Scunthorpe United FC

The Iron were beaten 3-0 at Preston North End on Saturday afternoon.

Goals from Lee Holmes, Nicky Wroe and Jack King put paid to Scunthorpe's hopes of getting a result at Deepdale.

United made three changes to the side that lost 1-0 at Bournemouth on Easter Monday with Christian Ribeiro, Akpo Sodje and Matt Godden, making his first start for the club, replacing Eddie Nolan, Anthony Forde and Karl Hawley in the starting line-up.

The hosts also made three switches to their starting X1 with Jeffrey Monakana, Graham Cummins and Joe Garner replaced in the side by Will Hayhurst, Jack King and Stuart Beavon.

In a cagey opening to the game, Preston were having the better of the early opportunities as Lee Holmes and Keith Keane both attempted long range drives without forcing Iron goalkeeper Eirik Holmen Johansen into any serious action.

Scunthorpe’s first chance came midway through the half when David Mirfin could only direct his header straight at Lilywhites shot stopper Declan Rudd after Tom Newey had floated a free kick into the penalty area.

Young striker Matt Godden then did well to muster a chance for himself in the box but his snapshot was blocked as the Iron started to assert themselves into the game.

But just moments later, and with half time fast approaching, Simon Grayson’s men took the lead as good work from frontman Stuart Beavon presented Lee Holmes with space in the United area and he calmly dispatched his right footed effort past Johansen to put the home side 1-0 up.

That goal gave North End momentum as the first half reached its dying embers and Australian defender Bailey Wright almost doubled Preston’s advantage soon after but his vicious strike from deep inside the United area flew just over the crossbar.

Mark Duffy tried his luck from distance as Scunthorpe searched for an equiliser but 1-0 is how things stayed at the end of the first 45 minutes.

The Lancashire outfit began the second period in the same way that they ended the first as Beavon and substitute John Welsh both struck towards goal without producing anything meaningful.

Mike Grella was brought into the action for Andy Barcham as Brian Laws tried to alter his system but it was Mirfin who had the Iron’s first shot on goal of the half as he headed over from a Duffy cross.

Duffy was again the provider a few minutes later as Rudd flapped at the wingers lofted ball into the area clear but Sodje couldn’t connect properly with his attempted volley and the attack fizzled out.

Keith Keane became the latest Preston player to strike from distance without testing Johansen but Nicky Wroe then showed then all how it’s done with 15 minutes left on the clock to put North End 2-0 ahead.

The Norwegian’s attempted clearance fell straight to the feet of Wroe just inside the Iron half and his effort from all of 50 yards landed into the back of United’s goal with Johansen stranded.

That goal seemed to knock the confidence of the Scunthorpe and Preston went close again soon after as three players had efforts at goal culminating in a scrambled attempt that brushed the United post and forced Newey to hack the ball away to prevent a third goal.

Godden was replaced by James Alabi and he managed to fashion a chance for himself in the final third but unfortunately for United his shot was wayward and whizzed well wide of the goal.

The Lilywhites then wrapped the game up deep into stoppage time by scoring a third goal as forward Jack King placed a firm header into the bottom corner of the net after Joe Garner had delivered a teasing ball into the box and the referee blew his whistle to signal the end of a disappointing afternoon for the Iron.

TEAM LINE-UPS
Preston North End: Rudd, Buchannan, Wright, Huntington, Connelly, Holmes (Welsh, 47), Wroe, Keane (Monakana, 80), Hayhurst, Beavon (Garner, 85), King.
Substitutes not used: Stuckman, Cummins, Mousinho, Foster.

Scunthorpe United: Johansen, Ribeiro, Mirfin, Canavan, Newey, Duffy, Collins, Ryan, Barcham (Grella, 63), Godden (Alabi, 74), Sodje
Substitutes not used: Severn, Gibbons, Hawley, Forde.

Attendance: 8,118 (300 away fans).