Scunthorpe United 0-1 Queens Park Rangers
Glanford Park
Coca-Cola Championship - Saturday, August 29, 2009
FULL-TIME
Scunthorpe United 0 QPR 1
United are beaten, and suddenly the Championship doesn't seem such a rosy place to be. They attacked QPR today, but in all honesty, didn't look like scoring, despite the odd half-chance, and four shots on-target.
Nigel Adkins and the team will take this result on the chin and come back stronger, after the forthcoming international break, but today's result has been desperately dissapointing. Football is a very uncertain thing though, and I wouldn't bet against United going to Crystal Palace and claiming a result in their next game.
SECOND-HALF
93 Minutes: Woolford is hacked down unceremoniously as he moved through the gears. McCann centres the resulting free-kick towards Hooper, but he can't quite connect with it. It only needed a delicate touch to steer it home, too.
90 Minutes: Five additional minutes are added, and United will continue to press, I'm sure.
87 Minutes: United win another free-kick around the area. McCann puts it into the box, and Mirfin heads just wide. Unlucky. When the free-kick was awarded Jim Magilton was sent to the stand for disagreeing with the last two decisions the referee has made.
86 Minutes: In the week Eduardo had caused so much controvery by 'simulating' (a.k.a. diving) in the Champions League for Arsenal, Wayne Routledge is booked for trying to deceive today's referee into giving QPR a penalty. He gets through, rounds Murphy, and drops to the floor like he's been shot when he realises the ball has run away from him.
80 Minutes: Sub by QPR - Alejandro Faurlin off for Gavin Mahon.
78 Minutes: Free-kick to United (in a dangerous area) for a foul on Martyn Woolford. McCann and Josh Wright both want to take it... McCann does, and forces Cerny into a smart stop. The ball was heading into the bottom-left (Cerny's perspective) corner of the goal.
75 Minutes: Josh Wright sends a free-kick into the area. It's heading towards where all of United's taller players (Mirfin etc.) are congregated at the back-post. But Cerny gets a hand to it and turns it over them all. Had the ball have found it's way over Cerny, and to the back, I think United would've levelled then.
73 Minutes: Paul Hayes is bundled over in the area by Matthew Connolly. It's not even discrete. Everyone in the ground, me included, expects the referee to blow for a penalty. He doesn't.
72 Minutes: It's wave after wave of fruitless attack from United at the moment. They're settled in QPR's half, and are pressing for an equaliser, but without quite flooring the accelerator, as it were.
70 Minutes: Sub by Scunthorpe and QPR - Last throw of the dice in this game for United. Sparrow is replaced by the slightly more attacking Garry Thompson. QPR's Jay Simpson leaves the field also. Heidar Helguson comes on for him.
68 Minutes: Woolford is bundled over on the angle of the box. A quick free-kick is taken, but despite Hooper's best efforts to take the ball, turn and shoot, he's crowded out by QPR defenders. There's a prolonged shout for handball from the crowd and some players, but Mr. Salisbury doesn't want to know.
60 Minutes: Subs by Scunthorpe - McCann and Wright come on for Togwell and O'Connor. That means a whole new setup in the heart of the team for United then. There's some boos at the fact O'Connor is replaced.
59 Minutes: A QPR corner almost leads to the London side grabbing a second goal. United fail to clear it after the initial ball is swung in, and as you may suspect, a chance eventually comes their way. Fitz Hall hits an immaculate volley at goal. Murphy makes an awesome save. What a season Murphy is having, especially in the last three games (including today) - he's played immensely.
55 Minutes: Sub by QPR - Adel Taarabt, the scorer of the goal, is taken off. Rowan Vine is on instead.
49 Minutes: Woolford shows an athletic touch to take the ball in midfield. He plays a quick one-two with Hooper, and then sprints off down the wing, eventually clipping the ball deep into the area. But United are low on numbers in the box, and Radek Cerny comes a considerable distance out of his goal to claim the ball, unchallenged.
46 Minutes: United start with an attack. Williams and Woolford work together on the left, pushing the ball into the depths of QPR territory. But they're halted in the corner by Peter Ramage and co.
HALF-TIME
Scunthorpe United 0 QPR 1
The first-half started in the worst possible way for United, when they fell behind to an early goal. Adel Taarabt was the scorer, and United probably couldn't have argued that QPR didn't deserve their goal at that stage - the London side had looked lively from the off, with debutant Jay Simpson in an especially bubbly mood on the right.
But as the game went on, it became more of a contest, as the team in claret and blue got back into their rhythm, stringing more passes together, and creating more opportunities. Martyn Woolford had the best chance to level things; but at the same time QPR had chances to extend things - Jay Simpson's poorly placed drive on the stroke of half-time is the most glaring example of this. Even so, United may feel a little unlucky to be behind, still.
The second half will hopefully see United push for and obtain an equaliser, at least. They will be shooting towards their own supporters in the Doncaster Road End this half, and still have the opportunity to make three subs - with the likes of McCann, Thompson and Forte raring to go on the sidelines.
Today's attendance is announced, with a total of 5,866 people coming to the match.
FIRST-HALF
47 Minutes: Marcus Williams does well in the box, weaving around in a manner that makes defenders scared to tackle him, incase they concede a penalty - and this leads to a chance for Jordan Spence. Spence swings a left boot at the ball, but it's clear that he'd have preferred it to fall on his right - and although Cerny has to make a save, it's comfortable for him.
