A very youthful Scunthorpe Under-18s side were beaten 2-1 by a senior Cleethorpes Town team in the first round of the Lincolnshire Senior Cup on Tuesday night.
The Iron, wearing green and black, started well and thought they made an early breakthrough with five minutes on the clock as the home goalkeeper gave away possession and Harry Jessop was played in, but an offside flag went up. Then, just a minute later, a cross from the right by Daniel Gallimore was cleared away to safety following Joey Dawson’s pass, as United continued to press.
In the eighth minute, United won their first corner, which was taken by Joe Busby and curled just above the goalkeeper’s top netting.
The home side’s first chance of the game came in the 17th minute when a low strike went just wide of the target. Soon after, Sam Riches was drawn into a smart save down to his right, while a home defender powered a low header wide following a right-wing corner on 26 minutes.
Some good build-up play from the hosts on the edge of the area drew Riches into a further save on 32 minutes, diving down low to his left. A minute later, a home attacker was played through and the goalkeeper quickly closed him down to block away the danger and clear.
Scunthorpe went ahead on 35 minutes when a neat passing move across the edge of the area involving Busby, Dawson and Jessop eventually came back to the first of those players, who neatly curled the ball past the goalkeeper from the edge of the box.
Riches was involved again soon after, making a good save to block away another chance and then claimed the ball again following a header from the subsequent corner.
A header was then sent over the crossbar by the home side’s left-back as United entered half-time a goal ahead.
On 47 minutes, the hosts won a corner, which was headed goalwards, but Riches again made a comfortable catch. Then, six minutes later, the Scunthorpe shotstopper got across goal to beat away a powerful effort.
In the 56th minute, the home team levelled as a free-kick from the left was floated into the area, and met with a header that flew into the far top corner of the net.
The hosts then took the lead five minutes later from close range after a ricochet fell into a Cleethorpes striker’s path.
United tried hard to battle their way back into the game, and made a couple of changes as Finley Shimpton and Cam Wilson came on for Daniel Gallimore and Jessop. Later on, Dawson was replaced by Elliott Barrett.
Riches made a couple more good saves in the closing stages, saving a low powerful effort and then charging off his line to thwart the home attackers.
In the end, the hosts advanced to the quarter-finals against a very youthful academy team.
Iron Under-18s: Riches, Baker, Chadli, Harrison, Colclough, Barks, D Gallimore (Shrimpton, 57), Dawson (Barrett, 87), L Gallimore, Jessop (Wilson, 81), Busby.
Substitutes: Collins, Horniman.