Scunthorpe’s quality showed through in the final third as they came out 5-0 victors thanks to goals from a Danny Whitehall who claimed a hat-trick, a superb strike form Flynn Clarke and a late pile driver from Danny Elliott.
The Iron were back in National League North action ready to face relegation candidates Bishop’s Stortford. The game was to be a must-win for United as they looked to rectify their recent run of away from. The last time that two outfits met Scunthorpe ran out dominant 6-1 victors following a rampant performance at the Attis Arena.
In terms of team news, first team manager Jimmy Dean made an array of alterations to the side that were defeated at Darlington on Tuesday night. The first of the three changes was to be the inclusion of tireless midfielder Tom Pugh who returned to the starting XI to replace consistent performer Kian Scales. Elsewhere, following Andrew Boyce’s dismissal on Tuesday night, he was to be replaced by Irish enforcer Maxim Kouogun. The final swap was to be the return of Captain Michael Clunan who came back into the team to replace suspended wide man Liam McAlinden.
Following a fifteen-minute delay to kick-off, proceedings were finally kickstarted by the travelling Iron. And Dean quite simply couldn’t have asked for a more perfect start from his side. Within the opening minute a long-lofted ball forward found the scintillating first touch of Dion Sembie-Ferris, Sembie-Ferris flicked the ball around the corner into the path of the Iron’s top goal scorer Danny Whitehall who took one touch into the area and drove the ball into the bottom corner to make it 1-0.
Scunthorpe looked like a rejuvenated side during the game’s early stages, and before long their lead was doubled. The original phase of play came again from Sembie-Ferris creating problems for the Blues defence. After the 27-year old’s initial deflected shot whipped just around the far post United were awarded a corner, The delivery from Jacob Butterfield was sublime and found the rising leap of Alfie Beestn who knocked the ball down into the ground as it trickled into the net. On further inspection it seemed that Whitehall had bundled the ball home for his second of the afternoon.
United’s onslaught of the Stortford goal continued long into the first half and proceeded to go in search of a further goal to extend the lead, and without a doubt most inside the RDA Stadium would have thought that a long-ranged Butterfield free-kick was soaring into the sanction however it dipped just over the bar much to the obvious relief of Blues goalkeeper Jack Giddens.
As the half drew to its one sided close the Iron ended their prolonged search for a third goal as Whitehall claimed his first period treble. A Crossfield ball to Sembie-Ferris led to the goal as some trickery from the winger was followed by him driving the ball into the arm of his opposite defender Tosin Olufemi leaving the referee no choice but to point to the penalty spot. Whitehall stepped up to the plate and demolished the spot kick in emphatic fashion.
This was to be the last action of a first half that had been nothing short of dominated by a ruthless Iron side.
As the players returned to the threadbare RDA stadium pitch, United were looking to continue their impressive first half display. In the opening minutes the hosts began by stringing together their first successive passes however were unable cut into the Iron’s three goal lead.
Before long however Scunthorpe regained control over of proceedings by using the same effective method that bared fruit in the first half. Following a poorly delivered Blues corner, United broke away on a swift yet cunning counterattack and Whitehall played a stunning switch to Sembie-Ferris with the outside of his boot, after taking the ball into his welcoming stride the constructer of the third goal chopped inside his marker and whipped a thunderous effort just over the bar.
The second half had been a quiet affair compared to the first, with Scunthorpe seeing off the hosts attempts of finding a route back into the encounter with a disciplined degree of professionalism across all areas of the pitch.
The tie’s second period remained tightly contested up until the 75th minute when United further added to the lead in spectacular fashion. As the ball skidded across the beach-like surface to the feet of substitute Flynn Clarke. The Norwich city loanee, Clarke, steadied himself with one touch out of his feet and dug the ball out of a particular sandy area of the pitch from 25-yards by curling a fantastic effort past Giddens to claim his first goal for the club.
With Scunthorpe now four goals in front, the Blues began to settle into the game more and proceeded to spark Ross Fitzsimons into life for the first time of the encounter. A fantastic switch from Stortford found the marauding run of midfielder Amadou Kassarate who read the bouncing ball by striking the ball firmly towards the near post, hence drawing an excellent reaction stop out of the goalkeeper.
With time running out, the Iron refused to surrender their clean sheet and in doing so further extended their already colossal lead thanks to another substitute Danny Elliott. After not receiving the ball in a promising position mere minutes earlier, Elliott channelled the prior frustration by latching onto a deep Tom Pugh cross at the back post, which allowed him to smash the ball into the hands of Giddens, however the pure power of the strike carried the shot over the line to seal a 5-0 win.
A fabulous victory from United today as they responded excellently to their midweek defeat by finishing resounding victors over Bishop’s Stortford on the road.
IRON: Fitzsimons, Ogle, Kouogun, Evans, Clunan, Beestin (Clarke, 63) Pugh, Butterfield, Sembie-Ferris, Denton (Kelly, 63) Whitehall (Elliott, 71).
IRON SUBS: Boyce, Scales.