44 Minutes: Jay Simpson fires at goal from a very good position in the area. He only finds the side of the net. He should have at least worked Murphy.
34 Minutes: Hooper, Sparrow and Woolford combine, and almost fathom an equaliser for the Iron. Hooper gets the ball in the centre-circle, holds off two players, and then slides it to Sparrow. Sparrow continues the counter attack, travelling a little further upfield with the ball, before spotting Woolford on the wing. Woolford cuts inside, and sends a shot towards the far-post - but it hits a defender and rolls out for a corner. If it hadn't have hit him, it would probbably be 1-1 now.
25 Minutes: Paul Hayes intercepts a pass played across the QPR back-four, and quickly sends it the way of Gary Hooper. Hooper, tracked by three players, manages to progress thirty yards upfield to the area, and get a shot away. But the odds were always stacked against him. It was nothing more than half of a chance. Cerny gathers the ball without quite breaking sweat.
21 Minutes: Gary Hooper jumps for a header, and is victim of a heavy aerial challenge by Matthew Connolly. The referee plays the advantage, and United press ahead with their attack, but their eventual shot goes sailing leisurely over the bar. After that, play halts for a good few minutes while Hooper's treated; until, eventually, he's back on his feet.
18 Minutes: Wayne Routledge sends a whipped cross into the area. Jay Simpson meets it, but given the time and space he had, should've done better than the token effort wide of the post which he conjures up.
15 Minutes: Gary Hooper gets the ball in a promising position, just outside the area. He spots a gap in the defence and runs into it, but is halted in his tracks via a lunge from Matthew Connolly.
8 Minutes: QPR are well and truly in control of this game. They just forced Murphy into a fine stop from close-range; before Gary Hooper went up the other end and fell under a heavy challenge. The referee blew. There was a moment of euphoria, as supporters thought United had found an unlikely route back into the game from the penalty spot. Then a QPR player picked up the ball and struck the free-kick which Hooper had conceded.
5 Minutes: Jay Simpson chases down a long ball and then falls under a shoulder-charge from Cliff Byrne in the box. The referee has none of it. The QPR fans made the penalty appeals, rather than the players though.
3 Minutes: Goal for QPR - the QPR fans away to my right go crazy; Joe Murphy looks a mixture of disgusted and livid. Adel Taarabt nudges the ball through the middle of the United defence - to sort of set himself up for a shot on-goal, and then he places it beyond the helpless Murphy.
Scunthorpe United 0 QPR 1
PRE-MATCH
The confirmed teams:
Scunthorpe United: Murphy, Williams, Togwell, Byrne (c), Sparrow, Hayes, Hooper, Mirfin, Woolford, O'Connor, Spence. Subs: Lillis, McCann, Thompson, Forte, J. Wright, Morris, Crosby.
Queens Park Rangers: Cerny, Ramage, Hall, Leigertwood, Routledge, Connolly, Faurlin, Simpson, Ephraim, Borrowdale, Taarabt. Subs: Heaton, Stewart, Mahon, Vine, Helguson, Buzsaky, Pellicori.
Referee: Graham Salisbury
Three changes for United then - Gary Hooper wins back his place in the starting X1 - possibly via his winning goal on Tuesday; while Cliff Byrne and Michael O'Connor both also earn recalls.
Rob Jones is ruled out through the nasty head injury he sustained at Sheffield Wednesday last Saturday, whereas an ankle problem means that Niall Canavan will only appear in the stands for this fixture. Grant McCann has to settle for a place on the bench.
The last time United met QPR at Glanford Park was back in the 2007/2008 season. That fixture finished 2-2 on what was a pretty frustrating afternoon for the Iron. Despite the fact that Queens Park led twice in the match, United had far more shots on-target and much more possession than the London side, and felt that ultimately, that they were worth three points.
Jim Magilton brings this QPR side to Glanford Park while under a little pressure. Rangers are without a league win this season (however, they've only lost one game so-far), and although they progressed in the Carling Cup during midweek, Magilton himself branded the performance against League 2 side Accrington Stanley 'not good enough'.
All three home sections of Glanford Park are fairly full again this afternoon, but for the first time in a Championship match at Glanford Park this season, the away end is not. The weather is overcast, with a strong wind. The pitch is dry.
SCENE-SETTER
Scunthorpe will be seeking to record their second win of the season when cash-rich Queens Park Rangers visit Glanford Park on Saturday.
It is the final Championship match before a two-week international break, and central defender Rob Jones will continue to miss out, as he continues his recovery from the concussion he suffered at Sheffield Wednesday last week.
Niall Canavan, who stepped in for him at Swansea was also a doubt with an ankle problem.
Fellow defender David Mirfin, who had missed most of pre-season and sat out three games with an ankle injury, played all 120 minutes of the Swansea game and will be available.
Andrew Wright misses out with a broken metatarsal, while Kenny Milne is training well after missing the last year with a knee problem.
Elsewhere, there are no fresh injury worries, with the likes of Cliff Byrne, Grant McCann, Michael O'Connor and Gary Hooper pushing for a recall.
QPR will hand a debut to new striker Jay Simpson, on loan from Arsenal.
Subscribers to The Iron Player will be able to access a downloadable matchday programme from 2.00pm.
