Report: Iron 1-1 Rochdale

United drew 1-1 with Rochdale at Glanford Park on Saturday.

The Iron had to come from behind as Callum Camps struck early in the first-half. Ivan Toney was the man to put the scores level, as he nodded the ball home at the front post in the second-half.

Graham Alexander named an unchanged line-up to the one that played Shrewsbury the prior weekend and they started out well, applying enough pressure to the Dale attackers to restrict their efforts.

Bradden Inman was found one-on-one with Matt Gilks in the eighth minute and attempted to chip the 'keeper. However, he could only send it over the crossbar.

Rochdale’s Inman couldn’t seem to find the target as he got another chance just short of the 15 minute mark. He shifted it onto his right foot just inside the box and tried to curl it into the top right corner. However, it flew wide of the goal.

United broke on the counter attack in the 17th minute as Murray Wallace skipped past his defender. The left-back whipped the ball in towards the far post, where Ivan Toney stretched as much as he could for it. However, it wasn’t quite enough as the ball just escaped him.

It took a spectacular strike from Callum Camps to separate the two teams after 20 minutes. The Dale midfielder struck the ball from 25 yards out and found the bottom right corner of the net.

The Iron tried to hit back with 15 minutes left in the first-half, as Ivan Toney was picked out in the box. However, despite all of his effort to get up for it, the ball was just a little too high.

The next quarter of an hour saw the teams battle it out in midfield but neither could quite break through on goal until Inman’s shot fell to Oliver Rathbone with five minutes left on the clock. The midfielder snatched at the shot and it flew just wide of the right post.

Tom Hopper had the last chance of the half after it was laid off at the edge of the box. However, his strike flashed over the bar.

The Iron came out of the gate hot in the second-half, as Hopper won a free-kick in the opening minutes. Josh Morris stepped up to the mark and won a corner after his shot was deflected.

A corner followed and found Tom Hopper at the back post. The striker chose to head the ball back across goal and Toney was there at the front post to nod it home. The 51st minute goal was Toney’s fourth this season in an Iron shirt.

Rochdale came close soon after, as Bradden Inman failed to capitalise on yet another chance from close range. However, this time he was denied by Matt Gilks.

The Iron continued to drive forward as Toney ran down the left-wing, cut inside and tried a shot from outside the 18-yard-box. His effort was powerful and on-target, but it was straight at ‘keeper Josh Lillis.

Only moments later, Duane Holmes travelled all the way into the Rochdale penalty box and played a fantastic ball across the box. However, the Dale defender dived down to deny the incoming Toney. United weren’t done yet as, shortly after, a mix-up in the Rochdale box led to Morris latching onto a loose ball and only just missing the target. 

Matt Gilks made a great save with 10 minutes left on the clock, as he denied former Iron defender Scott Wiseman. The full-back latched onto a low corner ball into the box and sent it powering towards the Iron goalkeeper. However, Gilks instinctively dived down to his left to knock it wide of the goal.

With three minutes left on the clock, Funso Ojo saw an opening in the midfield and shot at goal from long-range. However, the powerful strike travelled just wide of the left post. The Iron continued to drive forward but the scores ended level.

TEAM LINE-UPS
Scunthorpe United: Gilks, Wallace, Ojo, Toney, Morris, Bishop (Clarke, 45’), Hopper, Holmes, Burgess, McArdle, Yates (Townsend, 84’).
Unused substitutes: Watson, Crofts, Adelakun, Goode, McGeehan.

Rochdale: Lillis, Rafferty, McNulty, McGahey, Andrew, Camps, Rathbone (Wiseman, 72’), Done, Inman (Humphrys, 90’), Hart (Ntlhe, 64’), Henderson.
Unused substitutes: Moore, Davies, Knott, Kitching.

Attendance: 3,789.