Scunthorpe United v Crystal Palace
Glanford Park
Coca-Cola Championship - Saturday, February 6, 2010

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FULL-TIME

Scunthorpe United 1 Crystal Palace 2

Scunthorpe's dominance in this match was epitomised by the fact that it took Palace's gaining of a numerical advantage for them to even be our equals. They were poor. Very poor. I think they had three actual shots, and scored two of them. As I said earlier, getting a point here would have been bad. But to get none. Oh, that's depressing. Scunthorpe have played well by and large, but at the end of the day, I think everyone would rather see them play badly and win than well and lose. But when all is said and done, the bottom line is that United didn't put the ball in the net when they really should have, and have only themselves to blame - and not the referee - as the crowd are doing.

SECOND-HALF

93 Minutes: GOAL! Do you care who scored? I don't, the fact is that he did. Neil Danns. He got it, cut in and out, then curled it home from the edge of the area.

Scunthorpe United 1 Crystal Palace 2

89 Minutes: Four minutes are added. Lee Hills on for Palace. Matt Lawrence is the player withdrawn.

88 Minutes: Mirfin sends the ball into the box, and although McCann reaches it first, he can't manage to squeeze it through the Palace defence and into the area where the majority of Scunny players are gathered.

84 Minutes: GOAL! Immediate impact from O'Connor. He supplies the corner which David Mirfin meets at the near-post and sends looping into the top corner. I did say the Iron would score from a corner eventually!

Scunthorpe United 1 Crystal Palace 1

82 Minutes: O'Connor is brought on. Sam Togwell is replaced. United soon force a corner.

80 Minutes: Between the two of them, Moloney and Togwell manage to prop the ball into the path of Byrne's dashing run forwards. Byrne gets in the box, but instead of shooting, tries to lay it across goal. Palace clear.

79 Minutes: McDermott replaced by Moloney.

76 Minutes: Well, to be fair to them, United are pushing still, and are even playing with three at the back. But I won't lie, if United do get a hypothetical goal and draw level, and get a point, it will still be a poor return having seen the game.

74 Minutes: Kieren Djilali sends an effort into the crowd from close-range. Calvin Andrew is introduced for the visitors at the expense of Alan Lee.

71 Minutes: How could this game get worse then? I'll tell you how - because it just has. Williams is sent-off, a straight red for bringing someone down as the last man.

70 Minutes: Much to the distaste of the crowd, Jonathan Forte is brought on to replace the workhorse that is Garry Thompson. I don't think it's the fact that Forte's come on - it's the fact that there were certainly more fitting candidates to bring off.

66 Minutes: Hooper thrashes the ball into the side-netting after taking it down nicely and keeping his man at arms-length in order to get his shot away.

62 Minutes: Goal! It's so annoying when that happens. United have controlled pretty much every aspect of this match, and had the better of pretty much every one of the statistics - shots, corners, possession. But the one that counts. Well, that's fallen in Palace's favour. Darren Ambrose gets the ball in the area, and weaves a neat shot through the crowd and into the corner of the net.  Danny Butterfield is then replaced by Djilali in the immediate aftermath.

Scunthorpe United 0 Crystal Palace 1

61 Minutes: The ball falls nicely for Donal McDermott to hit on the volley. His attempt worked Speroni, and was pretty impressive considering it was from around twenty-yards, but  never really had any conviction behind it.

59 Minutes: Another Scunny corner is won when Hooper fizzes the ball towards Thompson and Hill clears it behind with his head. McCann swings it in, but the man who has been wearing a head bandage for the duration of today's game, Alan Lee, clears it. Ironically, that's with his head.

55 Minutes: A quick update on the general state of play then: Scunthorpe are still in control, and still looking the more likely. I'm liking the movement of Hooper today too. He hasn't had a chance himself really, but he's played a key role in creating many of the chances his teammates have had. Maybe we'll see a change made soon, possibly in the midfield department.

48 Minutes: United really should have taken the lead just now. A long ball is pumped through to Hooper. The striker then breaks free down the channel, before rolling it across the area for Hayes, who is bursting through at the back. But Hayes is running just that little bit too fast, and the ball ends up behind him. That'd have been another open goal to shoot at had he seized possession there.

45 Minutes: A rather fetching kick-off routine from Palace gets this game back on.

HALF-TIME

Scunthorpe United 0 Crystal Palace 0

United have won corner, after corner, after corner. If they keep on doing so in the second period too, they'll score in the end - it's the law of averages - it has to happen. Apart from that, United have played pretty well in general. They've created openings, and have been unlucky not to score - especially with Cliff Byrne's chance. Palace could have scored too, they've had a couple of good shots, but they just haven't had the same volume of the play as United have. To be fair, if the visitors had have taken the lead, they'd have been pretty fortunate to have done so.

ATT: 5698 (588 away)

FIRST-HALF

46 Minutes: Neil Danns skates around Rob Jones on the byline, before flicking the ball over to the back-post. It beats every Iron defender, and although there's a Palace player waiting there (who really should score - I wouldn't exactly describe doing so as a 'hard task') nobody manages to get on the end of it.

44 Minutes: Patient defending from the Iron shepherds the ball to safety when Danny Butterfield decides to go on a mazy run through a crowd of players in the Scunthorpe penalty area. That was one of those situations where you could just see a leg coming loose and chopping him down, to result in a penalty.

