darren England

ATTENDANCE
7,392 (2,092 away).

SPONSORS' MAN OF THR MATCH
Gary Hooper.

IRON BAR MAN OF THE MATCH
Martyn Woolford