A resolute away performance earned the Iron all three points, as they beat second-placed Bury 2-1 at Gigg Lane.
Scott Wiseman had put United ahead in the first half, before Tom Soares drew the Shakers level. However, Josh Morris stole the show again, as he fired home from distance to keep Scunthorpe at the summit of League One.
Graham Alexander opted to make two alterations from Tuesday’s away success at Walsall. One of which was enforced, as Wiseman replaced the injured Jordan Clarke, and Stephen Dawson came in for Sam Mantom.
The home side pressed early on, with Luke Daniels being called into action on five minutes, when Zeli Ismail tested the United stopper with a dragged effort. Daniels reacted well though, pushing the ball out for a corner.
Two minutes later, the crossbar was then rattled. Following some good initial wing play by Neil Danns, the midfielder stood a cross up for Tom Pope, who subsequently crashed his header agains the frame of the goal - a let off for Scunthorpe.
After soaking up the pressure, United almost dealt the first decisive blow of the match, but Dawson’s deflected delivery from the right clipped the outside of the post, and went behind.
Consecutive Scunthorpe attempts then followed, the first of which came the way of Neal Bishop on the edge of the box. He couldn’t repeat his goalscoring exploits of Tuesday night though, as Bury ‘keeper Ben Williams grasped the ball well. Morris’ close range strike then didn’t trouble Williams, as it sailed over the bar and out for a goal kick.
United took the lead though, through an unlikely source. Morris did superbly to pick his way through the Shakers’ defence, before slipping Tom Hopper in, and the striker then put the ball on a plate for the returning Wiseman, who couldn’t miss, as he tapped home Hopper’s cross from close range.
The provider then nearly turned into goalscorer and, after Duane Holmes had fed him, Hopper looked as though he’d find the back of the net. He was thwarted however, with Niall Maher making a fantastic recovery challenge.
Hopper’s chance was the last of the opening period, as the visitors went in ahead at the break.
Bury got back on the front foot in the second half, and got themselves back level within 13 minutes of the restart. The goal came about in much similar fashion to the Iron’s, with Soares firing home from six yards out, following a drilled ball across the face of goal.
Parity didn’t last long though, as the Iron got their noses in front just after the hour mark. Morris produced something out of nothing. There seemed to be little danger when he picked the ball up on the right of the box, but he soon changed that, as he curled a delicious left footed strike into the top corner of the goal.
Then six minutes later, from virtually the same position on the field, Morris was nearly at it again. He couldn’t quite conjure up the magic he’d produced previously, as he saw his shot clip the crossbar.
Scunthorpe had Daniels to thank 15 minutes from the end, when he produced not one, but two marvellous saves. He firstly denied Soares, whose long range drive looked to be heading for the bottom corner, and was then back up to push the subsequent rebound away.
Substitute Sam Mantom had a chance to seal the points in the final moments of proceedings with a right footed effort from the edge area, but Williams foiled him well.
It was then a question of whether the Iron’s backline could hold out, and they didn’t disappoint. Bury threw everything they had at Alexander’s men in the closing stages, but they held out, to get a fantastic victory on the road.
TEAM LINE-UPS
Bury: Williams, Leigh, Kay, Ismail, Pope, Danns (Walker 55), Bryan, Mellis, Soares, Maher (Etuhu 82), Hope (Dudley 68).
Substitutes not used: Rachubka, Tutte, Burgess, Bedeau.
Scunthorpe United: Daniels, Wiseman, Wallace, Mirfin, Dawson, Morris (Goode 90+1), Bishop, Hopper, Toffolo, Smallwood (Mantom 82), Holmes (van Veen 76).
Substitutes not used: Anyon, Madden, Adelakun, Townsend.
Attendance: 5,355 (864 away).
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