United’s reserves recorded an impressive 6-0 victory over Burton Albion at St George’s Park on Monday afternoon.
Goals from Terry Hawkridge, Billy Kee, Deon Burton (2), Jennison Myrie-Williams and Kyle Wootton secured the win in a game that was played at the FA’s national football centre.A mixture of first team and academy players were involved in the squad as Scunthorpe picked up their second reserve league triumph of the season and preserved their unbeaten start.
The hosts began the better of the two teams and could have gone ahead when a good run by Liam Slade resulted in a shooting opportunity for Mark Shelton but he couldn’t find the target.
Burton were made to pay for that missed chance just minutes later as Hakeeb Adelakun played a ball through to Hawkridge and he composed himself before firing a low drive across goal and past Charlie Hornby in the Brewers’ net.
That duo then combined again as Hawkridge found Adelakun in space in the area and he saw his lift footed effort whiz inches wide of the post before Myrie-Williams also went close following a mazy run forward.
Brewers captain Robbie Wier slid a shot just wide as the half-hour mark arrived and the tricky Slade had a powerful low attempt tipped away for a corner by Sam Slocombe as Burton went in search of an equalising goal.
But the Iron then doubled their advantage as good interplay by Deon Burton and Kee resulted in an opportunity for the latter and he finished past Hornby to put United two up.
A long range shot from Shelton was hit straight at Slocombe as the half drew to a close and it was after the break that Scunthorpe really put their foot down.
Adelakun fired wide from long range seconds after the restart before United grabbed a third as Kee latched onto Matt Sparrow’s accurate pass and saw his progress halted by the home ‘keeper but the loose ball fell to Deon Burton who eventually found the net from an acute angle.
A minute later the experienced striker bagged his second and Scunthorpe’s fourth as he capitalised on a defensive mix-up and calmly placed the ball beyond Hornby and Miguel Llera thought he’d got in on the act soon after as he headed home from an Adelakun corner only to see it disallowed by the referee for climbing.
Myrie-Williams extended the lead when he finished following a fine solo run as the reserves, managed the club’s player-coach by Andy Dawson, began to run riot.
Youngsters Jacob Hood, Levi Sutton and Kyle Wootton were all brought on during the second period and the game then started to slow down slightly with the away side well ahead but Slocombe produced a fine flying finger-tipped save as Shelton again tried his luck from distance.
The chances were still coming at the other end with Adelakun doing superbly to dart past four opposition players before seeing his resulting shot pushed behind and Wootton also had an effort saved by the legs of Hornby as the game drew to a close.
But there was still time for Wootton to get his name on the score sheet and claim a sixth Iron goal of the afternoon as he collected a pass from Kee and hit a left footed shot that squirmed under the goalkeeper’s body.
TEAM LINE-UPS
Burton Albion: Hornby, Doyle, Allen, Fox, Gatter, Slade, Shelton, Weir (c), Dinanga, Harness, Austin.
Substitutes not used: Murfin, Thorpe, Coggins, Yates, Troke.
Scunthorpe United: Slocombe (c), Hare, Trialist, Llera, Dawson (Hood, 46), Myrie-Williams, Hawkridge (Sutton, 66), Sparrow, Adelakun, Burton (Wootton, 60), Kee.
Substitutes not used: Weaver, Mosanya, Mawson, Burdett.