Preview: Salford City (A)

5 March 2021

The Iron head to Salford City on Saturday seeking their third win from four away matches (3pm kick-off).

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6 March 2021

SCENE-SETTER...

On Tuesday night, United travelled to Cambridge United, who were League Two leaders ahead of the game, and won 1-0 through Alfie Beestin's 79th minute goal.

It was a great way for the side to bounce back following back-to-back defeats against in-form Bolton Wanderers and new table-toppers Cheltenham Town, and get back to winning ways having won their four matches prior to the trip to the Abbey Stadium.

Scunthorpe sit 18th in the division and a victory on Saturday could see us move level on points with 14th-placed Crawley Town.

TEAM NEWS...

Defender George Taft will miss the next two months with an ankle injury, which effectively rules him out for the remainder of the season.

Striker Ryan Loft has been rated as 50-50 after missing the midweek game with an ankle problem, while first team manager Neil Cox says centre-back Emmanuel Onariase (groin) will miss the next fortnight.

Central defender Jacob Bedeau came off during the late stages of the win at Cambridge but Cox was thankful to report it was just cramp when speaking to the media on Thursday, while Devarn Green was also replaced late on but it was just fatigue.

Striker Aaron Jarvis (hamstring) continues to be missing for around a month, while fellow forward Olufela Olomola is back training following a knee injury sustained after coming off the bench against Bolton Wanderers in November, but Cox says he needs to practice match game time to get match fitness up first. He played in a behind-closed-doors game against Doncaster last Wednesday.

Midfielder George Hornshaw, who has played at right-back this season, faces a 'few months out' following an ankle operation, while goalkeeper Adam Kelsey will be out for a while too - also after an operation on his ankle.

THE OPPOSITION...

Managed by Richie Wellens, the Ammies come into the fixture sitting seventh in the table and they were 1-0 home winners over Port Vale in midweek through Ian Henderson's goal.

It arrested a run of three matches without a victory for Salford, who had beaten Barrow (1-0) and Cambridge United (4-1) on home turf prior.

Experienced striker Henderson is their top scorer, with 11 goals to his name, with ex-Manchester United forward James Wilson following on seven.

Henderson and goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky top the appearance charts too, having started all 31 league games so far.

PAST MEETINGS...

The two sides have only met twice, with Henderson grabbing a late winner in the reverse fixture at the Sands Venue Stadium in January.

When we met at the Peninsula Stadium in October 2019, Kevin van Veen opened the scoring but Cameron Burgess cancelled it out as a 1-1 draw was played out.

Last season's reverse fixture was scheduled in March after the season had been suspended.

SEASON/DATE	COMPETITION	RESULT	IRON SCORERS
2020-21 - Tue 12 Jan	LG 2	Iron 0-1 Salford
2019-20 - Sat 26 Oct	LG 2	Salford City 1-1 Iron	van Veen

Our full record against Salford City is as follows:

	P	W	D	L	F	A
Home	1	0	0	1	0	1
Away	1	0	1	0	1	1
TOTAL	2	0	1	1	1	2

ELSEWHERE IN SKY BET LEAGUE TWO...

Saturday
Exeter City v Leyton Orient (1pm)
Barrow v Mansfield Town (3pm)
Bradford City v Bolton Wanderers (3pm)
Cambridge United v Walsall (3pm)
Cheltenham Town v Port Vale (3pm)
Colchester United v Newport County (3pm)
Grimsby Town v Forest Green Rovers (3pm)
Morecambe v Carlisle United (3pm)
Oldham Athletic v Southend United (3pm)
Stevenage v Harrogate Town (3pm)
Tranmere Rovers v Crawley Town (3pm)

Match Reports

Report: Salford City 1-1 Iron

6 March 2021

Abo Eisa scored his seventh goal of the season from the penalty spot to earn the Iron a point at promotion-chasing Salford City, drawing 1-1.

His effort late in the first-half cancelled out the opener from the Ammies' Tom Clarke.

The Iron made five changes from the team that won at Cambridge in midweek going into the game, as Myles Hippolyte, Jordan Hallam, Lewis Spence, Jai Rowe and Mason O'Malley came in for Devarn Green, Jem Karacan, Alfie Beestin, Jordan Clarke and Junior Brown.

With three minutes gone, Spence put a foot in on halfway to win the ball before Rowe surged down the right. He looked for a give-and-go with Hallam but was fouled on the return, which resulted in a free-kick on the right to the Iron. O’Malley’s in-swinging free-kick into a dangerous area was then punched clear by Vaclav Hladky.