42 Minutes: Ninth corner to Scunthorpe - this time won by Garry Thompson when he lashes the ball off a defender from a wide position. It goes back and forth in the area, but eventually leaves play when Hayes slips trying to keep it in.

38 Minutes: Another corner to Scunny. They've had quite a few actually, and surely will make one count sooner or later! They don't make this one count though. Jones wins it in the area, but nobody else makes a meal after his starter - the knockdown.

34 Minutes: A nasty and dirty challenge on Paul Hayes by Danny Butterfield ends in a yellow card for Butterfield, rather than a broken leg for Hayes, which was realistically just as conceiveable outcome from that sort of challenge. Derry is then booked too for protesting Butterfield's innocenece, as is Hayes - who was no more than the victim.

31 Minutes: Palace have begun to play their way into this a little bit more. Danny Butterfield just put Murphy into a tricky situation when he barraged his way towards goal, and almost drew the United keeper into handling the ball outside the box. Thankfully, Murphy didn't. He managed to get the ball and stay within his boundary.

26 Minutes: Sean Derry fights the corner of Alan Lee after Lee is penalised for a tussle with Cliff Byrne. Byrne seems to think Lee used his elbow in that, but I have to say that the referee only seemed to act when Byrne started to complain. Lee's not booked... well, not initially. He is about ten seconds after play resumes - for another, silly foul.

23 Minutes: The ball is sent flashing across the face of goal and past the post by Donal McDermott. He'd receieved it after good work from Hooper in the box, and his attempt certainly had Speroni worried.

21 Minutes: Grant McCann lines up a free-kick which United have obtained in a promising area following a foul pretty obvious foul on Sam Togwell. It's positioned pretty much perfectly for McCann, but he sends his attempt sailing over nonetheless. To say he'll be dissapointed not to have at least worked the goalie from there would be an understatement.

16 Minutes: This has been a convincing start from Scunthorpe United. Their game plan seems to be to put Palace under pressure wherever possible, give them little time on the ball, and draw mistakes from them. So far, it's working. They've had more than one chance to score, and are unlucky not to lead.

13 Minutes: Scunthorpe swing in a corner which is won by Cliff Byrne. It's taken down by Jones, propped up by Hayes, and then poked wide by Byrne. To put that in some sort of context, he was about six-yards out, and the goal was gaping. He didn't have to beat either a defender or the goalie, but he managed to stub it wide. That has to be up there with the misses of the season.

10 Minutes: Garry Thompson slides to keep the ball in play on the touchline. Nobody from Palace thought he'd keep it in, so he's now completely free and unmarked, and starting a journey towards goal. He shoots from the edge of the area, but although his shot takes a weird deflection off Clint Hill, is still saved by Julian Speroni.

2 Minutes: Paul Hayes and Gary Hooper exchange a (lucky) series of passes down the right hand side of the pitch. Hayes escapes down the wing, before clipping a cross to McDermott at the back of the area. He steadies himself, using every available second to adjust his stance accordingly - before spewing his half-volley completely (it doesn't even go wide it has so much backspin on it!).

1 Minute: The game gets going via a Scunny kick-off. United will kick from left to right in the first period of play, as usual. Palace are in white with blue trims; and United in their usual home attire.

BUILD UP

14:58: Almost set then. It's not the largest attendance that Glanford Park's ever entertained, but it's not the smallest either. Palace have brought a few more than I expected them too, considering their recent troubles.

14:46: Fifteen minutes to go until the match commences, and a celebrity, Sir Geoff Hurst, is in the building. He's here to announce a new partnership between McDonald's and grassroots football at the interval.

14:06: Welcome to live text coverage of this Championship match against Crystal Palace. If they were to win this afternoon, United would really start to put some space between themselves and the relegation zone. It's a pretty bleak and cold day in terms of weather, but Scunthorpe could put a unique spin on it and brighten it up a little, by winning. 

TEAM NEWS

One change for United from the team that fought their way to a valant victory at QPR this time last week, with Donal McDermott coming in for the tired-looking Martyn Woolford. In other news, Michael Raynes is brought into the squad, and who knows - may come on to make his debut. Palace, meanwhile, line-up without a goalkeeper on the bench - that's risky! Mind you, they have more subs than they had at Newcastle the other week - when they only named three. They also have a not-so-secret weapon playing. Danny Butterfield grabbed a hat-trick in midweek playing in attack. By trade, he's a defender!

SCUN: Murphy, Williams, Togwell, Byrne (c), McCann, Hayes, Hooper, Thompson, Jones, Mirfin, McDermott. SUBS: Lillis, Forte, Woolford, O'Connor, Wright, Moloney, Raynes.

CRYS: Speroni, Clyne, Hill, Derry (c), Ambrose, Danns, Carle, Lawrence, Lee, Butterfield, Davis. SUBS: John, Scannell, Hills, Andrew, Djilali, Comley, N'Diaye.

PREAMBLE

Cash-strapped - literally not able to make ends meet, and no longer in possession of their star asset, Victor Moses, who was sold to Wigan Athletic for a pittance. To make things worse, they're ten points lesser off than they should be, and now firmly placed within the mix of teams scuffling for survival. On paper, this moment probably represents the best moment in time to play Crystal Palace, a team United have already beaten in a very degrading manner this season. 4-0 it was at Selhurst Park earlier this campaign... But no, Palace are in revolt. They haven't abdicated from their responsibilities since entering administration, and have won their last two. They even conquered a Premiership scalp - Wolves - in the FA Cup on Tuesday night.