Scunthorpe United 3-0 Crystal Palace
Saturday, August 28, 2010 - 3.00pm
Glanford Park
The Iron Player subscribers can hear live commentary with Matt Dean and Andy Flounders
Subscribers to The Iron Player are also able to download a matchday programme
Click refresh for live updates from Glanford Park
FULL TIME
Scunthorpe United 3-0 Crystal Palace
That was a great victory for Scunthorpe, who looked comfortable throughout, and it is a great way to finish before a two-week international break. Jonathan Forte will take great confidence from his first two league goals of the campaign too. All in all, a very good day for the Iron.
SECOND HALF
89 mins: Pablo Counago is replaced by Calvin Andrew for Palace. Both teams are going through the motions now as the end nears.
84 mins: Bobby Grant has now replaced Dagnall, who also got a huge applause from the home following.
82 mins: Martyn Woolford has just come on for Scunthorpe, replacing O'Connor who received a standing ovation.
80 mins: This game is well and truly over. Palace are spent as an attacking force and if anybody's going to add to the scoring it will be Scunthorpe
71 mins: GOAL! Jonathan Forte wanted to take the penalty but Michael O'Connor stepped up and, like on Tuesday night, rattled his spot-kick beyond Speroni and into the back of the net.
Scunthorpe United 3-0 Crystal Palace
70 mins: The Iron have been awarded a penalty after Nathaniel Clyne was adjudged to have handled a cross into the box from Collins. He hasn't been booked however.
69 mins: Forte almost hit his hat-trick goal in the 70th minute, latching on to O'Connor's ball but he curled his shot over the crossbar after getting into a good position.
64 mins: Togwell has just sliced an effort over the crossbar after a slick attacking move, as Dagnall dragged back for the former Barnsley midfielder but, from 15 yards, he couldn't get his shot on target.
53 mins: Again, Forte almost beat the offside trap when played through by O'Connor but was adjudged offside by the narrowest of margins.
51 mins: United could have just trebled their lead when Togwell played Forte in, but he didn't have much time to get the ball from under his feet and into a position to send a decent shot goalwards and his stabbed effort was saved by Speroni.
47 mins: At the start of the second half Palace are showing signs that they are trying to get back into the game but Scunthorpe are being equal to everything thrown at them so far.
HALF-TIME
Well that was an excellent finish to the first half for Scunthorpe, who are two goals to the good through Forte and deservedly so. Hopefully the defence can stay solid in the second period and United can build on what they've done so far.
FIRST HALF
45 mins: GOAL! In superb style, and in the first minute out of two in stoppage time, Forte has just added a second - latching on to O'Connor's ball forward with a fancy flick that took him beyond the last defender and he slotted the ball beyond Speroni.
Scunthorpe United 2-0 Crystal Palace
41 mins: Another Scunthorpe chance now, as David Mirfin powers a header over the crossbar from Wright's delivery. Shortly after, on the break, Togwell tries to slot one of Forte or Dagnall through but the visitors manage to get possession and keep the score down.
39 mins: Sam Togwell becomes the latest Iron player to have a pop at goal but his effort drifts across the goal and goes out for a throw.
35 mins: Scunthorpe are starting to get into their stride, and Dagnall played a superb ball through to Forte but he was judged to be offside. This is more like Tuesday night now!
33 mins: GOAL! Forte receives the ball from Byrne's throw-in from the right and turns his man before dispatching a low effort across goal and beyond the dive of Speroni for his first league goal of the season.
Scunthorpe United 1-0 Crystal Palace
31 mins: Jonathan Obika replaces Patrick McCarthy for Palace, who stumbles off the pitch injured.
29 mins: Just after writing that, Dagnall is presented with the best chance of the game so far but - after being played through by Forte who scrambled the ball forwards - the former Rochdale man sees his low shot saved at point-blank range by Speroni.
28 mins: It's not been the most thrilling of halves so far, both teams are struggling to create chances and cancelling one another out. Not much to report at the minute.
22 mins: After Davids gave possession away, Josh Wright clipped a clever ball through to Forte, but he was harshly adjuged to be offside. Then, on the next attack, Dagnall's goalbound shot is blocked away for a corner by McCarthy.