Two minutes later, Ibou Touray saw his left-sided cross blocked by Rowe after Richie Towell found him from the right side. United then had a goal kick after a follow-up cross sailed wide.

On seven minutes, Hallam was fouled as Alex Gilliead found space to play into him following another interception by Spence. The subsequent free-kick was dinked into the area by Kevin van Veen, with Jacob Bedeau sending a header across the area towards Hallam. The hosts headed clear though.

Soon after, there was good play by Hippolyte down the left side as he wriggled free of the challenge before a pass into Eisa inside the box was intercepted.

With 11 minutes gone, the hosts had the first real chance of the game as Ian Henderson headed over from close range following a cross from the left side.

Seven minutes later, there was an opportunity for the Iron following a superb flick from van Veen to take two defenders out of the game. Hallam was then fed into the area and although his shot beat the ‘keeper, the defence cleared for a corner. The first corner was headed over for another before the second was punched clear by the ‘keeper.

United then won the ball back just outside the area with Hallam shaping to shoot before checking back in and finding Gilliead who saw his shot blocked.

With 22 minutes played, van Veen was yellow carded for a foul just in front of the dugouts.

Van Veen broke the offside trap down the left in the 25th minute before side-stepping a defender inside the area and squeezing in a low cross searching for Eisa, but the hosts cleared.

Straight after, Spence took one touch out of his feet before having a go from 35 yards. His shot took a big deflection and rolled towards Hladky in the home goal.

Just past the half hour mark, O’Malley read a cross-field ball into the Iron area to head behind for a corner with a forward lurking behind him. However, Tom Clarke hooked the ball into the net for the hosts from the resultant corner.

Two minutes after the opener, Jai Rowe was the latest to enter the referee’s notebook following a foul just past the half way line.

Just after, Touray controlled and lashed a long range effort over the bar after a cross from the right was cleared by Rowe.

In the 41st minute, United won a penalty as Eisa was hauled down in the area by Di'Shon Bernard. That same attacker stepped up and took the spot-kick, as goalkeeper Hladky went the wrong way.

With 45 minutes gone, Eisa chased the home defence down once more looking for another mistake from Bernard and did nip in, but the ball ran out for a goal kick. Soon after, Hippolyte was shown a yellow card just before the break.

At the interval, Harrison McGahey was replaced by Clarke.

Two minutes into the second period, Hippolyte went in for a 50-50, and the referee played an advantage. He then awarded Salford a free-kick after United won the ball back before talking to the midfielder.

Soon after, Ashley Hunter threw himself to the ground looking for a free-kick but the referee awarded a throw-in to the Iron. That came shortly after a neat move from Eisa, van Veen and Hippolyte.

On 63 minutes, van Veen was replaced by Karacan as United made their second alteration. It came immediately after the Dutchman was penalised for a foul on the halfway line with Salford players asking for him to be carded.

The 67th minute saw the Iron block a goalbound effort from Thomas-Asante to concede a corner. The hosts won the header but the Iron deflected that wide for another corner, which Mark Howard punched clear.

With 20 minutes left, there was a double Scunthorpe change with Beestin and Green coming on for Hallam and Hippolyte, the latter of whom had stayed down requiring treatment just prior.

On 75 minutes, the hosts won a free-kick on the left channel with Jordan Turnbull heading over from close range as the ball was crossed into the six-yard box.

Mani Dieseruvwe hit the post in the 80th minute with a header following a corner before Oscar Threlkeld fired over the stadium from the rebound.

The 84th minute saw a superb sliding challenge from Rowe on the right side of the penalty area as the hosts entered it.

Five minutes of added time were given but neither side could make the breakthrough and the scores ended level.

United return to action on Tuesday night when they host Exeter City at the Sands Venue Stadium (7pm k/o).

SALFORD: Hladky, I Touray, Lowe, Clarke, Hunter (Andrade, 81), Bernard, Turnbull, Towell (Thomas-Asante, 57), Gotts, Coutts (Threlkeld, 57), Henderson.

SALFORD SUBS NOT USED: Evans, Eastham, Burgess, Dieseruvwe.

IRON: Howard, Bedeau, McGahey (Clarke, 45), Gilliead, van Veen (Karacan, 63), Eisa, Hippolyte (Green, 71), Hallam (Beestin, 71), Spence, Rowe, O'Malley.

IRON SUBS NOT USED: Watson, Brown, McAtee.