Playing with ten men for more than half the game, United were beaten 2-0 away at Gateshead on Good Friday.

The Iron made five changes going into the game, as Danny Elliott, Liam Feeney, Finley Shrimpton, Tom Pugh and Sean Shields came in for Richie Bennett, Dion Sembie-Ferris, Dean Rance, Jacob Butterfield and Liam Thompson.

With three minutes gone, there was a corner to the Iron, with good build-up coming following a good advantage from the referee. Feeney and Cameron Wilson combined down the right before Feeney fed in Shields on the overlap. His cross from the right was headed behind. However, Feeney’s subsequent corner was claimed by Filip Marschall in the Gateshead goal.

Straight after, Ben Richards-Everton got in the way to block an incoming shot from Greg Olley after Reagan Ogle stooped low with a header to clear an initial corner from the right.

Then, the Iron broke quickly with a neat pass into space finding Shields. He brought the ball forward before slotting Wilson on the left. Wilson drove to the goal line and won a corner. Feeney delivered it towards Will Smith and Richards-Everton. The header couldn't be directed towards goal and went out of play for a Gateshead goal kick though.

Gateshead then had a corner at the other end as Kamil Conteh was slotted the ball on the edge of the box with his powerful effort spinning wide of the target following a deflection. Soon after, Conteh was again teed up on the edge of the box, but this time he sent his effort high and wide of the target.

On 13 minutes, Elliott sent in a deep cross. Pugh chased and forced a slip, resulting in an Iron corner. Feeney’s corner was headed towards goal by Smith, but the loose ball was headed away and cleared with Wilson and Shields lurking.

After 18 minutes, the hosts took the lead with an effort rifled into the top corner of the net by Oxley.

On 23 minutes, the Iron came forward with Shields who slipped in Elliott. He opted to come back out to Pugh, with the midfielder playing a one-two with Shrimpton before firing a long range effort wide of the target.

Two minutes after, Wilson held up play and fed Shields. His quick change of direction opened up the space to spread wide-right to Feeney. His ball into the box was intercepted by Marschall.

Then, Jake Leake blocked one goal bound effort from the hosts before the ball came left, with the hosts then winning a corner.

In the 33rd minute, Stephen Wearne rolled in Gateshead’s second from the right side of the area.

It then got worse for Scunthorpe who saw Pugh sent off in the 38th minute following an off the ball incident, after going in for a challenge midway through the Iron half.

In the 51st minute, the hosts hit the outside of the post from a long range effort drilled in towards goal by Ethan Pye.

Then, not too long after, Tom Billson saved a curling effort by Dan Ward from outside the area.

On the hour mark, Wearne found space on the left inside the area to cut onto his right foot, with his low drilled effort saved by Billson.

Shields was then slipped into the area on the right, with his low cross turned behind for a corner. The subsequent set-play was cleared for another one, which was then dealt with.

There was a double Iron change on 64 minutes as Marcus Carver and Dean Rance came on for Elliott and Feeney.

With 70 minutes on the clock, Billson beat away a shot from Conteh as the ball was rolled to the edge of the box for the Gateshead forward.

A third and final Iron change was made four minutes later when Wilson was replaced by Sembie-Ferris.

In the 78th minute, the hosts hit the upright again, with a left-footed strike by Ward cannoning back into play.

Scunthorpe return to action on Easter Monday when they host Oldham Athletic.

GATESHEAD: Marschall, Tinkler, Storey, Pye, Ward, Wearne, Whelan (Bailey, 75), Francis, Olley, Conteh, Dinanga (Martin, 45).

SUBS NOT USED: Montgomery, Campbell, Pani.

SCUNTHORPE: Billson, Ogle, Elliott (Carver, 64), Feeney (Rance, 64), Richards-Everton, Wilson (Sembie-Ferris, 74), Shrimpton, Leake, Smith, Pugh, Shields.

SUBS NOT USED: Boyce, Butterfield.

ATTENDANCE: 1,804 (402 away).