16 mins: The Eagles are having the better of the possession of the moment and look most threatening at the time of writing.
11 mins: On loan from Blackburn, Alex Marrow has just driven wide of goal for Palace after having the ball played short to him by Edgar Davids on a free-kick just outside the area.
10 mins: Scunthorpe continue to threaten and came close again when Collins drifted down the left-hand side of the area and saw his cross-cum-shot tipped out by Julian Speroni.
6 mins: The Iron have just hit the crossbar through O'Connor, whose free-kick from the right-hand side of the 18-yard box clipped the top of the upright and went out for a goal kick. Almost for United.
1 mins: It is very quiet so far today, and a slip from Cliff Byrne lets in Keiran Djilali, whose shot from the left of the area goes wide of Murphy's right-hand post.
0 mins: Before kick-off a minute's silence is impeccably held for former club employee Sue Draper, who passed away last week.
SETTING THE SCENE
The scene was well and truly set ahead of kick-off as the Iron drew Manchester United in the third round of the Carling Cup.
The match, which will take place on the week starting Monday, September 20, was the main thing everyone was talking about ahead of kick-off.
For now though, all concentration is on the league match with Palace today, which sees Scunthorpe trying to record their second league win of the campaign.
It is the final fixture before a two week international break, and United will be bidding to finish on a high before they return to league action against Bristol City in a fortnight at Glanford Park.
As an aside, former Dutch international Edgar Davids makes his league debut for Crystal Palace today.
Glanford Park was slowly filling up ahead of kick-off, with the atmosphere gradually building too.
TEAM NEWS
Heading into the match with Crystal Palace, the Iron made two changes from the side that defeated Sheffield Wednesday in the Carling Cup second round on Tuesday night.
Rob Jones and David Mirfin recovered from illness and a lower leg problem respectively to start the encounter with George Burley's side. They replaced Michael Raynes and Niall Canavan in the team.
Joe Murphy started in goal for United, with Cliff Byrne, Mirfin, Jones and Eddie Nolan forming the defence.
The midfield consisted of Josh Wright, Michael O'Connor, Sam Togwell and Michael Collins, while Chris Dagnall partnered Jonathan Forte up front.
The substitutes were Sam Slocombe, Andrew Wright, Raynes, Canavan, Martyn Woolford, Adam Boyes and Bobby Grant.
TEAM LINE-UPS
Scunthorpe United: Murphy, Byrne, Mirfin, Jones, Nolan, Togwell, J. Wright, O'Connor, Collins, Forte, Dagnall.
Substitutes: Slocombe, A. Wright, Raynes, Canavan, Woolford, Boyes, Grant.
Crystal Palace: Speroni, Clyne, Davis, McCarthy, Danns, Garvan, Cadogan, Davids, Djilali, Marrow, Counago.
Substitutes: Barrett, Dorman, Andrew, Price, Parson, O'Keefe, Obika.
Referee: Dean Whitestone.
PREAMBLE
The Iron are back on home turf today as they host Crystal Palace in the npower Championship.
After a brilliant midweek Carling Cup win over Sheffield Wednesday, Nigel Adkins' troops head into the match looking to bounce back from two straight league losses - at the hands of Norwich City and Queens Park Rangers.
Scunthorpe are boosted though by the return of centre-backs David Mirfin (lower leg), Rob Jones (illness) and wideman Martyn Woolford (ankle) from injuries which ruled them out of the midweek cup success.
Mirfin has trained all week, while Jones joined in again on Thursday along with Woolford.
Definitely out of this week's match are winger Garry Thompson (out for two months with a groin injury) and left-back Jim McNulty (absent for three weeks with an ankle problem).
The Eagles head into the match without striker Alan Lee, who they sold to Huddersfield Town in midweek.
Former Dutch international midfielder Edgar Davids could make his league debut for Palace too, after playing 82 minutes in midweek during their Carling Cup defeat at Portsmouth.
Striker Wilfried Zaha is suspended though after being sent off in the match.
The referee for the match is Dean Whitestone from Northamptonshire.
