The Iron continued their pre-season preparation by putting in an impressive display to beat Championship side Sheffield Wednesday 4-2 at Glanford Park on Wednesday evening.
Mark Robins picked a starting eleven which saw Luke Daniels start in goal, a five man defence of Scott Laird, Niall Canavan, Jack King, Charlie Goode and Jordan Clarke.Stephen Dawson once again partnered Neal Bishop in the midfield, with Kevin van Veen playing the supporting role to Tom Hopper and Paddy Madden up top.
The visitors were the first to have a strike at goal, with new addition Ross Wallace slicing wide from the edge of the area in the third minute.
Wallace continued to look dangerous and after some tricky footwork, he dug out a cross which found Atdhe Nuhui, but the big Austrian saw his shot blocked by Goode.
From the resulting corner however, the Iron were punished, Nuhui stole a yard at the near post and powered home his header to give Wednesday the lead on 12 minutes.
That lead lasted no more than a minute though, as van Veen got on the wrong side of Glen Loovens and drove the ball across the six yard box, where the in-form Madden was waiting to tap home his sixth goal of pre-season.
However, eight minutes after getting back into the game, Robins' side were behind once more. Bishop's loose pass was pounced upon and then punished, as Nuhiu gave new signing Marco Matias an empty goal to tap in to.
Once again United almost responded straight away, but Hopper couldn't get on the end of strike partner Madden's low cross.
A minute later though, the scores were level once again, when Laird's beautifully whipped cross was finished on the volley by Madden for his second of the game and his seventh of pre-season.
Madden burst through the visitors' defence in the 38th minute, but was cynically taken down by Loovens, who had struggled in the first half. Then from the resulting free kick, van Veen saw his dipping effort rise just above the top corner of Keiren Westwood's goal.
That was to be the last action of the first half, as the two sides went in level at two goals a piece, after a fiercely contested opening period.
The Iron had the first attempt of the second period, as the ever impressive Laird tried his luck from range in the 50th minute, but despite striking it sweetly, his effort flew past Westwood's post.
The wing-back then went on a marauding run minutes later and this time tested Westwood, but his low drive didn't give the Irishman any problems.
Madden went close to completing his hat-trick in the 62nd minute, the Irishman rounded Westwood, only to see his shot cleared off the line by Liam Palmer.
Van Veen then tried his luck moments later, but his curling effort was a few inches too high.
Wednesday were the first to make a number of changes, and in the 64th minute they made no less than four.
The Iron then took a deserved lead in the 66th minute, as van Veen broke through the visitors defence and drove the ball past Westwood in the Wednesday goal.
Two new faces then entered the fray in the 67th minute as Laird, who had looked dangerous throughout the game was then replaced by trialist Dan Harding. Darius Henderson also came on for his debut as he replaced Hopper up front.
Madden wasn't to get his hat-trick, as Kyle Wootton took the Irishman's place in the 72nd minute.
Robins' men continued to apply the pressure, with Dawson firing wide on 73 minutes after a scramble in the penalty area moments before.
van Veen, clearly encouraged by his earlier strike, then tried his luck again in the 80th minute, but his attempt sailed over the crossbar and high into the stand behind substitute Price's goal.
The visitors really struggled to mount any meaningful attacks in the second half, with Caolan Lavery's wayward effort summing up their fortunes in the second period.
The Championship side's misery was compounded in the 90th minute, as Clarke's brilliantly flighted delivery was headed home superbly by Wootton at the far post.
That was to be the final action of the game, with the Iron strolling to what was a comfortable victory in the end, against opposition from a higher division. A win that surely bodes well for confidence within the squad ahead of the upcoming season.
TEAM LINE-UPS
Scunthorpe United: Daniels, Laird (Harding), Canavan, Madden (Wootton), van Veen, Bishop, Dawson, King, Goode, Hopper (Henderson), Clarke.
Sheffield Wednesday: Westwood (Price), Palmer (Hunt), Loovens, Semedo (Lavery), Matias, Nuhiu, McGugan (May), Wallace (Lee), Lees, Lopez (Hutchinson), Helan.